Piglet age.

Question
Hello Helen!
I'm about to get my second petpig, my former angel past away this January. Now I wonder about the age of the piglet, when is the "best" time to separated it from it's mother? I read some of the questions that you've answered and noticed that some has piglets as young as 2 weeks ?!  Shouldn't piglets like dog puppies be with, and learn life from their mother for as "long as possible"? I bought my puppy when he was 8 weeks old and felt straight away that he would have needed to be at least 3-4 weeks
with his mother and pack to learn to be a dog. When is not to early and not too late for piggies?! :) All the best/Lotta

Answer
Momma pigs naturally wean their piglets between 8 and 12 weeks of age. But, some people will do anything to make a quick dollar, including selling piglets as young as a few days old.

Piglets under 5 weeks of age are usually not interested in food. They might sample something they see their mother eating, but they usually just spit it back out. When they reach 8 weeks, they'll be eating right along side Mom.

Baby piglets spend the first few weeks of life learning important lessons from their Moms. Piglets that are weaned early often don't understand that they are pigs. They think they are people, and their behavior is often misinterpreted as aggression.

Piglets that are weaned at 8 weeks have several huge advantages. First, their bodies are ready and able to eat normal food. Second, they've learned valuable lessons about behaving socially. Third, they are very interested in food, which can be used as a great teaching tool. A 9 week old pig is usually willing to learn a trick for a simple treat like a Cheerio.

There really is no "too late" for a pig. But, there are times when it's a little harder. Piglets under a year old socialize easily, although they may be extremely skittish at the start. Pigs around age 2 or a little older are just reaching emotional adulthood. It may take a little longer to gain their trust, and during this process, the piggy might try to establish himself as dominant.

After age 4 or 5 piggies reach adult hood and become much more sedate and mellow. At this stage, the pigs personality is clearly established. A shy, skittish pig will always be a cautious pig, a brave, curious pig will always be inquisitive. It may take a longer to earn their trust, but they are far less likely to try to be dominant. I have seen unsocialized, intact pigs aged 5 or 6, turn into calm house pets after neutering/spaying and lots of human contact.

In general, piggies do best when they are weaned at 8 to 12 weeks old, and start learning crate and harness training right away. These are easy to teach piglets, and once the piggies learn, they remember their whole lives.