Pbp not pooping

Question
My pot belly pig chug is going to be almost 6 weeks he is eating his pig pellets ! Which is good I guess but he has not pooped only peeped a few times I got him on Sunday June 10 2012 and it is now Thursday June 14 2012 what should be done ??

Answer
Leaving Mom and coming to a new home is very stressful for piglets. Constipation is a common problem.

Using the same kind of litter and box that your breeder used can help. After piggy has made a poop or two (pig people call them "pig berries"), you can put a pig berry in the box you prefer with the litter you prefer, and piggy will figure it out.

If your baby came from an outdoor environment, try taking baby outside. He may not understand that it's Ok to poop in the litter box. Letting him graze might help too, because grass is high in fiber.

Another trick that sometimes works is to get piggy's feet wet. The easy way to do this is to take piggy outside, and put him down in a piggy pool or big wet puddle and get his feet good and wet.

Canned pumpkin helps relieve piggy constipation. Be sure to use plain canned pumpkin, not canned pie mix. The pie mix has extra sugar and salt that piggy really does not need. Start with just a little. A 6 week piglet should be in the 5 - 7 lb range, so I'd start with 1/8 c pumpkin, and no more than 1/4 c.

Piglets should get 1/2 c pellets per 15 lb of piglet per day, divided into two meals, with a minimum of 1/2 cup per day. Chances are a 6 week old piglet will not finish it all.

Riding in a car can trigger the potty urge in pigs that are not accustom to car rides. A little canned pumpkin in the morning and a long car ride in the afternoon often "shakes things out", so to speak. But be ready, because when a constipated pig finally starts to go, they go!

If none of these work and piggy still does not potty in a few days, you may need to take him to a vet. Pigs can develop intestinal blockages. The danger signs are fever, loss of appetite, straining to go but nothing happening. If piggy develops a hard, swollen belly or acts like he's in pain, he'll need to see a vet at once. Another potentially dangerous situation that can happen from straining to go is a prolapse, where the rectum is pushed out of the body.

There's a list of vets that see pot-bellied pigs at www.farec.org