sucking piglet

Question
I have a 4 month old piglet that all of a sudden is excessively sucking on legs hands feet excetra. Why?

Answer
Many pigs enjoy sucking air when they taste something especially good or minty, like peppermints. The air sucking intensifies the flavor. Some pigs point their nose straight up in the air and suck, others prefer to push their snouts against something, like a hand or foot.

Continuous air sucking probably means there's something going on inside his mouth. He is teething, the new teeth or loose old teeth might be uncomfortable. Or, he may have something stuck between his teeth or in his mouth. There might be a gap where a new tooth is coming in that collects food particles and other "stuff", piggies do stick their noses in everything.

Try sticking your finger inside piggy's mouth and see what you can feel. Piggy will probably be most cooperative at his usual nap or sleepy time. Look for gaps, lumps, or anything that seems like it doesn't belong in there.

Dental danger signs include lumps on the inside of the mouth or outside of the jaw, pus or blood in the mouth, and really, really awful bad breath. There's a list of vets that see pot-bellied pigs at www.farec.org