Health of mini pig

Question
I just recently brought home a half mini pbp and half juliani. She is 4months old and weighs about 5lbs. Is this a normal weight. She seems too thins as she is very bony but has a big belly. Also, she is constantly chewing on nothing. There doesn't seem to be anything stuck in her mouth. Is she teething and how can I help her? I bought hew toys but she has no interest. She also just started a small cough but only seems to cough when scratch her ear. What does that mean? I hoping I did not purchase a sickly pig. I have yet to get her first visit to a local vet. Breeder says she's had her vaccines for the year and have been wormed until again in June. Please help!

Answer
Piglets should gain about 1 lb per week until they are nearly a year old. A 16 month old piglet should weigh between 12 - 18 lbs. It's shockingly common to see breeders misrepresent a piglets age, and 5 lb is right on target for a 1 month old piglet.

A healthy pig will not have any ribs or hip bones showing. Piglets should get a minimum of 1/2 cup of pot-bellied pig pellets per day, divided into two meals. Piglets over 15 lb should get about 1/2 cup of food per 15 lb of piglet.

The chewing on nothing could be from teething or hunger or anxiety.

Pigs have three sets of teeth in their lives, she will be constantly loosing and growing new teeth until about age 2-1/2.

A cough could be a sign of illness or just a reaction to new surroundings. I recommend getting her to a vet as soon as possible, if the cough is from pneumonia she will need medicine.

It's impossible to diagnose anything with a few lines of text over the internet. Your vet will be able to determine her exact age by the teeth and evaluate her weight and condition.

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