pig home alone

Question
is it okay for a pet pig to stay home alone for long periods of time? between mine and my boyfriends work schedule.. during the day it is home alone for approx 5-7 hours depending on the day and there isone day out of the week its home alone for 8-9 hours. it has its own little space with the necessities set up for him while im away.. but i've read pigs do not like to be left alone and can grow resentment to you for leaving it alone.. is this true? i love my piggy and dont want it to resent me!! =/

Answer
Young piglets thrive on interaction. Your piggy needs lots of toys to occupy his time, or he may become destructive. Piggies will chew woodwork, walls, etc out of sheer boredom.

One solution is to set up a sturdy outside pen with a windproof, rainproof shelter (like a dog a loo) and leave piggy outside when you are gone for long periods of time. If piggy is small, you might want to cover the pen with plastic deer netting, just to discourage anything (like stray dogs or children) from trying to get in.

Another solution is to get piggy a companion, such as a second pig or a cat. Dogs and mix are not always a good mix, but pigs get along quite well with cats, and sometimes birds as well. Getting a second companion animal is a big step. Young pigs adapt to new pigs fairly easily, but introducing older pigs can be dramatic. Pigs need to establish a pecking order among themselves, and when two new pigs meet, they argue until they decide who is in charge.

Older pigs are fine when left alone. Many older pigs are happy to sleep all day. While your pig is young, give him lots of things to do while you are gone. Spend as much time as possible with trick training and socializing, so he has something to think about. Some good websites with ideas for keeping lonely pigs busy are www.farec.org, www.pigs4ever.com