My mini pig Poncho

Question
My name is Mihailina Petkova, I am from Sofia, Bulgaria.

My boyfriend surprised me with a mini pig as a present. He took it from people who used it as an atraction and tourists take picture with it. He talked with them to buy it and they agreed. They told my friend he is 5 months old.

I do love all kind of animals and I was so excited that I have this one. It was my dream for very long time. I live in an apartment not in a house but it is big and have a huge terace- 20 metres. I take him for a walk three times a day. I feed him twice a day. Here in our country , I think I am the only one who owns a mini pig. He is a boy and we called him Poncho.( I send you pictures of him)
From the very begining he start to bite us especially my father and my boyfriend. But we thought that we are strangers for him and it will take some time for him to get to know us. But he is one year old already and he is castrated but he still attack and bites the man in the house- my father and my boyfriend and sometimes my sister, my mother and me and he is doing it for no reason. He uses his litter box but only when he is closed in the bath. When he is out of the bath he pee wherever he wants. He have 2-3 places were he pee and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do and how to train him. I also have a dog a terrier - 2 years old, but we keep them separeted from each other. I am scared they don't hurt each other. And I have to mention that he is not castrated.

My boyfriend want to sell him but I love him and I want to keep him. I need your advice because our veterinary doctors here don't have experience with mini pigs.

Answer
Piggies learn quickly but unlearn slowly. Piggy has learned some bad behaviors and needs to learn new ones. But, he won't want to do that - pigs are creatures of habit and like doing the same things. So, he will be unhappy at first, and it will take some time for him to forget the old behavior.

Castration or neutering is an issue. Intact male pigs make a lot of foam at the mouth. They hump constantly, and secrete a strong odor. Female pigs love the odor, most people do not. The book Veterinary Care of Pot-Bellied Pigs by Lorrie Blackburn Boldrick, available from amazon.com explains the differences between castrating an ordinary farm hog and castrating a mini-pig. This really must be done in a sterile environment under anesthesia. If you have a vet who is interested in pigs, this book may be very helpful. Or, your vet could contact www.farec.org, they may be able to provide your vet with the information he or she needs.

First, start with potty training. Clean the pee accident spots with any product that's designed to remove pet odor. Ones with enzymes or bacterias work well. Then, if possible, rearrange the room so that he can not get to those spots, or get to them easily. Or, put a new throw rug or mat over the spots.

Start a strict potty schedule. Piggy must go potty in his potty box as soon as he gets up in the morning, before breakfast, after breakfast, before and after lunch and dinner, before bedtime, and many times in between. Do not let him out of the box, or out of the bath room, until he has gone potty. At first, he will be unhappy, and may act like he doesn't understand. Be persistent, he will learn quickly - but he will also still remember having accidents and so you must stick to the strict potty schedule for many months.

Pigs see the world as a ladder or stair way, and every person, pig and other pet has their own place on the stairs. When pigs reach emotional maturity, they want to climb up that ladder. So, we need to remind piggy that he is not in charge.

Do this by having everyone in the family make piggy move at different times during the day. Never step over or around him, make him move out of your way. Also, I normally do not recommend the squirt bottle method, but it may work for you because piggy is quite aggressive, piggy has  already learned to attack. Get an ordinary squirt bottle and fill it with plain water. When piggy attacks someone, have that person give piggy a few squirts right in the face. At first, piggy will be mad, and try again. Because that's what he knows. Squirt again. If the fighting escalates, use a "piggy board" (like a garbage can lid or large tray) as shield and make piggy go into his bath room for just a minute or two. Do not keep him in there long, let him out almost right away.

This may go on for quite awhile, because pigs unlearn slowly. Keep it up and be firm. Also, if possible, have everyone in the family make piggy do tricks for treats - and no treats unless he earns it by doing a trick.

Please do not feed piggy dog food. Dog food is not balanced for pigs and can lead to all kinds of tummy problems, which will just make piggy feel uncomfortable and unhappy. Look for a hog chow, horse chow, rabbit chow or other animal food that is about 12% protein and very low in fat. Piggy should get 1/2 cup of food per day per 15 lbs of pig. Google conversion says that's about .12 litre per 6.8 kg in metric. There's a formula for determining a piggy's weight here, but it's in pounds and inches system. Supplement piggy's diet with fresh veggies and fruits.

The key here is persistence. It will be hard for piggy to learn new behavior, but he can. Everyone in the family needs to participate.

I highly recommend Priscilla Valentine's book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training. It's available from amazon.com  Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do.