6 month old neutered pig

Question
Thanks for answering some of my concerns about my pig that was urinating outside of the litterbox. This week has been better - not sure why, but I don't think there has been an accident since you replied. I have 3 litterboxes and he will pick which one he wants; and the skunk chooses his. However, I think some of the problem has been that he doesn't eliminate his bladder completely. When he is put outside, he gets excited and runs with it trickling out. I've been tryinig to watch him more closely and commanding "go potty" but sometimes I just leave him outside for awhile. He will often be content as long as the weather is nice(I have a fenced area outside my patio doors); however, if he thinks it's time to come back inside, he throws his body against the glass door - any ideas how to break that habit? Also,he continues to shred the newspaper. I dont' think I can switch to another form of litter because of the skunk. He's shredding it like he's making a nest - I've tried distracting him and giving him a blanket to nest in, but most of the time it doesnt' work. The litterboxes are near my computer area so I think he wants to be near me, but shredding newspapers several times a day is getting to be an old habit that needs to be redirected. Any more ideas?

Answer
Most pigs do love to shred newspaper and magazines. They seem to really enjoy the noise, and the activity itself is very similar to the kind of nest building that wild pigs do.

One option, which might not interest you, is to give him an old magazine or newspaper to shred while he's near you, so he doesn't feel the urge to steal the newspaper from the litter box. He might enjoy shredding an old blanket or sheet, and making it into a bed. Hide a treat or two inside to entice him to play with the sheet. It will take him longer to destroy the sheet or blanket than a magazine.
Another option is to give him a noisy, fascinating toy to play with. Pigs enjoy infant toys that make noise when pushed or pressed. Things with big buttons, for example. Or, large push or pull toys like "Busy Choo Choo" that they can push around with their nose. Garage sales often have used infant toys for very little money. A third option is to spend some training time with piggy before computer time. If piggy has spent energy doing tricks and had a few treats, he's more likely to settle down and shred a sheet into a bed rather than be restless.

To help him empty his bladder better, have him empty it more often. Take him to the potty box or outside a few extra times during the day, and make sure he stays there until he potties.

Also, if he shows any signs of straining to potty, he may have a urinary infection. A slow drip or trickle when pottying can be a sign of infection. If he takes 4 extra additional potty breaks a day, but still tries to walk while trickling, a vet check up might be in order just to make sure the potty problems are not caused by an infection.

Body slamming a glass door is a pretty dangerous thing to do for a pig because as he gets older his body will get thicker and more dense and pack quite a whallop. It's understandable that he doesn't want to be alone outside. Piglets growing up in natural environments are never alone. Your piggy is used to being indoors, so when he's left alone outside it's quite a bit of unusual stress.

The first thing to do is put up something to protect the door from the pig. It could be anything, like a screen door, or wire mesh. It does not have to be pretty because it will be only temporary.

The problem with pigs is, if they do something, and what they want to happen happens, they assume they did the right thing. In this case, piggy slams the door, gets let inside, so he thinks that's the way to get inside. So any solution must involve a critical rule -- Piggy does NOT get let inside for slamming the door. Never. Ever.

One way is to just ignore the slamming until it stops, then let him in. Now the first time this happens, piggy will probably slam like crazy and throw a temper tantrum. He thinks he's been doing it right all along, and won't understand why it doesn't work any more! You might be able to make this transition easier for him by incorporating option two right from the start. That is, teach him another way to signal that he's ready to come in. You can put an ordinary bell down at piggy level and teach him to ring that. Or, if you're handy, add another doorbell, a large one, at piggy level. Basically, first you teach him to ring the bell on command for a treat. Then, bring him in every time he rings the bell.

I highly recommend Priscilla Valentine's book Pot-bellied Pig Behavior and Training. She explains how pigs think about the world, and how to use the pigs point of view to teach good behavior. She has a couple of chapters on trick training and potty training and goes into much more detail than I can here. I don't know if she has a "ring to come in" trick, but the basic principles she uses for other piggy tricks are ideal for teaching "ring to come in". Her book is available from Amazon.com