A sibling for my pig?

Question
I have a 2 year old mini pig named Jett. He's a sweetheart! He's and indoor pig and fully house trained. My husband and I both work full time, so he's home alone 8 hrs 5 days a week. I'm kind of itching to get him a sibling. I'm curious to know if you think pigs do well with that. I'm leaning towards another mini pig or a puppy. Any thoughts you can share with me? Is now a good time? Do pigs generally like a playmate?

Answer
Pigs are natural herd animals and generally prefer to hang around with people or other pigs rather than be alone. But, pigs also have a strict social view of the world. So introductions can be rough.

When a new pig is brought in, they will need to decide who is going to be top pig. If one pig is naturally more dominant than the other, or one is a young piglet, there isn't much to fight about. When the piglet reaches adulthood between ages two and three, he might decide to be top hog, so there might be some squabbling, and the piglet might become the dominant one. Two adult pigs with dominant personalities may have quite a bit to argue about at first. But once they sort it out they will be fast friends.

Although the introduction is rougher, I usually recommend adopting an adult pig as a companion for another pig. You can choose a pig with a personality compatible with your pig, you'll know what size the adult will be, and they're usually already spayed and neutered. There's a list of rescues and sanctuaries with plenty of adoptable pigs and piglets of all ages, sizes and colors at www.farec.org

Pigs raised in a home with no other pigs often develop a bit of an attitude problem that surfaces around ages 2 or 3. When two pigs like this are brought together, they both suddenly realize they are pigs and bond closely to each other (after fighting over who is top pig). Also, their attitude towards people improves, too.

When bringing the second piggy home, try to set it up so that both pigs can see and smell each other but not reach each other. It's tempting to want to spend most time with the new arrival, but it's very important to give extra love and attention to Jett. At first, Jett may act angry, even towards you because you will have the new pig smell on you. After a few days or couple of weeks, you can let the two pigs together. Putting them outside in a fenced yard is best, they can chase and charge each other.

Put Vaseline on their ears as a precaution. Fighting pigs often grab ears and puncture them. The slippery Vaseline will keep them from getting a grip.

Even after they've been introduced you might want to continue to feed them separately. This way they can't fight over food and you'll know right away if one of them isn't eating right, and you can control portions for each pig individually.