potbelly baby help.

Question
QUESTION: I have a 3week old baby pbp, I have had him now for a week(brought him back from the brink of death).I  got him off the internet by a person who lied about him being old enough to be away from his mom, but me and CHOPPER pulldthrough the danger . I dont know how long to have him on the milk supplament and how to wean chopper over to whatever kind of food he should be on,(what food do you suggest)?I also am harrness training him he is doing great he was going potty outside but now he is peeing in his cage right on his bedding ,I do not understand why I take him out ALOT! He was doing so great but now he is regressing and only doing poop outside. I do not have a litterbox i take him out and am home all day ,I am not putting the litterbox idea out . I did try it and all CHOPPER did was play in the pine chips abd make a huge mess! I really need some advise I am flying blind never had a pig before and I am commited to making a good and CLEAN home for CHOPPER and family !THANK YOU!

ANSWER: Momma pot-bellied pigs generally wean their babies at about 6 to 8 weeks. Start him off with starter pellets, which contain more milk and vitamins than regular pellets. Mix a few in with his milk supplement. Keep adding more and more at each meal until it's oatmeal consistency, then start backing off the milk.

Piggies learn to potty in a particular spot, rather than in a box. Babies can hold their poop, but not their pee. Often, they don't know they have to pee until seconds before they start peeing. Your baby didn't know what the litter box was for, and he probably has trouble holding it until he's all the way outside. So, he does what baby piggies naturally do, and that's take a quick leak anyplace handy.

So, start again with the box. This time, take some shreds from his pee-soaked bedding and put them in the box along with just a bit of the litter. At the same time, replace his bedding completely with brand new stuff (or slightly used stuff from garage sales, thrift stores or flea markets), and wash his cage out completely with any good product designed to eliminate pet urine odors.

Then, take piggy to the box constantly. The second piggy wakes up. Before and after eating. Tell him to pee, and keep him in the box until he pees. No faking allowed! Continue to take him outside and let him poop there, but keep him out until he also pees outside, by the time he is about 9 months - a year old he should be able to hold it well enough to potty outside only.

I also highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think, and goes into potty training in much more detail than I can here. Her book is available from amazon.com

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QUESTION: I will definatly perchase the book thank you ! I have one other question I tryed to put the litterbox back like you suggested but all that Chopper does is COMPLETELY destroy it !!!!!He digs out all the pine shavings and even trys to eat them ?????????????So I am still running him outside.And is it ok to give him a soft swat on the bum when he does pee in the house? I do then I say bad pig bad Chopper and take him outside immediatly even though I know that he is not going to go cause he just went on my floor hahah.I bring him in after a few minutes and put him inside his cage till later . I always take him outside before I give him free time ( which I watch him like a hawk )or about 5 to 10 miutes after he eats. After free time I take out again before returning to his cage .Is this a good system? So bacically I want to know if the disapline is correct and if the schedule isgood and why he is eating and destroying the litter box.And what is a good brand of starter pellets and where can I get them and how much and how often should he be feed? WOW I am sorry its so much but I am kinda lost please HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Well it sounds like Chopper enjoys shavings too much to use them as litter. So the next step is to give him some toys are are more fun to play with than a litter box, and try something different in the box, that makes it more like a litter box and less like a toy. A rubber mat and some of the shredded, pee soaked bedding or one of his poops might work. Once he catches on to the idea, you can use just the rubber mat and empty the box into the toilet.

The problem is that when you catch a pig peeing in the wrong spot, it's already too late. The whole "going out" idea is lost on them, and he doesn't learn anything when he's put back in his cage. The trick is to get him outside or to the box BEFORE he has to pee, then keep him there until he DOES pee. So, if his cage is not big enough for the box, take him out of the cage and to the box every couple of hours. Try to remember what time you caught him making the potty mistakes, and take him out or to the box about 10 minutes earlier than that. Keep him out or at the box until he pees. Or, if you can not remember or there doesn't seem to be a pattern, try taking him out or to the box every 45 minutes or so when he's awake. I know this is an awful lot, but the idea is to get him to the right potty place when he needs to use it.

Feeding pigs is more art than science, because so much depends on the individual pig. Babies should gain about 1 lb per week. If he's gaining at the right rate, you're feeding him right.

Any national brand is good, Mazuri, Mana Pro, and Heartland are three usually available. Ask at your local pet shop, or look under "feed stores" in the Yellow Pages. The best diet for a 3 week old baby is goat milk or sow replacement formula, with some soft baby cereals. At 4 weeks it's time to start offering different foods and mixing the pellets in. At first baby will just taste the new foods and maybe spit them out. By 6 to 8 weeks baby can be on pellets plus veggies.

Piglets enjoy human infant toys, especially ones that make noise. They also like paper bags and newspapers, and sometimes dog or cat toys. They like to sleep with stuffed animals. Your piglet enjoys the pine shavings, so he might enjoy some partially shredded newspaper.