taking him or leaving him?

Question
im about to go on a trip with my wife to stay at her parents house for a week, but we dont know what to do about our 5 week old piglet. we would like to take him and know if its safe for him because they have other farm animals there and wasn't sure if he'd catch a disease or will he just get diseases from other pigs?

or is it good for him to stay and will he miss us? were going to have someone to babysit him

Answer
The right answer depends on your situation. A 5 week old piglet is still a baby, and would miss you terribly. Teaching piglets to wear a harness, stay comfortably in a crate, and travel well is a great idea. It's much easier to teach a baby than an adult, and baby will always remember harness training. On the other hand, there's a lot of potential dangers out in the world.

If you're crossing state lines, there may be legal issues. Your piglet may need a permanent ID and health certificate.

Sick farm hogs can transmit diseases to your baby, but there are vaccinations that protect against most swine illnesses. Your vet can find out which ones are most likely to be a problem. Another danger from farm animals is hooves. Large hooved animals can seriously injure or kill a careless baby piglet that wanders too close.

I would not leave a 5 week old baby alone in a barn overnight. But if you could bring along a comfortably sized crate for him to sleep in, and keep it in your room, that would be fine.

Another potential problem is pottying. A 5 week old baby can't "hold it" very long, and may not realize he has to go until it's almost "too late", so you'll need to be vigilant about taking baby to a potty spot many, many times every day.

Depending on the condition of the barn, it might be safe to leave baby and crate inside a secure stall with lots of fresh straw and drinking water for several hours at a time. But make sure baby can not get out of the stall through cracks or under doors. Just as important, make sure nothing dangerous, like dogs, can get inside the stall. And finally make sure that no one can accidentally or carelessly open the stall door unless you are there. Lock the stall and tag it with a Do Not Open sign.

Also, there are the usual dangers associated with travel - animals getting lost at rest stops, car crashes, etc. However, a little caution and common sense will prevent most of these kinds of accidents. Always keep baby in a comfortably sized travel crate, with harness on. Keep the car doors closed, let baby out of the crate, fasten the leash to the harness, then open the doors to take baby out.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you and depends on your circumstances.