New Addition Needed Info Please

Question
hi... I recently purchased from what the guy said a mini potbelly... she will use the litter box and use it outside however the problem is I'm not sure how much to trust what the guy told me with certain things... for one she weighs about 5-7 lbs and he told me she is right at 5 months old so she seems rather small if that is her correct age... another thing is he told me to feed her a handfull of mini pig food twice a day, is this sufficient? the biggest problem I'm having is that she HATES to be picked up of course and she hates being put on a leash or harness to go outside... she screams when I go to pick her up or pull her on the leash... will she get used to it? any information on a new potbelly in the house would be greatly appreciated... she also doesnt feel like she has many teeth if any... pleaseeee help! lol thank you so much

Answer
Your piglet is probably much younger than 5 months. It is not unusual for a breeder to misrepresent a piglets age. I recommend taking her to a veterinarian for a check up. The vet will know how old she is by her teeth, check her for any potential health problems (mange, worms, etc), and schedule her spay. Unspayed female pigs often forget their potty training when they go into heat, some are quite grumpy or difficult during heats. You can find a list of pot-bellied pig vets here http://www.farec.org/us-vets.htm

Healthy piglets normally gain about 1 lb per week. Pigs have three sets of teeth. They are born with the first set, called Needle Teeth. Baby teeth continue to erupt from about 1 week of age to about 12 weeks of age. Permanent teeth begin to come in at roughly 6 months. Your piglet is small and has few teeth, and that points to a younger piglet.

Yet another clue to her age is her reaction to new foods and treats. Nursing age piglets show little interest in foods, this instinct prevents them from accidentally eating something poisonous. Piglets approaching weaning age are curious about foods, but often simply mouth the food before spitting it out. Piglets over weaning age are generally curious about anything that looks or smells like it might be food. However, when piglets are taken from their mothers early, after a few weeks, they learn to eat different foods even if they are very young.

Momma pigs never pick up or lift their piglets. The only time in nature that a baby piglet is picked up is when a predator has grabbed it to eat. So, piglets need to be taught to enjoy being lifted and held.

Start in a quiet room. Let her approach you and investigate. Offer her food from your hand. Do not feed her in a bowl, all food must come from you. Tell her what you're going to do before you do it, like "Touch Piggy" or "Rub Belly". Keep trying to touch her, then hold her. When she's comfortable being held while she eats (it won't take long!), start lifting her, be careful to support her whole spine while you do it. Soon, she'll be comfortable being held.

Use the same technique of gradually introducing her to the harness, and putting it on while she eats. The best harness is one that slips under the pig and fastens on the back. Dog harnesses are difficult because dogs are not shaped like pigs, and pigs do not like to put their heads through harnesses. Pig harnesses are available from rossmillfarm.com, pigstuff.com and pigs4ever.com

Some people free feed piglets until they are about 12 weeks of age, which is the age when Momma pig would naturally wean her young. If your piglet is younger than this, she'll need starter pellets for the extra nutrition. If she seems to have a little trouble chewing the dry pellets, wet them with water or milk until they are mush.

Feeding pigs is more art than science. Each pig and situation is different. The general rule of thumb is a minimum of 1/2 c pot-bellied pig pellets per day. For piglets over 15 lb, the rule is 1/2 c per 15 lb of piglet. In other words, a 30 lb pig should get 1 cup pellets per day. But no pig should ever get less than 1/2 cup. Supplement the pellets with fresh veggies and maybe some fruit. Do not go overboard with treats, as the extra calories in treats really adds up fast. The important thing is how does the pig look? The pig should look healthy, not too plump, not too skinny. If the pig is gaining too much weight, cut back on treats or use pellets from the daily ration as treats. If the pig is too skinny, increase the amount of veggies, if that doesn't work, increase the amount of food, too.

I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think, and goes into much more detail than I can here. It's always easier to start a piglet off with good habits than it is to teach an older pig to give up bad habits. Her book is available from amazon.com