potbelliepig biting and aggression

Question
Hi,
my name is Renee and my husband and I have a 5 1/2 yr old pig named priscilla. We have had her since 30 days old. She is a very good pig,however she has developed signs of aggression and biting/nipping. This has been with people outside the home and also now with people inside the home. It seems to have something to do with being startled,but is a concern. We also have questions on trimming her hooves and curing her from going to the bathroom in the house,this seems to be moreso around the time she is expected to go into heat. She is not spayed, could this be part of the problem? and is she to old to spay? Could this have something to do with aggression? We know about the "line up in the herd" and have been taking care of that problem. We can't seem to find  a vet that is close that seems to know that much about pot bellies, we were told she was to old to be spayed. She is around little kids and this is a big concern! Please,please,please help us!!!! we love her and want to keep her!!! Sincerely Renee  

Answer
It's very common for unspayed females to forget their potty training when they're in heat.

Age is usually not the big issue in spaying, it's weight. Over weight pigs are harder to sedate. Pot-bellied pigs are usually spayed through the belly (farm hogs are often spayed from the side), so the pig must be on her back during surgery. If the pig is very overweight, this is hard on her heart & lungs. Plus, the vet has to get through a lot more tissue to reach the organs. Finally, overweight pigs often have trouble coming out from under anesthesia.

On the other hand, normal weight females as old as 14 and 15 do very well after a spay. Unspayed females frequently develop huge (35 lb +!) uterine tumors, and the best way to remove them is by spaying, and that's why these old females get spayed.

The aggression could be any number of factors. Pigs usually try to establish their place in the herd line up at around age 2, so at her age I think there's something else going on. A sudden, dramatic change in her daily routine, a move to a new home, a new person or pet living in the home, pain, or reduced ability to see/hear can all trigger aggression.

First, no more treats except when she does tricks. Pigs tend to see people as "treat machines", and that can trigger aggression. If she hasn't had any training sessions lately, a few review sessions might help her settle down a bit and reinforce who is in charge.

If she is having trouble seeing or hearing, she might need to loose a little weight. Check her eyes, make sure her eyelashes are not causing any problems. Get her down for a belly rub then using a tissue or just your finger, clean away any eye gunk. Gently grasp her eyelashes and pull the lid away from the eye just enough to make sure there are no lashes turned inward. Giving her a space of her own where she can sleep undisturbed might also help, if she already has such a space, encourage her to use it instead of sleeping in public areas where she might be startled.

Hooves can be a problem. If she'll let you file them, a wood rasp will work. If they are long and must be cut, sheep or goat hoof trimmers usually work well. If her feet are really long, then you can use a fine, thin wood file to cut them off, but this will take a very, very long time. Get her down for a belly rub, then start sawing at the hoof. Or, if you have some strong friends, they can hold her down & cut the long hooves off short with a cutting wire.

There's a list of vets that see pot-bellied pigs here http://www.petpigs.com/vet_list/map.html Some of these vets will work with other vets who are willing to learn more about piggies.

You can find cutting wire and hoof trimmers at valleyvet.com and jefferslivestock.com