socializing a pig

Question
I am interested in adopting a year-old pig from a family that has kept him outside without any companionship and has not spent much time with him. When I met him he did react at all to my presence nor to the owner. It was as if we weren't there. I scratched him once and he didn't seem to mind; however when I went to scratch him again he snapped at me. The owner appeared to be shocked and said he'd never done that before. Then the owner reached down to scratch the pig and he again snapped and then went into his house. My questions is this: is it likely that this pig can be socialized and learn to enjoy human company or is it too late? I live on a farm and would be willing to take him even if he wouldn't make a good pet; I have other animals that he could be around for companionship. Your thoughts?


Answer
Thank you for considering an older pig as a pet. While this pig is probably not the ideal candidate for a house pig, he's not an adult yet. With a little love and attention he'll most likely become quite social.

Without knowing more about the pig and situation I can only guess at his behavior.

If the pig is very overweight his senses, especially his vision, may be impaired. The excess fat around the eyes and ears muffles sight and sound. He may not have seen your hand the first time, but caught a shadow of it moving the second time. In this case, he's still very young so if put on a diet his senses will probably recover fully by the time he reaches ideal weight.

Another guess is that he was very frightened. He didn't quite know what to do at first and so did the "frozen invisible pig" thing that pigs sometimes do. When the two of you continued to touch and talk to the pig, he decided to retreat into his house.

Still another possibility is that he is so isolated he does not know who is in charge and who is not. Pigs see the world as a ladder, and every person and pig has his own rung. This pig was in his own territory, you and the owner were intruders, and he was trying to establish himself as Top Pig in His Space.

There may be other explanations, but these are three pretty common things that we see in rescue. When obesity is the problem, diet and a little excersize work wonders. If this pig is frightened or aggressive, he'll need a little more time and attention but with love and care he will most likely come around. The advantage you have is his age. Pigs don't reach adulthood until they are about age 2 - 3, so this pig is actually still in his youth.