Buddy my pbp

Question
My son got me a pbp apx one month ago and I just love him. He got him from our local fair. And after the first vet visit we have determined his is about 3-5 mo. old. Now I have read everything I can get my hands on about the care and training of pbps and I think I am doing every thing right but, He (Buddy) will have nothing to do with house training. I have tried everything. My husband is fed up and wants to get rid of him but I will not!! I have actually fallen in love with him. I get up very early in the am to make sure he goes out to potty but his cage is wet with pee almost every morning?? And if I do sleep in he sometimes poo's in there too.. What am I doing wrong? I take him outside every night two or three times before I go to bed and he does go or I wait till he does, Please Help.. Thank you Denise.

Answer
Buddy is just a baby and simply does not have the physical ability to "hold it" for long periods of time, and a few bad habits have made the problem worse.

First, he needs a litter box in his cage, or a new set up that will allow him to go potty at night. By locking him in a cage without a box, he had no choice except to potty in his bed. That is something pigs naturally hate to do, but now that he's been forced to do it, it's a habit. Put some thought into the set up, because he will probably need that litter box until he's at least a year old, maybe longer.

Take him to his litter box or outside as soon as he gets up in the morning. Take him outside or to his box before and after every meal. Take him as soon as he wakes up from any nap. And, if he's been out playing for 2 hours, take him to potty.

Piglets, like little kids, don't always know they have to potty until it's almost too late. At that point, piglets will look around for a spot to go instead of trying to dash to the box or outside. By constantly taking him to the potty, he'll stay "empty" enough to avoid emergency accidents. And, by taking him to his litter box during the day, he'll learn to use that at night.

I totally recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. She really understands how pigs think, and covers potty training in detail. It's available from Amazon or her site www.valentinesperformingpigs.com