my pigs name is stella

Question
QUESTION: i have a pot belly pig for 5 months now, love her to death!!! any how need info
on getting her fixed, i have a vet that will do it.. need to no if i should, if i didnt,
what would happen, shes the only pig in a 100 mile radious so not worried
about pregnet , will she get nasty if i didnt get her fixed. thanks

ANSWER: Spaying is the best choice.

Right now there may be no other pigs nearby, but that may not always be so. Even if there are no other pigs, she may be inclined to go wandering when she's in heat. Unspayed females are very good at breaking out of pens to go looking for love - putting them in serious danger from dogs, cars, poisons and other humans.

Unspayed pigs will go into heat every three weeks. Many will "forget" their potty training then, and some become quite aggressive.

Unspayed pigs frequently develop uterine tumors, some weighing as much as 50 lb! It's far safer to spay a young, healthy pig than a 12 year old pig suffering from uterine cancer.

Sanctuaries and rescues are overflowing with unwanted pot-bellied pigs and piglets. Good homes are hard to come by. If an 'accident' happened, what would happen to the babies?

So, spaying is the best choice.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok i got her fixed she did great, now i need help with...when we sit down at
the dinner table stella gose crazy screams out of controll... i make sure she
eats before we do ,  so shes cant be that hungary ...what can i do ..its  not
easy to eat a meal in front of her...i dont want to lock her in a room or in a
cage...because we can still hear her.. my home is small.. what should i do.....
p.s. i love this pig she mine now and i would never ever give her up, she my
responsabilty now,  she staying with me forever....thanks stellas mom...

Answer
She sounds like a pig who has been fed at the table, or stolen food from the table. She knows that when your family sits down to eat, there's tasty food up and she wants her share!

This is not an easy habit to break. It might be harder on you than on her. First, no more treats from the table at mealtime for her. None. Ever. Even one little bite and she will revert right back to this bad behavior.

Next time you sit down to eat, as soon as she starts to act up, put her in her room or "time out" area. Leave her there until she stops screaming. Ignore the screams, no matter how loud or heart wrenching. The first time you do this, she may scream for a VERY long time. She's learned that when she screams, she gets her way. So, she's going to scream. Now she needs to learn that screaming at mealtime gets her nothing.

So when she stops screaming, you can let her out. But the instant she starts to beg for food, put her back in Time Out, leave her there for 5 minutes. Eventually she'll learn to behave, but the first few days might be difficult.

Another option is to teach her to eat her own meal in her own room when you have meals. Just put her in her room with her meal, then go sit down and eat. Again, ignore the screaming. When you're finished eating and NOT before, let her out. This may take a few days of loud screaming, but she will learn that she must stay quietly in her room during mealtimes.