marking/urinating

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
We have two male pot bellied pigs they are both about 15 weeks old. We had them neutered when they were 12 weeks old they both weighed 9lbs. at that time. My question is that the one male is and has always shown very male mannerisms. He will pee on area rugs and now he is starting to pee or mark on feet. To me he seems very dominant like he is trying to be the leader. Will this behavior end when the hormones leave the body or does this sound like his personality? He also screams whenever you put his harness on and we have been doing this since he was 4 weeks old. His personality is so different from our other pig. Also, we are confused about the about the amount of mini pig chow they should be getting a day they are about 11lbs now any suggestions? Thank you so much for any help in this matter.

ANSWER:  We would feed  each of them one cup TOTAL per day of good pb feed (Mazuri). And fresh dark green veggies...
Pigs have different personalities.
But a possibility is a retained testicle. These are common in inbred  pb's.
3 weeks after neutering, if he is still acting boarish I would take him to a vet. Neutered males to not "hump".....does he do this or smell boarish?
Never have in 18 years have  we had a male pig urinate near feet or shoes that was neutered. It is a "hormonal" sign" although pigs love to sniff feet!
Good luck,
Priscilla Valentine
valentinesperformingpigs.com

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

QUESTION: He did have a retained testie that the vet removed. Our vet said that it can take up to 3-6 months for the hormones to leave the body is this true? Also, he does act boarish and does release that stinky smell.

Answer
As I wrote, the "boar attributes" should be gone after 3 weeks.
Usually with our pigs it is a matter of a couple of days.
I would seek a second opinion.
Many vets are not experienced with potbellied pigs.
The tetosterone appears to be coming from a testicle.
But I am NOT a vet and cannot examine the pig.
I would question if the missing testicle was removed.
Often they are VERY hard to find inside the abdomen, and are next to a kidney. Be careful not to put him with a female....
This must be frustrating.
But I cannot help you here, he needs to be examined by a vet.
GOOD LUCK!
Priscilla Valentine