Hoof trimming

Question
My female pot-bellied pig is 9 months old.  Through out the winter, she has spent most of her time in my workshop, on a cement floor.  I've taken her for walks (she stays pretty close to me and my bag of food), and she also stays in an outside pen on sunny days.  The pen has gravel in it for drainage.  We are planning to build her another temporary pen so she can root.  When should I start to trim her hooves?

Answer
When they get too long, if they do. Some pigs are very good at keeping their hoofies just the right length. Other pigs grow long toes, even when they spend a lot of time walking on rough surfaces. With most of my pigs, the hooves will start to get a bit long, then a couple of days later they'll be broken off quite short.

All four front toes should be fairly short and the same length. A single long toe will need clipping. Sometimes the dew claws, the smaller hoofs on the back of the foot, will need a little snip. Sometimes the front feet stay in shape, but the back toes will grow longer than they should, so don't forget to check them, too.

Another option is to get the pig used to having her hoofies played with, and keeping them short by filing. This can be effective for indoor pigs if the hooves are filed very frequently (every week or so). Human nail files, wood rasps, and sandpaper all work. Some people buff their pigs hooves every night as they sit and watch tv!