Potbellied Pigs

Originally from Vietnam, what we know today as the potbellied pig first made its way to the United States in the 1980s. With their adorable piggy features and the smaller than usual size, people began to look at the little guys as a pet ownership opportunity. For a few years there was a craze as people fell in love with the idea of having such a unique animal sharing their homes. For many, however, this love was short-lived. When these new pets grew larger that expected (and larger than they were informed) some families could not fathom keeping them in the house or at all. More importantly, many of these new owners expected their pigs to act exactly like a dog, which they are most definitely not. They did not do the requisite research to understand the piggy nature and all that entails. This is why, even today, sanctuary after sanctuary is filled with pigs that were abandoned by their original human families.

Pet pig ownership is not for the faint of heart. It has been said that owning a potbellied pig as a house-pet is like taking care of a human two-year old for fifteen years or more except that piglets can be house-trained earlier. Pigs are clean, intelligent, stubborn creatures with their own self-defined wills that usually correlate with their very healthy, sometimes unhealthy, appetites. Although you can keep pigs in the house (we do), for their mental well-being, they need a decent-sized yard and lots of time outside to explore their surroundings.

They require a lot of work and attention, but they are also a lot of fun to have around the house. You can teach them to do tricks and they are very affectionate. Almost everyday you will witness them in the act of doing something adorable. Pigs are also emotive. When a pig is happy, he or she will be demonstrably happy. It is a very satisfying thing to see a happy pig.

If you are considering adopting a pet potbellied pig, please do your homework. This includes making sure that your community will permit pigs as pets as many do not. Being abandoned can devastate a pig's emotional life, so consider carefully the 15-year-plus commitment you will be making when you bring a tiny piglet home with you.