Thursday 6 October 2005

Miniature Pigs And What You Need to Know Before Getting One As a Pet

If you have heard of miniature pigs, then you should know that they can be affectionate and fun pets to keep around the home. Learn a bit about these furless animals and why you might want one as your next pet.

What are they?

Miniature pigs, micro pigs or teacup pigs, as they are also called, are a small breed of pigs which will normally not reach more than 30 lbs. in weight. They are very intelligent and sociable animals, and the best thing about them is that you can keep a pig and make fun without having to keep a 400 lb. animal in your home. Most of them are sold by respected breeders, and you could get one for a decent price.

Training your teacup pig

One of the main reasons why miniature pigs are popular as pets is that they can be trained just like dogs or cats. You can potty train your micro pig so as to not have to clean your home every time someone has had too much too eat. These small animals are also easy to teach commands to, and they can sit, walk with you on a leash or even play dead if you wish to see a pig in that posture.

These small pigs are not fussy when it comes to food, so you could feed your favorite pet almost anything you have in mind as long as you try to keep its diet reasonably balanced.

Keeping a trusted friend for years

These pigs will easily get attached to you, and another thing which distinguishes them from other types of pets is that they are very smart. Just make sure you train your micro pig if you don't want to have dominant display when trying to peacefully watch a ballgame.

These funny little pigs can live for 15 to 20 years, making them some if the most long lived pets of this type. What this means is that you don't have to worry about becoming too attached, as you will likely share many years in the company of your teacup pig.

Careful when buying your teacup pig

One of the things you should be careful about is where you get your miniature pigs from. There are many unscrupulous breeders which may sell you an animal which is named a micro pig only to discover in a year that the small cuddly animal has reached over 300 lbs. You wouldn't want a huge pig wondering around the home, asking for food, would you?

Your best bet would be to search online for a reputable teacup pig breeder, and a good idea would be to also see the parents of the pig before you buy it. These are also sold above 1,000 dollars, so if the breeder is asking anything less than that, you should make sure you are buying an actual miniature pig and not a pig that is now small but who will reach several hundred pounds.

So get one of these cuddly miniature pigs from a trusted breeder and enjoy the company of one of the funniest pets around.

My name is O'Reilly and I hope you enjoyed my article on Miniature Pigs. To get much more information on raising one of these lovable pets and what to expect from birth to old age please feel free to visit our website HERE.