Are Potbellied Pigs Good Pets?

Potbellied Pigs are friendly and attention-seeking creatures who love their human friends. They acted impatiently and bored when they were made to spend excessive hours without their companion. The simplest thing you can do is ensure the potbellied pig always has a friend. That is why some pig pet owners adopt more than one pig to keep them accompanied. Furthermore, you can distract them with entertainment and keep them happy. In their natural habitat, pigs live as groups and communicate via verbal pig language and body signs.

As a pig pet owner, you need to learn changes in their behavior patterns and reasons for them and minimize their boredom and isolation.

Can I have a Potbellied pig as a pet?

Although potbellied pigs are wild animals, you can domesticate them over time. These little creatures indeed seek lots of attention and love, so you must constantly watch them. Keeping potbellied pigs mentally stimulated is your biggest challenge as their owner. They prefer body closeness which makes some pig owners allow their pigs to share the bed. The chances of domesticating a potbellied pig are high due to its intelligence and loyalty.

As potbellied pigs have been found only in the United States since 1986, there needs to be a proper record of their same lifetime. However, some people believe it to be 15 – 30 years while others consider their life span to be anywhere from 14 – 21 years which hints that you can have a long-lasting friendship with them.

How to identify an irritated potbellied pig?

Although this animal is social by nature, they often find isolation unbearable. You can find an irritated potbellied pig by its screams and the side-swiping motion of its head.

How do they communicate?

These intelligent and friendly creatures have somewhat advanced communication skills, including a mother pig grunting while feeding her young and barking, indicating a warning of impending danger. Moreover, they squeal in anticipation and show anger, displeasure, or pain. Even though body language and noises help you to identify an unhappy, spoiled, or challenged pig, there is hardly any sign guiding you to learn that your pig is happy and satisfied.

Potbellied pigs are curious and intelligent.

These animals love to spend hours rooting in the ground. You will find their inquisitive nature exciting and vital as a pig pet owner. In training a pig, a high level of attention comes in handy. Did you ever know that the pig is the fifth most intelligent animal in intelligence rankings? Most of you may not have. The list is as follows.

Man
Monkey

Dolphin
Whale
Pigs

In other words, pigs are the third most intelligent animal living on the land. They act by instinct, intuition connected to their impressive memory. Why do I stress this much about their intelligence? The reason is that they are quick learners. Even though they lack the innate sense to differentiate between right and wrong, they hardly forget what they learn and master over time.

In dealing with training a pig, it is always recommended for the trainer to maintain a relationship at hand. Because pigs are like small kids who manipulate you to do what they wish. The same applies to pigs that are good at finding your weak spot to handle you tactfully. However, this is not a point to discourage your dream of becoming a pig pet owner. You can maintain a healthy and interactive relationship with a pig. But do not underestimate their ability to exceed the mile you have allowed them to reach you.

Physical Appearance of Potbellied pig

The potbellied pig has a unique build as it is a very sturdy animal. Its remarkable features are the remarkable features of the prominent pendulous belly, a slightly swayed back, short legs, short, erect ears, and a short tail ending with a flowing switch. Their weight is deceiving and prone to change depending on their breed. A purebred animal weighs differently from a crossbred one. On average, a three-year-old, healthy, and matured purebred pig can weigh 60 – 175 pounds, and its height varies from 13 to 26 inches.in exceptional cases, you can find potbellied pigs larger or smaller than the expected average size.

Unique names and their sizes

Consider how big it can grow when planning to adopt a pig pet. Yes, that is very considerate of you to know their attributes beforehand. In general, Vietnamese potbellied pigs, Kunekune pigs, Potbellied pigs, and Chinese potbellied pigs grow anywhere from 125 pounds to over 200 pounds, and their height is often from 16 to 26 inches.

You can go through the following list and decide the type of pig you want to adopt.

Name of the Pot Bellied pig	Height	Weight
Miniature	15 to 16 inches	100 pound
Teacup	14.5 inches	35 to 45 pounds
Toy	14 inches	35 to 40 pounds
Royal Dandies	15 inches	29 to 39 pounds
Micro Mini	12.5 inches	18 to 30 pounds
Dandie Extremes	12 to 29 pounds	12 inches
Mini Julianas	15 to 28 pounds	8 to 12.5 inches

Advantages and Disadvantages of Keeping a Potbellied Pig

Advantages	Disadvantages
No barking	You may not be zoned to own a pig
Very little shedding	Likeliness to become spoiled and manipulative
Long life span (12-20 years)	Pigs require a commitment of time, and company
Non-allergenic in most cases	Likely to get bored often
No fleas	Perhaps, vets have insufficient knowledge on how to treat pot-bellied pigs
They can be quickly trained for litter box, tricks, and harness, etc.
Communicative, affectionate and intelligent
Low maintenance cost due to low annual vet visits and low fed consumption

Things to consider before Purchasing Your Pot Bellied

The safest mode to buy a pig is to go for a rescue organization or reputable breeder. These rescue operations organizations feed many rescued pigs from owners who lack enough knowledge to keep a pig healthy. Try to avoid online platforms selling pigs where you are not able to visit the animal before purchasing. And also, you can get an idea about pig raising by talking to a breeder or people who are experienced in raising pigs.

When you visit a seller, check whether he can give you correct detailed information on the pig’s history, temperament, health, and any other particular concern. It is also essential to know that you can pay around $500 to buy a pig and a lower price for a rescued pig.