New pig owners might be curious about what fruits their pet pigs would love. It’s important to know what our pigs like and dislike and what food should be avoided. This page will list all the food you can give to a pig!
Can pigs eat bananas? Yes, pigs can eat bananas. Some of them may even love it. Experts recommend owners to supervise a pig when feeding them with bananas as they can potentially choke on it or choke with the peel if handed with peeling on.
Banana is a healthy choice and so are some other fruits for pigs and they can help maintain a balanced diet for pigs.
When handing bananas to your pig, it is suggested to have it in slices and not whole as they may try to swallow it completely and can lead to choking.
Food choking can be fatal for animals like pigs as they have a complex build and can have a hard time recovering from the choke, it can lead to death if it turns worse!
The banana must be fresh, ripe and ready for consumption. Sometimes, some pigs enjoy cooked bananas.
You must also keep in mind that pigs can develop individual personalities and their personal preference when it comes to food therefore just because they CAN does not mean they will.
Some pigs may or may not like certain types of food but there is no need to worry as there is a wide variety of choices of fruits and vegetables that you can choose from and feed to your pig.
Pigs are not picky eaters and can almost eat literally anything that is available to them, but just because a pig can eat anything doesn’t mean we should feed them just anything.
There are good and bad choices for pigs and we must be aware of those choices too.
So what else can we feed to our pet pigs? We listed some of the good choices that most pigs are known to love and enjoy.
What type of diet is suitable for pigs
There are lots of things your pig would love to eat. Once again, they are not picky eaters and we call this behavior as an “opportunistic” trait from pigs.
They can accept nearly anything, but what exactly are the foods that they love? Aside from bananas, there are many other things you provide for your pet pig.
Which food are loved by pigs aside from bananas?
Most pigs are said to love…
- cooked broccoli
- dark green lettuce
- beets
- grapes
- oranges
- grapefruit
- melons
- pitted peaches
- pitted cherries
- pitted apricots
- cooked potatoes
- all squashes
- pumpkins
- yams
- zucchini
- kale
- tomatoes
- chard
- carrots
- apples
- snow peas
- cucumbers
- spinach
Which food are disliked by pigs?
Some may or may not like the following food…
- raw broccoli
- eggplants
- sprouts
- peppers
- asparagus
- artichokes
- cabbages
- cauliflower
- onion
- corn husks
Which treats are loved by pigs aside from bananas?
The most popular treats known to love by pigs are…
- cheerios
- raisins
- dried fruits
- granola
- zucchini
- eggplants
- shredded wheat
- cherry tomatoes
- dried cranberries
- popcorn
- baked cheese crisps
What type of food should you avoid for pigs
Pigs are omnivores just like humans. They can eat meat. However, it can be very risky to feed them meat.
There is a high chance of them receiving different kinds of disease through the meat and might transmit it to other pets including their human owners. Therefore, it is best to stick to the safe suggestions.
We have heard of the devastating disease outbreaks from pigs, so we want to avoid that as much as possible. It is not only for your pig’s safety, but also for your safety too.
Being a non-picky eater could have its own disadvantages too. Since the pig doesn’t mind what it consumes most of the time, it might be unconsciously consuming unhealthy food.
FEEDING MEAT IS STRICTLY NOT RECOMMENDED.
It is not limited to just meat. Meat products and other food that had contact with meat should be avoided at all costs.
This also includes food scraps, bakery waste, waste from restaurants and untreated used cooking oils and fats.
Why pigs should not eat meat
The easiest way for pigs to get sick or infected is to eat meat.
Terrible virus outbreaks that happened in the past began in pigs. Pigs are capable of getting infected by zoonotic diseases.
Zoonotic diseases are viruses that can be transmitted to humans.
For some areas or states, it might already be considered illegal to irresponsibly allow your pig to eat meat.
Notoriously known viruses that made their way to global news after taking hundreds or more innocent lives will be listed below.
- Swine Influenza (H1N1 virus)
This virus is deadly to all ages. It may be similar to a typical fever, but once it gets bad, it can be fatal to the point of death.
- Foot-and-mouth disease
Causes severe fever, inflammation, appetite loss, sore throat, depression, and pain in the tongue or gums, red rashes on palms and soles and irritability in infants or toddlers.
Almost anyone knows or has heard about these viruses and should keep in mind how risky it can be. A huge threat can be eliminated just by following a simple advice.
Do not feed meat to your pig.
Avoid Leftovers or Spoiled Food
Even when pigs are known to have a “stomach of steel” (meaning they can eat nearly anything and ingest them without getting sick or feeling sick), it’s still safer to stick to proper food.
We must not rely too much on their natural ability to tolerate any type of food. Again, just because they CAN eat anything, doesn’t mean we SHOULD feed them literally just anything.
What a pig consumes affects their growth, reproduction, health, behavior and their entire lifespan.
Please do not feed leftovers or spoiled food to your pig.
Avoid Feeding Piglets with Seedy Fruits/Risky Food
For adult or matured pigs, eating almost any kind of fruit is safe and won’t be a threat. However, young pigs or piglets might be put at risk when they swallow seeds.
It may not cause a critical condition, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t risk too much when it comes to health as anything can dangerous can turn fatal any moment.
There are incidents where piglets choked to death and some had a problem when the seed was large enough to hinder several body functions that resulted in various issues.
Obesity
Obesity is actually one of the most common problems among pet pigs and must be treated immediately as it can be the cause of developing new diseases.
It’s important to maintain a balanced diet for your pigs and give them enough space so they can have plenty of exercise when they move around.
Let us all be responsible owners!
Related Questions
- Do pigs eat their own waste / poop?
Yes, pigs will eat even their own waste. This is common behavior among other prey animals like rabbits.
Most of the time, if they are usually eating natural and healthy food, their waste will still contain bits of those nutrients and is safe for them to consume.
However, as long as there are other available food and options, they will choose the more edible food over their own waste.
- Do pigs eat other pigs?
Cannibalism is not common behavior among pigs. When pigs eat other pigs, the savage act usually occurs when mothers devour their liter (piglets).
There is no accurate explanation yet as to why some sows (mother pigs) eat their offspring but theories suggest that it could be due to starvation, irritation, mental problems or the sow could tell the offspring won’t live long because of a hidden illness that we may not know of.
This type of behavior should be monitored closely and pigs that exhibit acts of cannibalism can be considered dangerous as they may have mental illness that we do not know off and can become violent.
Cannibalism can also happen with boars (male pigs) when starvation strikes, there are not many options left for them. They may eat piglets or even kill other adult pigs.
This is a rare behavior but chances of it occurring among wild pigs are higher than domesticated pigs.
Pigs MAY eat the carcasses or decaying bodies of another dead pig or unconsciously eat pig meat when handed to them by humans.
But once again, it is not their natural behavior even if they are omnivores.
- Are pigs clean?
Yes, pigs are one of the cleanest animals you can ever come across with. They are often depicted as a negative symbol in many areas but the truth is they are the opposite of the stigma we know about them.
As much as possible, pigs would prefer not to soil their living areas and leave their waste in one area or corner which means they know how to assign their own wasting zone.
They are intelligent animals and would rather prefer to stay clean than filthy.
People thought pigs are filthy because they are often seen covered in mud and the explanation behind this is simply because mud is the substitute of water for most pigs.
Not every pig have access to bodies of water that can help keep them clean and that is why they choose the nearest available option.
Pigs have a hard time adjusting their body temperature because they have little sweat glands. They cannot sweat enough to take out the heat in their bodies and by rolling in mud, they can cool off even a little bit.
Mud also protects a pig’s skin from sunburn and can help mask their scents to confuse predators in the wild.