Pet pigs successfully managed to attract people with their charm, finally leaving the dark stigma about pigs behind them.
What are pet pig requirements? As pets, pigs require legal documents before they can be owned. An owner must register as a pig owner and go through the process. The next requirement is a proper environment to live in and a balanced diet to provide all the nutrients they need and avoid obesity.
Pet pigs will also require vaccination and annual medical checkups to stay healthy. Spaying and neutering is also recommended. Lastly, pet pigs require love and commitment.
To prevent and monitor a possible disease outbreak, domestic pigs of any breed must be registered and identified
That is why legal documentation is listed as one of the top requirements for a pet pig. It’s for everyone else’s safety.
There is a legal procedure and you can visit our article on how to get a license for your pig. Owning and caring a pig comes with great responsibility.
If you are serious about owning a pet pig, you need to consider a lot of factors, their needs and the costs. Other than being mentally prepared, you need to be financially prepared too!
Now that the requirements have been listed, we might begin to wonder why some of it are important.
WHAT MAKES THE REQUIREMENTS IMPORTANT
Registering your pet pig
As mentioned above, the reason why this law was implemented was for the sake of disease prevention.
Registering a pet pig will also come with a few advantages an owner could definitely benefit from. Without a doubt, it’s worth the effort.
A registered pet pig will be monitored by your local animal health office and will definitely take action as soon as possible the instant they discover a pet has been infected.
Another advantage is for instances where a pet pig gets lost or goes missing, your documents and the “identifying mark” will make it easier to search and claim your pet.
This is a great safety feature and saves people from the risk of exposure to dangerous sickness. They will stop the illness from spreading and infecting other animals too.
Terrible virus outbreaks happened in the past because of contagious diseases transmitted by a pig to a human. These diseases are called “Zoolist” illnesses.
Two notorious viruses became viral after infecting a large population of unaware people all over the world.
Swine Flu Virus (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.
Both illnesses seemed like a normal fever at first but suddenly took a horrible turn that turned fatal and caused death.
After the outbreak, the pigs are once again viewed as extremely negative creatures and some people even feared one. As a pig owner, part of your duty is shielding your healthy pig from the negative people that might harm them.
How do pigs get sick?
The easiest way for pigs to get sick is to eat meat. Even though they are omnivores, the recent incidents involving pigs lead certain areas to strictly prohibit meat as food for pigs.
If a pig gets infected by a disease through eating meat, there’s a high chance to immediately infect nearby animals and humans caring for them.
Another reason why licensing is important is for the officials to check if a potential pig owner is eligible to care for a pig.
There are cases where owners purposely feed pigs with prohibited or other inappropriate food for entertainment which is not tolerable. It could put anybody at risk.
A thorough and careful review will be done before anyone can become a recognized and legal pig owner, so prepare your documents in advance.
We have an article about legalizing your pet pig. But once again, depending on your area, the regulations may also differ. We advice checking with your local animal welfare laws.
Proper Environment
Unlike what we know them for, pigs are actually very clean animals. To keep one, you are required to provide them the right place.
For some places, pet pigs are only allowed to stay indoors and prohibited owners from letting their pigs stay outdoors.
There could be a few logical reason behind this such as safety precautions. However, there are times they discriminate pigs and ask them to stay out of sight because of the negative image that pigs have.
For indoor pigs – You must consider the breed, age and size of your pet. A proper bedding to fit its size is needed for the sake of comfort.
Regardless of the breed, we want to advice owners to anticipate their pigs
to grow twice as their current size if they are still young. “Teacup” or “Miniature” pigs are not guaranteed to stay as small as they are.
So to help you save money, our tip is to go for the long term investments.
Pigs have a hard time adjusting to temperatures and may struggle in extreme heat or extreme cold. They are prone of sunburn, pneumonia and heatstroke.
The proper environment fit for a pet pig is a place that have an average warm or cool temperature in order not to stress them out.
Pigs are unable to sweat, which is why it’s difficult for them to adjust to temperatures. Their only way of cooling off was rolling around in mud. It also helps keep away parasites.
The house where you will put them in should let them stay dry, warm or cool and away from parasites.
It is also required to provide them enough space to roam freely or run around for a bit of exercise.
They are known to be intelligent and curious animals and this factor needs to be considered. A confined or isolated pig without enough space to explore can grow depressed.
A pig with negative emotions are prone to sickness and can die from it.
Pigs will also prefer a clean place and can be house trained. You don’t need to worry about them making a mess anywhere.
For outdoor pets – you will be required to provide enough money to create a shed or small house for them outside.
If you don’t have a place to keep your pet pig in, your chances of being a verified or legal pet pig owner will turn slim.
Similar to the requirements above, they should be protected from harsh conditions, have enough space, have access to their “toilet” and a spot where they can get enough vitamins from the sunlight.
Balanced Diet
Aside from meat, pigs can eat almost anything. They are not picky eaters, but that’s also why it’s important for a pig owner to know what’s healthy and not for their pet pig.
We already discussed above the risk of feeding meat to your pig. It must be avoided as much as possible.
Most pigs eat different types of fruits and vegetables. You may also pick up acorns or some nuts to give as snacks. They also graze on grass, dig up the ground for roots and eat insects (which is safe for them).
When it comes to feeding them, you won’t be having trouble trying to figure out what your pig likes and dislikes. There’s too many choices to choose from!
Still, studies say that real and trusted pig pellets are still the best food option for your pet pig as most of the time, pellets will contain all the needed vitamins and nutrients for a balanced diet meant for pigs.
You can also check one of our articles for a more detailed information about what to feed your pet pig: https://petpigworld.com/what-can-i-feed-my-pig/
Healthcare
Vaccinating your pet pig is also important. It’s also recommended to let them have annual medical checkups to stay safe and healthy.
There are also instances when they will need to have their hooves trimmed, so keep that in mind too.
PIG KEEPING RULES
In relation to the topic, rules are similar to requirements. However, rules must be taken with utmost priority than requirements as requirements can be met later on but rules are absolute.
We have a helpful thread or a detailed article regarding legalizing your pet pigs that you can check.
The number rule is get registered as a pig owner and receive your pet pig’s license. REGARDLESS IF YOU’RE TAKING CARE OF A PET OR RAISING A LIVESTOCK, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED FIRST.
ARE PIGS GOOD PETS?
Since there are so many requirements, you might be thinking or wondering if it’s worth the trouble. You might ask yourself if pigs are good pets.
And the answer is yes, they can be very good pets! They will be worth the trouble.
Some scientists even say that pigs are smarter than dogs and other primates! Like explained above, their intelligence allows them to feel emotions like we do.
You can train them to use the litter, play fetch and go on walks and more!
A few studies even say that they can work well as an emotional support animal or the role of a therapy animal. They can help reduce depression.
They might like cuddling and sitting on your lap at times!
There are videos all over the internet showcasing how cute and sweet these animals can be, so they definitely can make good house pets.
RELATED QUESTIONS
- Are pigs dangerous?
No, in general, domestic pigs are friendly or neutral most of the times to the point you can even allow them near children.
They’re very similar to dogs in behavior.
Though they are capable of biting, it rarely happens and probably only does when they are hurt, mistreated or threatened.
Pigs are prey animals and they would rather prioritize fleeing than facing danger themselves as it is too risky. Their only way of fighting is charging with their tusks if they have one and biting if they can reach.
Their aggression could also depend on the type of breed. Since most breeds are now domesticated, not many of them are dangerous.
Sometimes, it could also depend on their age or how they were raised.
Piglets that grew up lonely without social interaction tend to be unfriendly towards people and even other pigs. Older pigs could also be a bit aggressive when it comes to having an alpha male status.
However, another reason that they could be “dangerous” is if they are sick or carrying a disease.
Which is why, it’s important to have them checked medically and get vaccinated too.
