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Teacup Pigs for Sale

A brief mention about teacup pigs for sale. Now you have read this guide on owning teacup pigs, hopefully you will have a better idea of  what is involved. It is always daunting taking on an extra member of the family, especially a small, hairy, food machine ! However, teacup pig ownership can be a very rewarding experience and following some of the ideas here and in some of the guides mentioned, will ensure that both you and your pig will have the best experience possible. Enjoy yourself and I hope that you and your family will get many happy years from your miniature pig. It is very easy to find a source of teacup pigs for sale. Just throw that search term into Google and see what turns up. Happy piggying !

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Controlling Teacup Pigs Feeding and Begging Behaviour

It is important as a responsible owner to control your Teacup Pigs feeding and begging behaviour. As mentioned previously, miniature pigs are still a pig breed and love to eat anything put in front of them, without a second thought! Anything within sniffing distance is fair game too ! It’s a pigs mission in life to eat and to continue to do so even when full, which isn’t easily identifiable to the owner. It is extremely bad practice therefore, to give your potbelly pig scraps or snacks, as this will make them accustomed to snacking and they will get aggressive if not given a snack when they demand it.Potbelly pigs will eat anything but it is better to give them a formulated food mixed with some fruit and veg. Here is an example of a good pig food formulation.

The secret to successful feeding therefore, is to keep to a regular feeding schedule and do not deviate from it. You must show you are in charge and in control of dispensing food. Do not give in to your piglets food demands however hard and cruel it may seem to you, as he will then become the  one in control of the food and you will become his own mobile vending machine !. This is to be avoided at all costs as it is very difficult to untrain them afterwards. Your potbelly pig will lose respect for you and you will no longer be the boss . Roles will become reversed and he becomes boss pig, this is where the trouble really begins.

Be sure to convey this feeding information to other members of your family too, as you do not want all of your hard work to be spoiled by someone else. Decide on a feeding regime and stick to it. Once your teacup pigs feeding habits are keeping to a schedule, then begging shouldnt be so much of a problem

When it becomes time for his daily feed, set aside a special area away from your main table where you eat your meals. It is important to  ignore him when you start eating  and if you want to deviate from this feeding time, make sure to feed him outside of your normal family meal times and make him perform a special trick to earn it. Once feeding time has ceased, the best way to control your pigs behaviour is to ignore him. If you pretend he’s not there at all he will soon get the message. Be careful not to spill any food, as this can easily be mistaken by your miniature pig as feeding time.

Some larger pigs can become food bullies,  so it’s definitely  best to not let your  children hand feed your new piglet as they can accidentally get knocked over in the rush to get to the food. This can lead to the pig establishing a dominant position over your child, which is detrimental to your feeding training.

Stick to these rules, don’t feed them outside of usual feeding hours and begging will become a thing of the past.

Miniature Potbelly Pigs Fear of Water

It is important to remember that miniature potbelly pigs, like most pig breeds, aren’t too keen on feeling water on their bodies; an exception to this though is when they are using it to cool off. They also find slippery bathroom tiles difficult to deal with, as they can easily lose their footing and get scared and frustrated. It doesn’t help if you have small legs too !

Having said this though, it is possible to  get your potbelly pig used to having a bath. However, getting your teacup pig used to bath time is a gradual process. First off, you need to get him used to being in the bathroom, without him being scared or frustrated which will leave him with a negative attitude. Make sure he cannot slip or fall over, by covering the bathroom floor with non-slip rugs or towels. It is important to get him wanting to be in the bathroom and to have him used to being in there. When your potbelly pig is finally in the bathroom, give him plenty of praise and a special treat like his favourite toy. By getting him to perform some simple tricks like sitting , it is possible to make the bathroom a more fun place for him to be. Repeat this process for a while, until entering the bathroom is second nature to him.

The next stage in the  process is to begin turning on the taps, so your potbelly pig becomes used to the sound of running water. Reinforce this by giving him a treat whilst  the water is running. Turn the taps on and off a few times, each time giving your pig another treat. This conditioning enables the piglet to understand that the sound of water is a good thing and not something to be afraid of.

It is possible to bathe your piggy in a normal bathtub, it’s much easier however to do so in a shower stall so he doesn’t feel so claustrophobic. It is therefore important now to get your potbelly pig used to going into a shower stall. You need to be patient as this can be a lengthy process but with a bit of patience and some ingenuity, it is possible to lure him into the shower stall…maybe by using his favourite toy or a line of grapes on the floor (this shouldn’t be a problem if he has had his feeding reinforcement carried out correctly). Once he’s happy going into the stall without any coaxing, you can gradually add small amounts of standing water and increase the depth of the water each training session. Make sure the temperature is okay i.e. blood temperature (use the same method as for checking the water temp for a baby by using your elbow), extremes of temperature will just put your potbelly pig off of the idea. Every time your pig gets his hooves wet, use the voice command “Bath”.

Once he is  in the stall, slowly introduce him to the feel of water on his body by slowly massaging his back with warm, wet hands applying very gentle pressure. After a while, it is possible to introduce a mild baby shampoo , let him sniff it first but be quick in case he eats it !  Whilst  this is going on, you must continually reassure your pig so he doesn’t get frightened. It can be easier to have a second person to reassure him as it can get too much for one person to handle. When bath time is over an excellent idea is to towel your piglet off using warm towels, straight from the dryer which gives him a lovely warm  massage. This enables them to connect bath time with fun and pleasure.

If  your piggy can  associate bath time as a pleasurable experience, it will make the entire process a whole lot easier and in time miniature potbelly pigs will learn to love it. More training tips and tricks can be found in this excellent guide.

Teacup Pigs Love to Destroy Household Items

Teacup Pigs Love to Destroy Household Items. Due to their high intelligence and inquisitive nature,  potbelly pigs love to explore and forage and can consequently get bored very easily. They constantly need a focus to pass the time and occupy themselves. If you don’t provide them with an acceptable distraction, they will make their own fun and that usually leads to piggy mischief.

If you give your teacup pig too much freedom however, your house will be transformed  into a play pen. It is imperative to  teach your pig which objects he can play with and which are out-of-bounds. You must assume the role of the lead pig and reprimand your pig strongly if he plays with these out-of-bounds items. Tell him, in a strong voice, “NO, Leave it” and lead him away from the item quickly. Get him a  favourite toy as a replacement and give him loads of praise when he accepts it.

You can easily buy him doggy toys to play with or even make some toys for him to play with. A rooting box is a favourite toy and is easy to make, it consists of a large, shallow plastic or wooden box filled with and birdseed and small rocks from garden centres. Teacup pigs also love to roll balls around or chew on a soft chew toy. You can also let them shred newspapers or magazines, but only ones that you give them.

This type of training however, only works if you catch your pig in the act. If you come home to find your pig has destroyed the place, reprimanding him afterwards will only confuse him.

Finally, it is a good idea to pig proof your home. Miniature potbelly pigs will want to open every cupboard and fridge that they can, looking for food or something to play with. Household  items such as candy, snacks, dog and cat food or dangerous household cleaners must be put well out out of reach, in high up cupboards. The use of child proof locks on all the doors at pig-level, is also a great way to pig-proof your home. With a bit of thought and ingenuity, you can make your home a safe and secure place for your teacup pigs.

For more on Potbelly Pig Training check out this excellent guide.

Teacup Pigs Sizing Guide

Misrepresentation in the media, has built up the myth that “teacup pigs“  are smaller and weigh less than a domestic cat and can be fashionably carried around in a handbag, like a designer dog !   Unfortunately this has blatantly misled potential owners in order to create a ‘buying hysteria’. Although they are the size of a tea cup when first born, teacup pigs quickly grow in size and weight to that of a medium sized family dog.

Some unscrupulous breeders have taken advantage of this, realizing that they can cash-in by underfeeding the piglets and misleading potential customers into thinking that  their new potbelly won’t grow very big at all!  Even claiming that the ‘micro pigs‘ can be even kept in a family apartment! Beware of those that claim to have found a new breed of pig, there is no new breed of potbellied pig. Teacup pigs, miniature pigs, and other variations, are an invention by unscrupulous breeders and hyped by the media.

Remember, miniature is a relative term, since some pig breeds can grow to as much as 1,000 lbs, so a 125 lb potbelly definitely qualifies as “miniature”.

Actual Teacup Pig/Potbelly Pig  Sizes:-

So we have established that they are only truly ‘teacup pigs‘ when newly born. Below is an approximate  sizing guide for your new potbelly:

• Birth – 2-3” tall – 6-8 oz
• 1 year old – 12” tall, 60-70 lbs
• 2 years old – 14” tall, 80-90 lbs
• 3 years old – 16” tall, 100-125 lbs

Remember, the average size of a potbelly pig or teacup pig in the U.S. is around 125 lbs and this is a good rule to keep in mind . If you hear of a potbelly that is claimed to be significantly out of this range, you should ask the breeder for a number of references from other owners of potbelly  pigs of at least 3 years of age.  It is prudent to note  that most people underestimate the true weight of their potbelly pigs as pigs are generally quite ‘dense’ (bone mass) and will weigh a fair bit more than estimated.

After three years they are generally fully grown, although some miniature potbelly pigs continue growing  for another year, they generally won’t gain in height, only weight. Most people consider their potbelly pig fully grown at 3 years old. The deciding factor in  the final pig size however  is genetic – depending on their bloodlines and breed. Just because a potbelly’s parents are small,  it doesn’t necessarily follow that all their litter will be small too.

A severe change in a miniature potbelly pigs diet is considered a factor in determining size, and although it’s possible to underfeed a 125lb pig down to 90lbs or overfeed upto 150lbs, this practice is detrimental for your teacup pig in the long run. Underfeeding a potbelly pig to stunt it’s growth, will only produce weak bones (osteoporosis), poor hooves, skin quality and matted hair. This intentional stunting is abhorently cruel and can also cause curvature in the bones and massive changes in temperament, behavior and aggression.

Show your love for your piggy with this fun t-shirt…

Teacup Pigs

Teacup pigs (also called miniature pigs or potbelly pigs or miniature potbelly pigs) are the latest, must have pet of this decade. They are becoming extremely popular, due to much wider coverage in the worldwide media. Teacup pigs or micro pigs as they are also known, are extremely cute and make very good pets but, like any pet, they need to be looked after in the correct manner; in order to get the most from the person/pig relationship. You can almost think of your teacup pig as a ‘dog in disguise’.

The media seem to want to portray  potbelly pigs and teacup pigs as two distinct breeds. This is a  mistake – they are in fact the same pig under a different name. There have been reports that some “teacup pigs” can be as small as 35 lbs fully grown. However, this is probably due to unscrupulous sellers  misrepresenting the breed, in order to play on the public need for ‘cute pigs’, who will consequently then  pay more to acquire one. For more information on pig size, please read my teacup pigs sizing guide post.

Please don’t be put-off however, as potbelly pigs still make great pets and  teacup pigs can easily be kept in a large city backyard, some people even keep them in the house, although this isn’t recommended.  A good size plot of land around an acre where the teacup pig can run around freely and happily is ideal.

The lifespan of teacup pigs is around 12 -15 years and require the same amount of attention as the majority of dog breeds – it is your responsibility as an owner  to keep them entertained,  otherwise they will get bored and a common problem with pig breeds;  is that they start chewing on anything you keep laying around when this happens.

They are more intelligent than a dog, which makes them more difficult to train to do more mundane dog tricks like fetching, as they are probably wondering what’s in it for them !

They do however, respond extremely well to positive reinforcement whilst training and can be trained to perform many useful tricks, if that’s what you want them to do. They also need plenty of exercise like a dog and need to have daily walks on a lead (leash) or they will gain weight very quickly, due to the fact that they will eat anything put in front of them ! Without proper control and exercise, it’s easy for your teacup pigs weight to spiral out of control and this is especially prevalent, when they start getting aggressive if  you don’t feed them on demand. This sort of behaviour can be controlled though and is discussed in a later post.

The pluses of Teacup Pigs Ownership include:-

• Intelligent, affectionate companion
• Odour free, fastidiously clean, non-allergenic and no moulting of hair
• Long Lifespan of 12-15 years
• No barking or fleas
• Easily trained if  proper techniques are used
• Non destructive when properly trained

Some of the disadvantages of owning a teacup piggy:-
• Some vets are unfamiliar with Pig problems
• Zoning laws may not allow ‘pigs’ – even pet pigs
• If untrained properly, they  can become spoiled and aggressive
• They require a constant commitment –and can’t simply be left to their own devices.

So why not take the plunge and buy teacup pigs soon, they will be the best companion you could wish for.

Here’s some more great info on owning teacup pigs..