like dogs all pbp's are individuals
generally there are some things to keep in mind
they are higly inteligent, this means they can learn MANY tricks (some say the pig is smarter than a dog!), but they can also be stubborn, treats often work as motivation bt many pigs simply will refuse to perfrm unless theres treats (unlike a dog who can often be weaned off the treats) this also unfortunatly means piggy will quickly learn how to open the cupboards, the fridge turn on taps, open doors and unlck gate latches!
they are EXTREEMLY clean animals, (yes they like to wallow in mud but this is to keep them cool an dprotect their skin) they CAN esily be taught to use a literbox
they get BIG, even minatures are HEAVY
they tend to be very sensitive animals and dont do wel in harsh homes, but they get bored easily and can be VERY destructive.
crate training and having a SAFE outside area with lots of puzzle toys is a good idea.
and there diggers...provide a dirt/sand box or they will root though your laundry basket lol
they CAN be territorial and dominant agressive, they need a firm but gentle hand and a firm set of never changing rules! even mini pigs if they want to become bossy can be dangerous.
my dads dad has a 125lb vietnamese pot belly pig named boxer. hes not exactly tall but hes a chunker, hes a indoor outdoor piggy. hey have a back sunroom which leads out to the garden, with 2 doors one on either end, the door on one end leads into boxers outside play yard its a 500sqft concrete yard with a shed, and a large kiddie pool was burried in before the yard was concreted, it had a hole cut out under for drainage and a 6" layer of gravel underneath (again for drainage), in there is a mix of dirt and sand which is anywhere form dry to sloppy for boxer to mess around and root in. grandad likes to burry toys and treats in the box to encorage foraging.
boxer also has a veriety of toys like puzzle balls and kongs.
the door to inside has a rope attatched on both sides so boxer can open the door when he wants (the other door in the sunroom to the outside and to the house are kept locked by key.) inside he has a bed his feeder which is an old candy machine where you pull the lever and it drops some...yup it gets filled with his daily amount eveyr morning and he has to pull the leaver for a few to fall, he knows thats all he gets for the day though, (pigs have a tendency to overeat)
when the gps are home he gets to go into the main house where he enjoys nothing more than to roll over for belly rubs and watch tv, on the weekends he goes for a walk to the park.
hes a great FRIEND btu randad wont refer to him as a pet becaus ehe is so smart. Boxer is also Pushy and stubborn and time out in a large crate work well for him when he gets a little frisky. Boxer was neutered. e has to see the vet once a mnth for tusk maintencne but because of th concrete floor doesnt need much work on the feet.
SOME places it is illegal to keep pigs as pets!
on the piggies and dogs side of things, Boxer gets along wondefully now with all 3 of his staffy bulls, and all but 2 of the chihuahuas...
BUT...of the 3 staffy bulls boxer wasnt allowed to interact with the adult female untill he was big enough (he was a tiny piglet) the 2nd, their male staffybull was a 9wk old puppy at the time they got boxer and they are BEST buddies, and the 3rd female was purchased after boxer had turned 4 so was full gorwn (and very itimidating to a lil puppy lol) in truth they are more worried about boxer hurting on eof the dogs because he likes to pin them then sit on them...but playtime is ALWAYS supervised and the dogs cannot get into the sunroom of boxers playard...unless let in by my grandparents so theres never unsupervised interaction between them
