A Few Small Words About Pygmy Pigs
When first hearing about pygmy pigs, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig comes to mind. The Pot-bellied pig is in fact a pygmy pig although it grows to a fair size and the term small would probably be more suitable than pygmy.
Teacup Pigs? - The next term one is apt to come across when reading about pygmy pigs is the term teacup pigs. This is where the alarm bells start to go off. Anyone who has been associated with teacup dogs will tell you that the term teacup is at best a wild exaggeration, and at worst signifies a small animal that, if not very young, has probably been mistreated and is likely malnourished. In buying a pygmy "anything" it's wise to determine that the animal is that way due to genetic or breeding reasons and that it hasn't simply been starved.
Not Pygmy Forever - As cute as pygmy pigs are, and there's no denying that, they won't fit in a teacup, unless we're talking about a piglet that's only a few days or weeks old, and they will eventually grow to the size of a small dog, though be somewhat heavier than a small dog, often approaching 60 pounds when put on the scales. With a height of a little over a foot and weighing in at 50 to 60 pounds, these little creatures can be described as small, but hefty.
It should be noted that the true pygmy pigs are bred that way and are quite scarce, with only a few sold outside of England, where the majority are bred and raised. Some owners, and a few dishonest breeders, don't feed the pigs sufficiently in an attempt to keep them small. The English breeders by and large don't follow or allow this practice, and what you will get is a small but healthy pig that is destined to grow somewhat larger.
Low Calorie, high Fiber - While most animals lovers would not purposefully under feed a pet to try to keep it small, new owners of pygmy pigs are sometimes surprised at the appetites these small creatures have. One should not purchase a pygmy pig with the idea of realizing significant savings in the food bill. The aim as far as feeding these pigs is to make certain they are getting sufficient food, but not allow then to get fat, which can easily happen if you let the pigs eat what they want. Pygmy pigs require a low calorie diet that is high in fiber. A high calorie diet will soon cause the pig to become overweight, one way of ensuring poor health and an early death.
Grass, Yes – Fruit And Slops, Maybe - A diet consisting almost entirely of fresh vegetables is ideal. While pygmy pigs will eat all the fruit you can give them, the sugars in fruit will eventually lead to their becoming overweight, so fruit should be given only as an occasional treat. Pygmy pigs are also grazers, and will benefit if there is a good supply of grasses available. Some pig owners, especially in years past, would feed their pigs "slop", a combination of grain, water, vegetation, and table scraps. There might even be a little meat included if the intent was to fatten the pig up. While some combinations of "slop" could be fine, feeding table scraps to one's pygmy pig is usually a poor idea.
Do You Qualify? - If you absolutely must have a pygmy pig, and want the real thing, be prepared to lay out a couple of thousand dollars. Breeders, of which there are only a handful, tend to be a little picky about who they will sell to, and you may need to convince them that you will give the piglets a good home, and are either knowledgeable or intend to become so regarding their care, or their may not be a sale.