First of all, here's the story of Capri, the young pregnant mother pig who recently arrived at Happy Trails.

http://happytrailsfarm.org/artman/uploads/capri1_001.pdf

More people want to adopt babies as opposed to older pigs, just as many people do when they are looking to adopt a dog — a puppy is often chosen before an older or adult dog is chosen.

But if you are interested in adopting a baby pot belly pig, we want to make sure that you would like to adopt one for all the right reasons. If you want one because they're "cute and I just have to have one and George Clooney had one in his house," then you're on the wrong path.

However, if you are interested in learning about the proper care of pot belly pigs, the realities of one living in your house, their nutritional needs, and preparing in advance to find a vet who knows what they're doing with pot belly pig medical care, then we would like to invite you to give us a call.

Even if you don't want your piggy to live in your house, when they're babies, that's where they probably need to start out. Then gradually, throughout the nice weather of summer, you can wean them into living in your perfect set-up outside.

What should you consider when
thinking about adopting a pot belly pig?

Where will it live?

If the pig is to live in your house, realize that you need to take an active part in his or her training. Pigs are curious by nature, and enjoy rooting, whether they are indoors or outdoors. If your piggy decides to root way more than you anticipated it would, don't punish the pig by making it stay in a cage most of the day while you go off to work or school. Have an outdoor area already prepared in the event that the indoor thing doesn't work out as you had hoped.

If the pig is to live outdoors, be sure to have a friend for the pig. And no, dogs don't count. We have heard more stories of dog and pig fights (and the pig never wins) than we care to. Please don't put your pig, no matter how nice you claim that it is, together with your dogs. The stories often go like this: "My dogs always got along with my pigs, but while I was gone, they killed him!" And horses and pigs aren't often a great mix either. The ideal friend for your pig is another pig. Sometimes you can go with a quiet and gentle smaller farm animal, such as ducks or chickens. Goats sometimes get too carried away with their play and can hurt the pig with their head-buts.

For an outdoor home, be sure to provide a large enough shelter for the piggy to move about comfortably and excercise in the middle of the coldest part of winter. A dog house with a heat-lamp doesn't cut it, because most pot belly pigs don't care much for snow or cold weather, and will be happy to stay where it's the warmest until the weather breaks. You don't want them to be cooped for for six months out of the year during our miserable Northeast Ohio winters. Their shelter should be able to have one or more heat lamps safely secured for the comfort of the pig. Given a choice, the pigs at Happy Trails always choose to sleep under a heat lamp, especially on the coldest of days.

Old sleeping bags and comforters are great for piggies too. In our shelters here at Happy Trails, you will find the pigs not only burrowed down for a nap underneath a heat lamp, but they take it upon themselves to crawl under a heavy sleep bag as well.

What will it eat?

Proper nutrition is an absolute must for pot belly pigs. Healthy pig chow is specially made and available at most feed mills. Here we use the Mazuri brand of pig chow.

Snacks that are great for pigs are apples, carrots, watermelon, and ginger snap cookies. Ginger is always good for an upset stomach. Snacks that are NOT great for pigs include any citrus fruits or vegetables, such as oranges, tomatoes or grapefruits. Acidic foods can often produce urinary tract infections in pigs.

How much will it cost?

A yearly vet visit is needed for your pet pig, just as you would take your dog in yearly. The pigs need vaccinations, deworming, need their hooves trimmed, their tusks trimmed, and their ear canals and eyes cleaned out. Our yearly vet visits run approximately $250 to $300 per pig.

Any additional cost will depend on what all your pig destroys, just like your dog. Outdoors they will be more than happy to root up your garden or your favorite flowers. Indoors they will take down your French doors to your closet and rip your favorite floor-length winter coat to shreds and make a beautiful nest out of it. Then they will root up your new linoleum in your kitchen and take apart your baseboards. These repair costs are considerably less if you choose to keep your pig outdoors... (yep, been there, done that with two pigs...)

How do I decide whether to adopt?

Our suggestion is to do a pre-screening over the phone with an adoption counselor, and then come to Happy Trails to visit the adult pot belly pigs.

The babies are always easy to love — no question there. They will be cute-as-a-bug-in-a-rug, and you will fall in love with them immediately. No need to wait to see the babies when they're born just to decide.

However, cute only goes so far, and again, just like puppies, have the cuteness going for them for a while. But you truly need to make the commitment that when they're not cute any more, that you're not going to make some excuse as to why you need to then dump your pig (we get these types of calls daily). So, plan to visit the pot belly pigs at Happy Trails and spend some time with them. If you love the adults, you will go crazy over the babies.

You may surprised yourself and find out that you are truly a "pig person" — someone who really and truly connects with the wonderful, interesting and hilarious creatures that pot belly pigs can be. Spending some time with them is a great way to find out.

Sharon is in charge of the baby pig adoptions. For more information or to discuss a piggy adoption, give Sharon a call at 330-329-9727.