Facts About Pet Pigs - Benefits of Early Socialization

My Saturday morning routine was suddenly interrupted when I received a call from a new owner of a micro mini pig. I could hear a note bordering on desperation in her voice as she apologized for the call since she had bought her pig from another breeder. "Debra" had been surfing the web trying to find a solution to the problems she was having with her new pet pig and came across my website and thought she would try a call.

After listening to her for a few minutes, Debra impressed me as being someone who had wanted a pet pig very much but was a bit bewildered at the behavior her pig was exhibiting. She and her husband traveled a good distance to pick up a 4 month old micro mini pig which turned out to be larger than the breeder had led her to believe. This should have been her first red flag. The next cause for concern was that the pig was living in an outside pen among other pigs. The breeder had said the pig was socialized.

Debra and her husband almost decided to forego buying the pig, but she thought he was cute and she would have been very disappointed to go home empty handed.

Since then she has found out that the pig was not socialized and that his diet had consisted of dog food. I gasped when I heard that a person who professes to be a breeder of micro mini pigs actually fed them dog food. As a result, not only was the pig overweight for his age, but malnourished as well!

Debra had tried to contact the breeder time and again with no response and her problems with the pig; not being socialized, not being potty trained, not well cared for, and not having been neutered, were causing a great deal of frustration.

The problem then was: How to make an outside pig into an inside pet.

My first suggestion to Debra was to have him neutered as soon as possible and I recommended she schedule an appointment with my veterinarian since she didn't have her own vet.

Then it is an issue of TRUST.

• The owner has to earn the pig's trust by:

Patience, and lots of it - Praise him when he does something right. Above all be patient with him and give him lots of love.

• An established routine - Set up a specific time to feed him, to take him potty, to play with him, to train him, and bed time.

• Close human interaction - Debra should talk softly to her pig to help him acclimate to his indoor surroundings and give him more of her time.

Meet the pig on his level - Pigs' bodies are not made to allow for looking up, so she should make it easier for him to get to know her by getting in the floor and offering small bits of apple, a few Cheerios, or raisins to him to start him coming to her while saying "come".

Since Debra loves her pig and wants to be able to keep him, she is willing to do anything within her power to bring him around.

Although the situation is frustrating, we have to remember that it's not the pig's fault. In fact, dealing with Debra and her pig brought an interesting study to mind that showed how pigs that were kept clean and lived in an enriched environment were

• More optimistic 

• More trusting 

• And, expected a good outcome

According to the study conducted by Dr. Catherine Davis of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development: "We found that almost without exception, the pigs in the enriched environment were optimistic about what this new noise could mean and approached expecting to get the treat," she said.

"In contrast, the pigs in the boring environment were pessimistic about this new strange noise and, fearing it might be the mildly unpleasant plastic bag, did not approach for a treat." Dr. Davis further explained, 

"It's a response we see all the time in humans where how we are feeling affects our judgment of ambiguous events."

Dr. Davis' study shows exactly why socialization of a pig that is going to spend his or her life with a human family is so crucial. As Debra is finding out, it's much easier and pleasant too, to interact with a pet pig that is optimistic in outlook and expects good things to happen. It certainly makes the difference for pet mini pig owners who love their pigs and want the best for them.

5 Things to Know While Keeping Chinchillas As Pets

They are small, they are cute and they are amazingly popular as pets. You really should consider them the next time you think about buying a pet.

We are talking about the chinchillas of South America. Chinchillas are cute looking rodents known for their soft fur and inquisitive and exuberant nature. These little rodents make great pets since they need very little maintenance. These little ones also don't weigh too much and don't make any noises that could be disturbing.

However, 5 important things to know while keeping chinchillas as pets are below. Reading the five points below will help you know more about these rodents and decide for yourself if you want one. After all, deciding what you want to keep as a pet isn't easy and it is always a good idea to brush up on information. Keeping an exotic pet like a chinchilla will also make you the neighbors' envy for sure. After all, not many around you have a chinchilla as a pet, do they?

1. These little pets have a life span of 12-20years. They weigh as little as 1.1-1.5 kg. They are about 12-14 inches long and have a tail which is about 4-6 inches long. These are bigger than the ground squirrels and smaller than rabbits.

2. The chinchillas are quite active and the females' rodents are also known to be aggressive, especially with the same sex chinchillas. The females mature by the time they are 7 months old. They have a gestation period of 111 days and can have 1-2 babies per litter.

3. It is recommended that the chinchillas be kept in a cage. If kept out in the open, they might end up chewing whatever they find.

4. Chinchillas need a good amount of roughage in their diet. Therefore green grass is the best food for them. Apart from the occasional treats can be given. These rodents are crepuscular in nature i.e.; they are most active during the dusk and dawn. Care should be taken to feed them as per their habits. Treats can be given once a day, however, too much is not recommended since their digestive system cannot assimilate too much sugar.

5. Chinchillas are sometimes seen biting their fur; this could result due to poor diet, boredom, stressful conditions or too much noise around.

You need to remember that a chinchilla needs to be handled with care. Gentle handling and providing the pet with attention will tame the pet soon.