Pigs as household pets?

Question

This is geared towards people who currently or has ever owned a pig as a household pet preferably in urban areas.. If anyone has in Australia, better yet but i heard they're quite common in America so just wondering what it's like to own a pig like you would a dog or a cat and how does maintaining a pig compare to maintaining a dog? I live in sydney australia, i want one but called up my local council to ask them the legalities and they strongly discourage it.

Answer 1

they are not hard to taken care of, put it in and out, keep it cleans, pigs are very smart animals and can be trained if you work with it, however, i live in the "country" and we have lots of animals runnin' around, i can see why they woudln't want one in an urban though, they can get messy and dirty, but if you keep him/her clean and look after them well, i can't see why it'd be such a big deal!

good luck!

Answer 2

My girlfriend growing up had a pig for a pet, d**n thing was smarter then a dog and listened really well, but pretty unsanitary, smelly and would bite occasionally..

Answer 3

To be honest, they are not good as pets. They are bacteria carrying and have some wild instincts as well. Why don't you just get a cat? They don't require as much care and aren't as needy as dogs and pigs..

Answer 4

If you want to live like a pig yourself. They are incredibly messy, can never be potty/litter trained, are not lovable, and as adults can be agressive.

Answer 5

I had one but they can't really be kept happily as household pets because they need to graze outside as they are grass eaters. It also can be hard to teach them not to p**p in your house and when you first get one you will have many really stinky accidents in your house. Another thing you have to think about is pigs p**p ALOT, what are you going to do with the p**p? You can't leave it in your garden because the neighbours will complain of the smell

Answer 6

all i know is that you would want to get a pot belly pig because you can train them to do stuff and they are much smaller  

Answer 7

a good one is a pot belly big

Answer 8

A friend of mine has a potbellied pig rescue in TN.  Spend some time looking over her website.  It might help in your decision.  My friend spends a great deal of time and effort in caring for the pigs others have dumped when they no longer wanted them or wanted to care for them.  

Pigs live  15 to 20 years.  Pigs are outdoor animals.

Answer 9

I know several people who have owned pot bellied pigs as pets, and I've even considered getting one for our petting zoo.  How they behave and how they are as pets is largely dependent on the owner and the amount of time they're willing to spend with them.

Unfortunately, they were considered a "trendy" pet back in the early 1990s, and many people got them thinking that they were cute and didn't realize the amount of work that went into caring for one.  There are numerous rescue organizations across the country housing pot bellies that were neglected or surrendered when they quit being a tiny little piglet.

One of my friends had one that she loved - it acted like a dog and lived in her house.  He had his own "room", complete with a bed, toys and litterbox (albeit a very LARGE litterbox).  He was great for a couple of years - until she had a baby.  He was incredibly jealous and wouldn't adapt to the change in the household and she had to rehome him.  They are smart, but sometimes they're too smart to handle not being the "baby" of the family anymore.

Another friend of mine owns one who apparently turned out to be a cross who reached a weight in excess of 125 pounds.  Sometimes owners overfeed them, but sometimes you can't guarantee their lineage and you'll end up with a pet the size of a feeder hog.  Their pig had to be moved to an outdoor yard (fortunately, they run a large dairy farm), and he's perfectly happy in a calf hutch.  He roams around the yard during the day and loves their children, but they have a problem with him still wanting to come into the house and sit on the good couch.

Pigs CAN make good pets, but I would not keep one in an urban area or at a rental property.  They do need time outside, room to exercise, and if they grow too big to be an indoor pet, you have to have other options available for housing.  Personally, I wouldn't keep one indoors at all - pigs do smell, regardless of how often you bathe them.

If you really want one, you should consider moving outside of city limits - maybe rent or buy a home with a little property.  I don't think a pig in a city is going to be a happy animal.

Answer 10

Well. . . .they're EXTREMELY smart. . . .VERY cute. . . .they CAN be "house-trained". . . . .BUT! . . . . .they DO SMELL !!!!!!!!!!!  I had a Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

A friend of mine in England had a pet pig which normally lived in the garden but would be allowed in the house. Miss Piggy was very clean,did not bite,and was very intelligent. My friend also had a pet duck which would stand on his shoulder (Not easy with webbed feet) The duck particularly enjoyed accompanying my friend to the pub where she was very well behaved but was partial to a glass of port and lemon.  Us Poms do like our animals I am currently heartbroken because our pet goat of 8 years died last week. She loved weatabix,apples, and cornflakes.