Pygmy Pigs as House Pets

PROS AND CONS OF “TEACUP PIGS”

Maria Lică | Clasa a VI-a B – Limba Engleză Intensiv | 15th of March 2021
Introduction
Miniature Potbellied Pigs are descendants of the “Mong Cai” pigs of northern Vietnam
near the China border. This breed is referred to as Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs. The
Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs can make perfect pets when cared for properly.

Pros
LIFESPAN
They are believed to have a long life. The longevity of Potbellied Pigs is anywhere between
12 to 20 years. The average life span estimated will purely be based on the parenting and
exceptional care in areas of nutrition, habitat and cleanliness approach taken by the
owner.

INTELLIGENCE
Mini pigs are supremely intelligent and possess a very sharp memory. Adding them to the
family is exactly the same as adding a child of 3 to 4 years, since both possess the same
intellect. They can be trained to use a litter box and provide entertainment by performing
various tricks.

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BEHAVIOUR
They are really very friendly and enjoy human fellowship. They are emotional, social,
playful, protecting and at the same time very sensitive and cuddly. When there are two or
more Teacup pigs, they bond really well and show a lot of empathy towards each other.
Together, they love to sleep in piles, relax in the sun and cool off in the mud.

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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
They possess a variety of uncommon features namely small perked black ears, a short to
medium wrinkled snout, pronounced potbelly, chubby figure, large jowls in proportion to
the head, short legs and neck and a tiny tail with plentiful hair at the end. They have fine
hairs which do not shed. They are mostly black in colour with occasional white on the
snout, head, feet and tail. They are also found in grey, brown or completely white colour.

BODY ODOUR
Pygmy Pigs are clean and have no foul smell, unlike few other animals. They like a tidy
space to sleep in. However, due care should be taken by the owner to maintain cleanliness
which includes showers and keeping its place spick and span.

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Cons
MUNICIPALITY LAW FOR YOUR AREA
Before adopting Miniature Pigs, you have to check with the municipality whether your
locality allow pigs as a pet because according to norms and beliefs of some municipalities,
these are farm animals and therefore cannot be kept as a pet.

BATH
They can be cleaned with mild human products like baby shampoos but making them
bathe will certainly test your patience because all pigs hate showers. If they really don’t
want to have one, they might show you their worst side by getting loud or jumping to
escape the tub.

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HOUSING
Teacup Pigs need to root around, explore and manipulate things meant for them. If they
don’t find an atmosphere meant for them, they are experts on creating one for themselves,
often by rooting through cupboards, tearing apart couches and knocking tables over. The
owner needs to provide them with an outdoor area with shelter to carry out their activities.

Conclusion
All in all, even though owning a Pygmy Pig can be difficult, I believe they make great house
pets. Recently, people have started using Miniature Pigs to help children with different
mental problems relax. Although it may seem a bit bizarre, why not adopt a great
companion soon? Every family needs a Teacup or two!

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