Potbellied pigs can be great pets, but you have to know what you are getting into. The male pigs MUST be neutered while young, or they will grow long tusks and try to mate with everything once their hormones kick in. The two pigs at our farm are both males and hadn't been neutered before they came to us.

The Ottawa Humane Society knows we occasionally take in unwanted farm animals, so when they received a stray potbellied pig they thought of us. Although we hadn't really considered having a pig join our farm, we decided to give it a try.

It is true that pigs are very intelligent and clean animals. They never goe to the bathroom in the barn (in summer) or in their own stall (in winter). They will happily cool off in a kiddy pool instead of mud on a hot summer day, given the choice.

Piggy

During a mild spell, I took Piggy out to the barnyard and he never looked back! He had no interest in returning to the house and ran around making himself at home in a barn stall and wagging his tail with pleasure! At first I made the mistake of feeding him too much pig feed; potbellied pigs are very efficient at turning food into weight, but too much weight is crippling for them. I learned that Piggy doesn't really need to be fed pig feed in the summer; he is able to root out enough food on his own.

Piggy has a sense of humour too! Once when I was trimming goat hooves with a pygmy goat on its back in my lap, Piggy intentionally came over and moved the hoof trimmers out of my reach. He has also snuck up behind me and pulled a mitt off of my hand then snorted and wagged his tail.

Wilbur

Wilbur did end up with an abscess where Piggy bit him on the ear, but that seems to be the only way that Piggy needed to let Wilbur know who is the boss pig. Almost immediately they became close friends. They share a nest they've build in a stall in the barn, curling up together nose to tail.

BossHog

Boss Hog started out as a piglet with Kathy and Greg at their house with a big yard. Eventually he moved with Kathy to her townhouse where he had a lot less room and less time outside. Kathy decided Boss would be happier at a place where he could roam more freely. She contacted us through a mutual friend and we happily arranged to have Boss Hog join the farm

At first, the huge change to living outside with lots of farm animals was scary for Boss and he spent the first month hanging out in the garage and slowly expanding his comfort zone. Now he happily wanders everywhere on the farm. He's trimmed down and is much more active. We now have to make sure to get him on his own and feed him to keep his weight up! He has to beware of Mishka, the pig-hating pony, but otherwise has learned to fit in and enjoy life on the farm.

Boss Hog is still cared for by Kathy and Greg, his original owners!