Zoning

Yes, you should check with your local zoning board to see if potbellied pigs, or any other exotic pet, are allowed in your community/neighborhood.

There is NOT a listing of which cities/towns are or are not zoned. You will have to go to your local zoning department and check with them. Sometimes this can be done on-line, other times you will have to go in person to check.

If you live where there is a homeowners association you will also need to check with them. Unfortunately many places still do not consider potbellied pigs pets. In many areas they are pigs period (livestock) and are subject to the rules and regulations that cover farm hogs.

Do you rent? If zoned you will still need to check with the owner of the building to see if they will allow potbellied pigs as pets.

So, CHECK YOUR ZONING FIRST!
 
We have lived way out in the mountains and away from any population centers, we had no problems with zoning. But, there have been many heartbreaking stories of people getting a pet pig, becoming very attached to their pet, and then were forced to give it up because of zoning. The breeder, pet store, etc.. should make sure that you are zoned first BEFORE selling you a potbelly pig as a pet.

So again: CHECK YOUR ZONING FIRST!
 
Contact City Hall and ask for the zoning regulations showing which animals are allowed as pets within city limits. Usually for a couple of dollars, they will be happy to send you a copy. Better yet, you should go down to them and see the ordinance for yourself and get a copy then. It's best to get it in writing so that you will have written back up in the future should you have any problems. Don't just take someone's word for it for the sake of the animal.

If you are not zoned, you have three choices:

1. Do not get the pig. Some of the saddest stories we here are of people that had a pig, were not zoned properly, and someone (usually a neighbor) complained and the pig was taken away. Not only is this hard on the human, it is extremely hard on a potbelly. They become very attached and being ripped away from their home can be devastating. Please, do not take this chance!!
   
   
2. You can move. Yep, this has happened.
   
   
3. You can try to get your zoning changed. There have been successes around the country, and failures. But, more and more cities and towns are changing their zoning to allow pet pigs. Plus, the licensing fees are another income stream for the local government.

You must do all you can do to try and prove that your pet pig(s) are indeed commonly accepted household pets. Have your pet spayed or neutered. Establish a relationship with a veterinarian. Maintain your pet as a house pet, if at all possible. Most importantly be in compliance with your town's zoning. It is almost impossible to sway towns that want to not recognize potbellied pigs as pets.

Here is my friend Ann's story about what she and her family did to keep their 3 pet pigs.

My name is Ann, I live in Gerber, CA, located in Tehama County in Northern California. My Parents & I have lived in the area for over 5 years, 3 years ago they were given two wonderful potbelly pigs {Myrtle & Sweet Pea} and in May 2004 we adopted a third {Jasmine} from a sanctuary.

On July 20, 2004 we were informed that this area does not acknowledge potbelly pigs as pets {valued members of the family} they are considered just another swine and fall under the livestock regulations which require an acre of land per pig. We have about ¾ of an acre. We were informed that we had 10 days from the date the letter was sent to remove the girls from the property. The letter was dated and post marked for July 13th which gave us just 3 days. We were frantic!!

On Monday, my father made an appointment with the Tehama County Planning Director, we have been granted a stay till the issue could be brought in front of the Planning Commission for a vote in late September. The Director suggested that we check the zoning polices pertaining to Potbelly Pigs for other cities in California; however he did not pass on to my father how to do this. My father set about calling some of the cities around us and I sent an e-mail message out to several addresses that I found.

One of the responses that I received suggested the LexisNexis Municipal Codes Web Library -  http://www.bpcnet.com. This is a wonderful zoning web site. My Father and I sat down and went through the cities one by one printing off every thing that pertained to potbelly pigs. We were surprised at all of the different ways that potbelly pigs were listed. Looking at all of the information that we had gathered we knew that the Planning Commission would not want to go thought the information page by page so I sat down and did what I do best, I placed all of the information on a spread sheet.

The first of September we presented the Planning Director with a huge binder. A cute picture of a stack of pigs graced the cover, then information that were provided by Phyllis with UPPR, letters from veterinarians, a definition of a pet and all of the information that we gathered from the internet. The Planning Director was surprised at the amount of information that we were able to provide him with and assured us that he would share it with the Planning Commission.

Our first meeting was on September 16, 04 after which Jasmine and I were featured on the front page of the local newspaper. That was not quite the end, we went back to iron out little details three more time before a final draft of what will become the Tehama County Zoning Code for Pot-Bellied Pigs could be sent before the Board of Supervisors.

On January 25, 05 the Tehama County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the following Ordinance:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEARYBY GIVEN that the Tehama County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 10:45 a.m., or as soon thereafter as may be heard in Board Chambers, 633 Washington Street, Red Bluff, California, on the following matters:

REZONE #04-10. (PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION #04-2) – To consider amending Chapter 17.08, General Provision and Exceptions, Section 17.08.010. Additional Uses Permitted of the Tehama County Zoning Code; adding Subsection (1), Pot-Bellied Pigs as follows: 

1.    Pot-Bellied Pigs. As an accessory use to a detached single-family dwelling in a RE; Residential Estates Zoning District and an R-1; One-Family Residential Zoning District, no more than five Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs (sus scrofa) may by kept or harbored as a pet. In combination with dogs, no more than five animals may be kept, provided:

a.    The animals are regularly housed indoors, and when outdoors, are restrained by leash or within a durable fenced enclosure area, and
b.    Pot-bellied pigs over the age of four (4) months shall be neutered or spayed. Exemption for neutering or spaying will be considered by the County of Tehama Animal Control Department when presented with evidence authored by a veterinarian stating procedure would be detrimental to the health of the animal; and
c.    The owner has obtained a license issued by the County of Tehama Animal Control Department for the pot-bellied pig, which shall be issued only after proof of neutering or spaying had been provided. The licensure fee shall be equivalent to the dog licensure fee; and
d.    Tusks shall be regularly trimmed so as not to exceed one inch in length outside the outer lip.

According to the Planning Director the above goes into law after 30 days providing the are no law suites – but he was very reassuring that there were no further hurdles to get over! He then congratulated us on the good job.

I would like to thank every one that weathered the storm before us without their efforts we could not have accomplished what we did. THANK YOU


Please check your zoning before getting a pig for a pet.

Size, Weight & More...

This is one thing that can't be stressed enough. Please do not confuse a pigs size with his weight. Potbellied pigs are very dense. Thus, there is a lot of weight in those little bodies.

The average size of our pet pigs should be that of a medium sized dog. However, the average weight is around 120 - 150 pounds, with some weighing less and some weighing more. Just because some of our pigs weigh 200+ pounds does not mean that they are fat or overweight. Some are just bigger.

There are breeders out there telling people that if they don't feed their pig very much it will stay small. All this does is make for an unhealthy pig.  The same goes for over feeding your pig. And now we have come across a few vets that want a skinny pig and are telling people not to feed them what we would consider a normal feeding. Pigs are not skinny animals they are pigs and should be plump or that pot belly, hence their name.

Please don't fall for these so called Miro Mini, TeaCup, Royal Dandie pigs that some breeders are selling. There are now a number of web sites with info about these so called tiny pigs. Always remember that the breeder is interested in your money, not always the welfare of the pig.

This is my favorite example on feeding affecting the size of your pig. If you have a Chihuahua and feed it say 4-5 cups of chow a day it is not going to get any bigger. Fatter yes, bigger no! The size has already been determined by genetics. The same principle applies to our pigs. So why are so many people literally starving their pigs by only feeding 1/4 cup of feed a day? Because they were either told to or thought that would keep the pig small. We don't do this with any other animal, but for some reason think it is okay to do to a pig.

The first year of a pigs life is the most important as that is when they are doing most of their growing and building their immune system. This is why they need that pig chow. It has the proper amount of protein and nutrients. However, it doesn't help if they aren't getting enough.

We suggest an average of 2 cups of pig chow a day. If the pig is really hungry then you will up the feed. You are going to have to determine if he is really hungry or just being a pig. :)

This will not affect your pig’s size!!!

Is That A...Pig?

When my wife & I decided that we needed another pet we had different opinions. I wanted a dog, she did not! Period.

She pointed out that we had 2 loving cats, already. I pointed out that, even though they behaved more like dogs than cats, I needed a pet that was a little less aloof. In fairness, our cats, Gizmo & MJ, are unconditionally loving, do incredibly goofy things, and beg for food. I believe they have no feline role models to imitate, and , therefore are forced to behave like the dogs on TV. Yes, we spend a lot of time with our pets!

My wife glibly suggested a pig. She's from Texas. What a stupid thing to say - a pig! We live in Florida. A pig, hah!

So, ten minutes later I'm on the computer looking at piglets. Cute enough to melt the toughest heart! I had never seen a 'Pot Bellied' pig. Over the next few days I educated myself about this absolutely ridiculous animal. There is no shortage of information about them on the Internet. And, no shortage of horror stories from people who thought it would make a great pet.

From stories about biting, charging, and uncontrollable behavior to pleas for help from people who bought an 8 pound piglet and now had a 300 pound monster. So many people have to get rid of their pigs that there are sanctuaries all over the place taking them in. Worse, many more are being euthanized! So, here it was, we were not going to get a pet that we would have to give up later. No way.

But, they are so damn cute. I kept going back to 'pig' websites. I came to some conclusions about why people had so many problems. I figured that, being educated and patient, we could handle any animal. We had forethought.

Dawn, my wife, and I sat down and seriously discussed what would happen if it got too big for our house; what would we do if it were mean. We made a commitment to see it through, no matter what! I set off to buy a Pot Bellied Pig - hah.

By this time, I am an expert in pig info and quickly found a qualified breeder in Texas. After seeing pictures of 8 adorable pigs, one caught our eye. He was grey, with a white triangle on his forehead. He looked like trouble. She explained that he was 8 weeks old and had a little longer to wean. He had to be fixed before she would ship him to us. In 2 weeks we would pick up our new baby at the airport.

For the next 2 weeks we read everything we could find on the care, nutrition, and training of pigs. Here are some basics: They are very smart; they are easily house broken; they are very clean animals; they don't have dander or smell bad. We couldn't believe we hadn't gotten one before this!

The common mistake that I had read about was that people fed their pig like they would a dog - 2 meals a day plus treats whenever they begged. This was how you got a very big, mean pig - fast! Food is EVERYTHING to a pig. They will do anything to get it. If the pig thinks he can manipulate you and get it, he will. All of the biting and bad behavior that we read about related back to food. I've trained a lot of dogs; I had this licked before he got off the plane.

Palm Beach International Airport has certainly seen its share of celebrities, presidents, and socialites. But, I am confident few pigs have come through its well coiffed concourses. We were very curious to see how this would go.

We drove an hour to the airport to retrieve our adopted child on the appointed day. We parked in the express parking because we figured he wouldn't have much luggage. We were almost running by the time we found the right place.

Coincidentally, the place to pick up pigs is also the same place to report or claim your lost luggage. A half a dozen people were in line in front of us, alternately complaining and then berating the harried clerk behind the counter. It was an ugly scene for the next 30 minutes as we got closer to the desk. The line behind us grew. The clerk was a passive-aggressive, condescending, airline professional. Unflappable.

'I'm here to pick up a pig.' I announced proudly. The room was suddenly silent. 'What?' the clerk barked. I gave him my shipping receipt. He walked slowly to the back, in search of a pig.

'I bet that's the first time you've ever said that.' The eighty-year old man next to me remarked. 'No sir,' I replied, dead-pan 'I grew up here.' the room erupted into laughter. The scowls briefly went away.

The clerk arrived with a pet carrier that one of our cats wouldn't fit into. Squinting through the holes I could just make out a nose. Yep, that's our pig. Off we went with appropriate oohs and ahhs from our new supporters wishing us well!!

We got back to the care as fast as we could, eager to hold our newest addition. Dawn couldn't wait to be the heroine to rescue our little pig after the terrifying experience of having surgery and then taking the plane trip.

We got in the car, our very small car, and I set the carrier on my lap. Then I took the top off, so I could get a grip of the little guy. He was so cute that it brought a tear to my eye. He was 8 pounds of nose!

Now, 2 things are important to understand about Pigs. First, all of the sayings like, 'squeal like a pig' and 'that actor is such a ham' are based in reality and accurate. And, more importantly in this case, pigs have a gland like a skunk and, when they get truly scared, they will emit an odor similar to elephant urine.

As I grab our yet to be named piggy from his crate, he simultaneously starts squealing (like a pig) at the top of his lungs like we are stabbing him and hits me with his own personal stink bomb. Without saying a word I handed this thing to my wife. After a few minutes, in a blanket on her lap, he calmed down enough for me to drive home. The trauma and the smell of these few minutes evaporated when I rolled down my window to pay for the parking.

The kid taking money looked at me like I was handing a him a pile of poop. His eyes were watering from my new musk, but he looked down at my wife's lap and asked, 'Is that a pig?' I couldn't help but like him, even through the tears he smiled at our little lump of nose.

To read the rest of this wonderfully funny story please visit us at the Pigs4Ever story page.

National Pig Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
National Pig Day is an event held annually on March 1 in the United States to celebrate the pig. The holiday celebration was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a teacher in Lubbock, Texas, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, Noth Carolina.

According to Rave the purpose of National Pig Day is "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals."  The holiday is most often celebrated in the Midwest.

National Pig Day includes events at zoos, schools,nursing homes, and sporting events around the United States. It is also recognized at "pig parties" where pink pig punch and pink ribbon pigtails are tied around trees in the pigs' honor.
 
According to Chase's Calendar of Events, National Pig Day is on the same day as pseudo-holidays Share a Smile day and Peanut Butter Lover's day.

Madison's Law

I want to share a few of Madison's Law with you today as she passed over the Rainbow Bridge this morning. Madison had turned 14 the end of January. Never had the pleasure to meet Madison or her mom Barbara, but have known them for years from a potbellied pig e-mail list that I run.

Here are a few of her laws and I hope you enjoy them.

Article 126, Section 135: No pig shall be forced to stay outside in temperatures lower then 60 degrees F without the sun shinning and a deck to catch some rays on. And/or kept from said treats of any kind for a time not to exceed 2 minutes. Any human caught disobeying said pig "laws" will be punishable by a life long commitment of belly rubs, non stop treats, lots of love, and sentenced to cater to our every waking need for the remainder of said pig's life.

---

Article 158, Section 145.4: Any human talking on the computer to other humans about any such pig will be subject to scratching said pig until there hands fall off and/or allowing said pig to scratch his/her butt on the new dinning room table and/or subject to fines not to exceed as many treat's for that day as said pig wants.

---

Purpose of the Blog

The purpose of this blog is to support pet owners of pot bellied pigs with helpful resources and inspiring stories. I also welcome comments from everyone to make this blog an active forum for discussion. Please feel free to share why you love pot bellied pigs!

Breeds Of Mini Pigs In The United States

VIETNAMESE POTBELLY PIG:

Potbellies have long been shown in zoos around the world. They originated in Vietnam and were brought to the U. S. through Canada in 1985 by Keith Connell with the intention of supplying zoos. Instead people started buying them as pets. The first potbellies were much larger pigs weighing between 150 to 200 lbs. Their general appearance is a swayed back, pronounced potbelly; erect ears, short turned up nose with a straight tail. The main color is black, but potbellies can also be white, black and white (including pinto and fancy pinto coloring), spotted, collared, and even a silver color.  Potbellied pigs reach adult size at about 4 years. Weights vary with averages ranging from 90-150 lbs.   

KUNEKUNE:

KuneKune pigs are thought to have originated in China from an old Polish Breed. They arrived in New Zealand sometime in the late 1700s. In New Zealand they were kept by Maori communities and were unknown to the rest of the world. In the early 1800s they were introduced to Europeans by whalers or traders. They are now widely spread throughout New Zealand with some being exported to the United Kingdom and the United States.  

They are a relatively small pig with a short-legged, round appearance with a short upturned nose and curly tail. KuneKune is a Polynesian word for plump. A distinctive appearance on some KuneKunes is their piri piri (tassels or wattles) hanging from their lower jaw. Colors range from black, black and white, gold, tan and brown.  

KuneKunes have a calm, friendly temperament and seem to thrive on human companionship. During summer months they can easily maintain themselves on grazing alone. Therefore, they make excellent lawnmowers and don’t typically root.         

GUINEA HOGS (AFRICAN PYGMY):

Guinea Hogs are a breed of pig unique to North America and it is believed they are the descendants of pigs brought over from Africa with the slave trade. The early African pigs were red, large, and bristly. Modern Guineas are a smaller, all black pig. They were common in the South prior to the Civil War as they were small, docile pigs and considered easy keepers. They provided food for the poor in the rural U. S. Over the years they have been called many names such as acorn eaters and yard pigs.  Homesteaders would tether them in their yard because of their great foraging abilities and to catch and eat snakes. They prefer grazing rather than rooting for their meals.    

Guinea Hogs have a very gentle temperament and small size making them easy to handle. Their weights average from 100 to 300 lbs.  They are not sway backed or potbellied.  They are a stocky pig with short legs, moderately short snout, medium sized upright ears, and tails with a kink. Their coats are shiny black in color and very bristly.

After the Civil War, when farmers went to confinement methods of farming their numbers declined. They are now considered by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy as critical in need of conservation.   

FERAL PIGS: 

Note: Feral pigs and European Wild Boars may not be considered by some to be a mini-pig. However, because of their smallness when compared to a farm hog, I’ve included them in this article.

Feral pigs go by many names depending on the part of the country where they reside.  Some names include:  Razorback, Gulf Pig, Florida Swamp Hog, Pineywoods, Pinewoods Rooter, Choctaw, and Catalina. The most common states where they can be found are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and California.  

They are shaggy rough-looking pigs with forward-pointed to upright ears, long snouts and very lean bodies. Feral pigs are descended from domesticated pigs that escaped or were released. Some even have some Eurasian Wild Boar in their ancestry. Solid black is the most common color, but you can find almost any color or color pattern.   

EUROPEAN WILD BOARS:

European Wild Boars are also called, Eurasian Wild Boars or Russian Wild Boars. They have a long narrow snout with long tusks, pointy ears with a tufted straight tail. They have a very bristly coat with an undercoat in the winter. They range in color from blackish brown to tan to gray with a lighter colored belly. They also have grizzled hairs on their face and throat which contrast against their dark colored snout. They range in size from 160 to 500 lbs.

Piglets have a striped body making them resemble a chipmunk. As the piglet matures it looses its striping.      

Wild boars have been introduced to a wide variety of places around the world. Since they share the same habitat as feral domesticated pigs, most populations of wild pigs are probably mixed with the wild boar.  

OSSABAW ISLAND PIG:

Ossabaw pigs are a feral pig that can be found on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Georgia. They were brought for food by the Spanish when they first came to the New World five centuries ago. Since pigs were a fresh food supply, the Spanish routinely dropped them off on large islands all over the Caribbean from Cuba to Ossabaw. They come in a wide variety of solid and spotted colors although solid white is rare. They are a lively, friendly pig with a long snout, heavy coat, and prick ears.  

Ossabaws have a low-grade form of diabetes and have a unique system of fat metabolism. During times when food is sparse, they can live off the fat stored in their bodies. Because of the diabetes and their system of fat metabolism, they are valued highly as laboratory animals to study diabetes, nutrition, and obesity.   

JULIANI (PAINTED MINIATURE): 

Many older books on mini-pigs mention the Juliani pig. However, while researching this article, I could find no mention of them on the Internet or in books on pig breeds. Therefore, there is some doubt about their true origins and some thought that they might have been a cross for the purpose of marketing them as something different during the height of the pet pig craze. Older mini-pig books state the same information regarding the Juliani pig which I’ve included in this article.  

According to the older mini-pig books, Juliani Pigs can be traced back to Europe and were developed through a selective breeding program to enhance their small size. Their colors can be red, red and black, red and white, white, white and black, black, silver and silver and white. They have longer legs than a potbelly and are usually smaller with a slight potbelly. Their ears are small to medium in size and they have a straight tail. Some of our pet pigs might be a mixture of Juliani and potbelly pig. 

YUCATAN PIG (MEXICAN HAIRLESS):

Yucatan pigs originated in Mexico and Central America. They are slate gray to black in color with very sparse hair to completely bald. They have straight backs and bellies, short snouts and medium sized ears. Their temperament is very gentle. Because their skin and body systems are similar to humans, they are often the pig of choice for laboratories. Normally their size can range up to 210lbs but laboratories have bred them even smaller with weights ranging from 50 to 100lbs.

PECCARY:

Peccaries or Javelinas as they are sometimes called are not really pigs but are the closest relative to the pig. They differ from pigs in that they have a second navel located on the lower back about a half-foot from the end of the tail. This nipple gives off a musky secretion which is used for marking territories. They also differ in that pigs have four toes on each foot while a Javelina has four on their forefeet but only two on their hind. Pigs also have six to twenty mammary glands while Javelinas have only four. Javelinas have a complex chambered stomach with no gallbladder. Pigs have a gallbladder and a simple chambered stomach. 

Peccaries weigh from 35-65 lbs and look like a small bristly pig. Their bristles are dark brown or black-gray with white tips. They also have a white collar which goes from the chest to over the shoulders.  

Peccaries are native to Southern Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Their herds are ruled by a female and can vary from 2 to 20 members, some even reaching 50.