#micro pigs

[hagarsays]

Punk is looking cute with micro pigs in Japan🥺💙

[vegan-nom-noms]

Homemade Vegan Hot Dogs

[postalninja]

5. Cute animals? :O

Have some tiny pigs!!! <3

[x-heesy]

lilitama0605

Soundtrack: come 2 me by bjÖrk @glittersleep 🤍

[thesassypigs]

credit: @azmicrominipigs

[xiil3gendary]

Piggy party!!!!

[acti-veg]

are micro pigs natural?

Pigs in general are no longer natural animals, after years of intensive, selective breeding. Micro pigs are just not really a thing, they more are of a marketing label than an actual breed. What is sold as a micro or “teacup” pig just tends to be pot-bellied pigs who have been malnourished to keep them small. Many grow to be full size when fed properly, and are then abandoned by owners who wanted a tiny vanity animal. Those who are bred specifically to be small suffer from a host of health issues as well, on top of the complex needs they already have which most owners don’t have the time, space or environment to properly cater for.

[beelzebubskeeper]

Mini Pigs

I’m sure you’ve seen them, on Facebook, on Instagram, the tiniest pig you’ve ever seen. And I mean who can resist?

I mean, he’s wearing little boots, it really is adorable. But here’s the catch, Micro, Mini, and Teacup pigs don’t exist! I made a post on my side blog about the Kunekune pig, the smallest domesticated pig breed, but I felt the need to go more into detail. The above pigs are piglets, they will absolutely get bigger, and much bigger at that. Kunekune are normally 200 lbs and the Potbellied pig, another type that gets pawned as mini, gets up to 300 lbs. 

This is a full grown potbellied pig at a good healthy weight.

Here’s a full grown Kunekune. Kunekune and Potbellied pigs both need at least half an acre per pig to live on, meaning they can’t be house pets. Now, that’s not to say pigs can’t be a companion animal! Pigs are very smart and often times friendly animals but they don’t belong in a house like a cat or dog. They don’t take well to being pets, and much prefer the company of other pigs. According to Gary M. Landsberg of the North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour Specialty Clinic, “Pigs are social animals that under free-ranging conditions live in groups of approximately eight individuals. The groups typically consist of three sows and their offspring. Boars are solitary.” 

Now this problem isn’t new. Breeders started doing this (in the US) in the 80s by inbreeding Vietnamese Potbellied pigs and the New Zealand Kunekune (within each breed not with each other) and often times would malnourish them to keep them as small as possible.  Most often young pigs who are just barely able to be bred are bred so that they can say these small pigs are the parents, or younger pigs are shown in place of the real parents. Some of the members of the American Mini Pig Association like founding member Jaimee Hubert like to say that bad breeders are making it bad for everyone, but I’m of the opinion that ANY breeder who makes the claim to breed “miniature” pigs is working either negligently, ignorantly, or maliciously to fit these trends. I find it very alarming that the American Mini Pig Association even exists giving some kind of fake credibility to the claim of their existence. According to The North American Pet Pig Sanctuary, of the 18 sanctuaries they contacted, the number of pigs per sanctuary is 47. Mini pigs are not real, period.  These sanctuaries as well as some rural APLs have to take in these Kunekune and Potbellied pigs after they outgrow the homes people assume they can keep them in. As with any animal educating yourself about the needs and expectations of the breed is absolutely necessary to take proper care of them. Educate yourself! We love proper animal care here!