For the love of animals. Pass it on.
At first glance, it sounds purely adorable: a pig who will never weigh more than a human baby. But as the executive director of PIGS Animal Sanctuary Melissa Susko confirms, this isn't the case. "There really is no such thing as a teacup pig, micro-mini, Juliana, etc.," she tells The Dodo. "Miniature pigs are mini compared to a domestic farm pig that can reach 600-plus pounds. So-called teacups are actually potbellied pigs who are either underfed to stunt their growth or who are sold under false pretenses."
Potbellied pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus) are wild boar cousins from Vietnam who are in fact miniature pigs when standing next to huge farm pigs (who can weigh more than 1,000 pounds) or even wild hogs (who can weight 450 to 700 pounds). However, potbellied pigs still grow to between 100 and 150 pounds on average — nowhere near small enough to fit into a teacup.