[Sarahjane610]

Hi all,

My sow recently had some piglets and I advertised them for sale.  They are kune kunes and mum and dad are super small (20 and 22 inches) and the advert did suggest they would make good pets.

My two kune kune sows and boar are pets for us (we raise saddlebacks to eat) but they live outside, in an ark, in a field.  For me, the only difference between them as pets and the saddlebacks is that they wont be eaten!

I've been really surprised at the number of people who have responded to the ad wanting to buy the piglets as house pets. 

Both in the ad and in any communication, I have stressed that the piglets pictured will grow to at least the size of the sow and boar if properly looked after and that I have absolutely no knowledge or experience of raising a pig in a house.   

There are three 'serious' buyers who appear to have carefully researched house pigs and who were already aware of the potential growth and they are coming next week to view and potentially purchase.  Together with more 'standard' buyers, this would mean I have sold the whole litter. 

Selling all the piglets by the time they are weaned would be amazing and a relief but I am concerned about the welfare of pigs kept as house pigs.  In an ideal world, I would just go on instinct and refuse the sale and find other buyers.  Being realistic, the risk of not finding new buyers is high enough that I need a bit more info than my gut instinct!

Has anyone got any personal experience/knowledge of house pigs?  Positive and negative stuff would be great.

Does anyone sell pigs as house pigs and anything  I should know?

  Or any websites/forums I can visit for info. 

Thanks

[greenbeast]

We breed and sell micropigs for pets. Some of which spend a lot of time indoors. But then they're smaller than yours it sounds. But then again still we have bigger dogs than most would consider having indoors!

If you've got questions, ask away

[Sbom]

I wouldn't sell just one piglet to anyone if I knew it was being kept on its own, no matter where it was to live. If you've nearly sold all before weaning you'll surely have no problems selling last couple soon enough?
I'd worry that someone thinking its ok for a pig to live in a house would be unaware of other things...correct diet for one!

[landroverroy]

I wouldn't sell just one piglet to anyone if I knew it was being kept on its own, no matter where it was to live. If you've nearly sold all before weaning you'll surely have no problems selling last couple soon enough?
I'd worry that someone thinking its ok for a pig to live in a house would be unaware of other things...correct diet for one!

But - if the pig is being kept as a family pet and not in splendid isolation outside on its own, then is it any worse than keeping only one dog?

[YorkshireLass]

My concern would be the legalities - are they registered with a cph number? Will pig have enough space? I just don't think an outdoors animal should be kept in any standard household (by which I mean suburban semi with a small lawn and a few rose bushes).
I am also massively anti "micro pigs" and the thought of unsuitable pets bring promoted to unsuitable owners/situations.

[harmony]

I am not a fan of "pet pigs" kept because they are fashionable and cute. I believe the vast majority of the owners have no understanding about disease control and risk. Since the last foot and mouth outbreak there was a huge rise in pet pig owners and when there is another outbreak it will be a very interesting situation.


I don't have a problem with animals being kept who are pets and will not be sent to slaughter. We probably all have one of them but we don't keep them in the house generally.


If you are uncomfortable with any potential buyer, whether they want a house pet or not, don't sell to them. That should go for any animal. You must make sure that as far as you possibly can that your animals go to good homes.


 

[greenbeast]

All our customers are told to get a cph before they can take any pigs. We insist on pairs unless they're going to have a lot of company. They're great pets and the size of them makes them manageable. No different to all the dogs available that are smaller than a wolf!
We educate on welfare and diet and offer the same breeder promise that any good dog breeder does, i.e. we'll take them back if there's a problem

[harmony]

I wouldn't sell just one piglet to anyone if I knew it was being kept on its own, no matter where it was to live. If you've nearly sold all before weaning you'll surely have no problems selling last couple soon enough?
I'd worry that someone thinking its ok for a pig to live in a house would be unaware of other things...correct diet for one!

But - if the pig is being kept as a family pet and not in splendid isolation outside on its own, then is it any worse than keeping only one dog?

I don't think there is a comparison. Dogs have been domesticated over many generations and their success in being a house animal is their ability to adapt and become on of your family. However, many dogs suffer anxiety when left and don't like being on their own.

[harmony]

All our customers are told to get a cph before they can take any pigs. We insist on pairs unless they're going to have a lot of company. They're great pets and the size of them makes them manageable. No different to all the dogs available that are smaller than a wolf!
We educate on welfare and diet and offer the same breeder promise that any good dog breeder does, i.e. we'll take them back if there's a problem

You are a responsible owner greenbeast but many people are not and that isn't just pet pig breeders.

[bj_cardiff]

I wouldn't.. I like any animal I sell to go to experienced owners where I have every faith that they'll be happy. I'd have massive reservations selling to anyone who's never kept a pig before. They might of read all of the books and online pages but thats different from practical experience. I know of several sanctuary's that have 'micro pigs' that got a lot bigger than they should of, or the owners just didn't know what they were getting into..

[harmony]

I wouldn't.. I like any animal I sell to go to experienced owners where I have every faith that they'll be happy. I'd have massive reservations selling to anyone who's never kept a pig before. They might of read all of the books and online pages but thats different from practical experience. I know of several sanctuary's that have 'micro pigs' that got a lot bigger than they should of, or the owners just didn't know what they were getting into..

If we never sold to people who haven't kept a pig before we would many less sales. And probably lots of people on here would never have been able to buy a pig in the first place. There are lots of factors to consider but ultimately you have to be happy your stock has gone to a good home and that doesn't necessarily discount those who have never kept a pig before.

[bj_cardiff]

No you've misread my post - my point was that I 'like' to sell to experienced owners and I'd have reservations selling to anyone who'd never kept a pig before. If I liked the people and had every faith they were competent I'd sell them a pig. As I've only kept a pigs outdoors how could I possibly advise them when I have no idea myself, therefore I wouldn't sell any pig as a 'house pig'.

[Marches Farmer]

No, no, no.

[sabrina]

Pigs like to root about. They are not meant to live indoors no matter how cute. I would worry that new owners would soon get fed up when the piglet grows. If they had a large garden that could be made safe for the pig and proper shelter then I would maybe consider it. but not to live indoors.

[LouiseG]

Lots of house deeds state that no Livestock can be kept on site, we fell foul of this when we had 4 hens in our back garden on an estate on the edge of town, so they need to check their deeds as well as get a CPH no.