Buying a Potbelly Pig? 10 Things to Consider Now.

Over the last two years, my little alpha hog has been a joy to live around; but it hasn’t been without some work.

Here, I’m going to break down 10 things that you need to factor into your life, if you’re going to oink up your household.

1. You need a yard.
   I had a dream of living in a skyscraper one day, but that would be a pretty big dick move because Phil loves to burrow & scavenge in my backyard. Don’t have a house with a backyard? Bruh, just drop the idea until you do.
2. You will have joy.
   There is nothing more special than coming home to a grunting pig who’s excited to hang out with you. Now hey, they won’t be jumping on you like a dog. My little Philly boy just lays by my feet, and if I feel like cuddling with him…I just lay on the area rug and he nestles his snout into my armpit where he feels safe from the entire world.
3. You better not have full or cheap carpet.
   He will bite it into strands unless it is really high grade carpet. So it’s better to only let him roam on hardwood/laminate flooring. Which remains me, do not leave anything that is chew-able on the floor because he will have at it. Related to that-install baby proof cabinet door adapters because if he smells anything interesting in there-he will also try to have at it.
4. You will know how smart he is.
   To the point to where you will feel bad for dogs because pigs can learn dozens of tricks, and are relatively relaxed unless they feel threatened or jealous.
5. You will learn deeper empathy.
   Potbelly pigs can oink out up to 20 different noises. And as a parent, you will learn which one expresses pain or sadness quickly, which similar to a human baby, you will feel.
6. You will miss him on vacation.
   Because let’s face it, no airplane will ever take a piggy-and even if they did-you’ll probably hear his loud saddening squeals for him as he fears being chomped down by the noise from the loud turbines.
7. You want him socialized early on.
   I was happy he already knew to use the bathroom outside when I got him at 7 years old. And he was used to riding in the car too-to the point to where he loves taking a nap in the car. BUT, I never got him used to being around human beings in his early age. This lack of regular human interaction has him pretty defensive about meeting new people, particularly men. Of which have a 1 out of 5 chance of getting bitten.
8. You will be his father or mother.
   And this responsibility will come to mean a lot. You will have to learn to balance force with love, in a healthy way & healthy tone. Just like a child, if you push too hard-he will be disrespectful to you, but if you are a pushover-he will know that he can dominate you by biting/pushing, and eating all your stuff. For that, restrain your anger and just walk towards him with a strong tone to show you’re not backing down. And if he gets really testy with you, clamp your fingers down around the top of his neck. This is where mama piggies bite when their child piggies get out of hand so it will reinforce a pattern.

Whew, that covered a lot of ground. Yet, I still probably haven’t covered it all. I gotta run now but feel free to leave questions.

Ivan