Sarah Jessica Porker came to us from a neighbor in February 2015 at 15 weeks old. We were told by the neighbor that she was a “teacup “pig meaning she would remain the size of a teacup. Boy, were they wrong! She is now a beautiful 150 lbs. and is very proud of being large and in charge. Twice we have tried to spice up her life by bringing in different male pot-bellied pigs to see if we could find her a partner. She made it crystal clear in a matter of moments that neither one would be changing their mailing address to Animal Tracks. She postured, snorted, and screamed and chased them out of her house. Dating websites must not be her thing. She also doesn’t care for her quarterly pedicures which keep her in fine working order. Without them, her nails would grow too long and have a crippling effect. Good news is, we have a smart vet that has us feed her and while she is eating, he grabs her and flips her upside down, trims her feet very quickly and she is up before she knows what’s going on. Sarah loves nothing more than to wander around the compound in hopes of finding scraps of leftover food especially after a monkey gathering and tease the other animals. She is very picky when it comes to her bedding in her enclosure and likes to fluff it up herself just so – if any of us try to rearrange it she gets very vocal about her displeasure with us! We love her spunky attitude! This all makes sense when you think about it as pigs are considered one of the smartest animals in the animal kingdom.
ORDER: Artiodactyla
FAMILY: Suidae
GENUS: Sus
SPECIES: Domesticus
They are one of the smaller domestic breeds of pig, and their most prominent feature is their pot belly. They have been called mini pigs, though they can grow up to 300 lbs. In Vietnam, they are a symbol of wealth and happiness, but here, they have become an issue due to the fact that people buy pigs while they are very young. These pigs continue to grow and grow and grow which oftentimes leads to abandonment when people realize how big they really are. They are omnivores with a very sensitive sense of smell which gives them the ability to find food buried beneath the ground. This is called rooting. They are primarily raised for food in Vietnam but are pets here in the states. They should not be kept in your home but in an agricultural setting and you should be aware of the fact that their skin can burn in the sun and they require pedicures four times a year. They reach sexual maturity at the age of four months. The female goes thru 115 day gestation period and the litters can be anywhere from 1 to 15 piglets. They nurse every hour and wean at 8 weeks of age.
Threats
Human consumption and exploitation, factory farming.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern