Sweet Pea's Pig Tales
(Or One Piggie's Account of Surviving Babyhood)
When I was a wee little piggie, just 2 days old, my piggie momma didn't take care of me, so I adopted a set of human
parents, who I will refer to as my Momma and Daddy. If you are a new piggie mom or dad, I have some things to
share with you about how to care for newborn piggies.
- Feeding the Newborn Piggie:
There are many milk replacers on the market, but sometimes little piggies can't digest them well
because of the high fat content. My vet recommended to my momma that I get 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 water, which worked very well for me.
Some little piggies like to be fed with a bottle and pet bottles are easily found at pet stores or farm supply stores. I didn't like the bottles, so my momma
fed me with a medicine dropper. With either, piggies prefer to stand when they eat and will feed better. It is upsetting to piggies, because of being a possible meal
for someone, to be held or confined and mealtime is not the time to be upset!
Little piggies can only eat a little at a time; newborns may only be able to take 1/2 - 1 ounce at a time, so they have to be fed every couple of hours for
the first few days, day and night. If the piggie doesn't want to eat from a bottle or a dropper, a veterinarian can give you a small feeding tube. Feeding with
a tube isn't as hard as it might seem, and can mean the difference between life and death for a little one. Regular feeding is important to keep the piggie's blood sugar
level up and prevent the body from using the muscle and fat as a source of food (most newborns don't have a lot of fat or muscle to spare!) Feedings can gradually
be spaced out more until finally within a month or so, the piggie will be able to sleep all night without being fed! Usually at around 4 weeks old, piggies can begin
eating solid foods. My momma started me on baby cereal mixed with my milk when I was about 2 weeks old and then cooked rice and milk when I could eat out of a bowl.
I also love to eat my Pot Bellied Pig food and it is best to get the starter or growth formula to use until the piggie is about 3 months old, then can be advanced to the adult
formula. I also love fresh vegetables and fruit, especially lettuce, tomatoes, bananas, apples, cantelopes, and grapes, and my momma feeds me a "Piggie Salad" at least once a day.
Piggies should be allowed to eat as much as they want for the first 3 months, then changed to a 3 time a day schedule of 2 meals of piggie food and 1 meal of vegetables/fruits. It is
important to not overfeed piggies when we get older because we don't have a part in our brain that tells us we are full, so we think we are hungry all the time, but if we eat too much
when we get older, we can have severe health problems.
- Housing and Temperature:
Newborn piggies are unable to keep themselves warm so must be kept warm at all times. Feedings should not be tried
until the baby is warm as the food will not digest if the piggie is too cool. My momma kept me in the house in a basket with a heating pad (set on the low setting) to keep
me warm....that is, when I wasn't curled up on her neck or lap.
Little piggies need shelter from the weather and don't tolerate cold temperatures well at all.
- Piggie Toileting:
Piggies are very smart and can learn to use a litter box. It is best to put the new piggie in a small contained area for a little while with
a litter box handy until the little piggie learns about the box and so he will not develop bad habits of using the bathroom in places you don't want him to use.
When I was too little to get into a regular cat litter box, my momma used
old cardboard flats like canned foods come in.
Pine shavings make the best litter as the cedar ones are harmful to piggies and cat litter sticks between our little hooves.
When I got too big for a regular cat litter box, my momma got a long storage box, like the ones you store wrapping paper in and cut out holes on each end for me to go in and
out of the box without having to try to turn around! I have my momma very well trained and she gives me little marshmallows when I use my box.
- Piggie Skin Care
Piggies have a tendency towards dry skin and need to have baby oil applied every couple of days or as needed. They like to
be rubbed, lightly scratched, and petted, so a good thing to use is a rubber curry comb made for horses and available at a farm supply store. Piggies can be bathed in a mild soap, but
usually don't need baths too often as they are pretty clean animals (except at dinnertime - thus the phrase "eats like a pig"!!)
- Piggies at Play
Piggies enjoy playing and like toys that would be safe for a human baby. I like my stuffed piggy to wrestle and play with.
I also have a big ball I enjoy.
- Tips for House Piggies
Because we have such short little legs and our little knees don't bend well, we can't climb up and down stairs. We like
to go outside and play in the sunshine, so the best way for us to get in and out is to have a ramp to walk on. My momma built a simple ramp out of 2 x 4's and plywood.
Back to Sweet Pea's CyberPiggie Main Page
Thank you, GeoCities for my home on the web!