Oh, Holy Crap... A Pet Pig!?

[Leta]

DSS got a pet pig. A pig! It lives in the house and uses a litter box! (Which, since it's only five weeks old, says a lot about how smart pigs are, I must admit.)

{Backstory for anyone who's interested: DSS started begging for a pet of his own, specifically a hedgehog, when he was seven. We agreed that he would get his own pet when he turned ten, which he did last summer. We got him a hamster. I was able to talk him out of a hedgehod, because my cousin (age 17) got one and ended up giving it back to the breeder because it was so difficult to care for. Igor (pronounced EYE-gore ) the Hamster was a rockin' good pet- a great traveler (went w/DSS the 450 miles between parent's houses), very sweet and smart, and DSS took great care of him. But Igor died this summer, just shy of his first birthday.

DSS, after getting over his heartbreak, decided he wanted another pet, preferably one that was longer lived. (Igor's death, sadly, was unavoidable, per the vet's analysis.) We discussed dogs, rats, ferrets... and yes, pigs. I told DSS honestly, that the only experience I've had with pigs as pets was bad- my ex bf had one that tore the fireplace out of their house.}

Anyway, right after DSS went back to his mom's for the school year, his grandma bought him a pet pig. Named Dusty. He's already neutered and potty trained, and he's black and pink. I guess they got him a little early because his mama wasn't very nurturing and kept rolling on her babies and not nursing them. So Dusty's eating goat's milk and oatmeal, currently. They warned them not to feed Dusty pork and said that if they don't feed him too much, he'll get up to around 70#, but if they overfeed him he'll get up to 140#.

Our dog weighs 68#, and she's an AmStaf/retriever mix. I am dizzy with fear- a pig bigger than Nellie? Egad.

We also have two cats, and DD, 3, and DS, 3 months. Would it be okay for them to be around a pig? Will the cats and dog try to attack it? Or the pig them? On the plus side, Igor got loose twice this summer, and our dog (a terrier mix, no less) just licked him, and the cats just sniffed him. So their predatory instinct has been pretty well sublimated, I guess.

I thought DH would be of help, since he, his sister and his folks raised pigs- for pork. But he knows nothing of pigs as pets, he just knows how to feed them, shovel poop, and butcher them.

As a funny aside, after I got off the phone with DSS, I called my mom to vent. DD wanted to talk, and she said, "Gamma, brother got a pig! A baby one! And Daddy? He wanna eat it. Daddy gonna eat that baby pig!" DH didn't even know about the pig yet, but DD sure has his number.

I just can't believe it. DSS's other parents rent, for goodness sake, and live right in town. I can't believe the landlord agreed to such a thing.

And, you know, I always thought my kids would rebel or outdo me by becoming super conservative. I'm a vegetarian, I love animals, I never considered that one of them would get the sort of pet that would make me cringe. But here DSS is, not even a teenager yet, and he's really got me already.

Can anyone help me here?

[newbymom05]

What breed of pig is it? How long do they live? Not to be negative, but I foresee a sad outcome for your DSS. I mean, is it going to travel 450 miles between parents? Even when it gets full size? And I can't believe *any* landlord, even the most fervent PETA supporter would approve a pet pig in a rental. A cute little piglet, sure, but in couple of months? And my cat needed the litter box scooped daily, and he weighed about 10#. A 70# pig is going to generate a lot of poop and pee! How are you even going to find a litter box big enough? And what exactly is "overfeeding", because I'm wondering if the breeder didn't downplay Dusty's eventual size and food needs. I mean, 70-140# is a pretty wide range!

Sorry, I was no help at all. But I would seriously try to talk your DSS out of this pet.

But you sound like a rockin' step mother!!!

[Leta]

Oh, I KNOW! This is what I've been thinking, pretty much to the letter. I just can't believe it.

And thanks!

[Pepper44]

When I was a kid one of my baby sitter's neighbors had a pig in their apartment. They kept it hidden from management. I was intrigued with it, but it smelled terrible and it was kind of scary. (My grandparents raised meat pigs, and I swear they weren't nearly as scary as that pet pig. ) I can't imagine having a big smelly pig in my house!

If he wants an interesting farm animal type pet, what about a bantam chicken? He can raise it from a baby chick to be extremely tame, it will grow to no bigger than a coke can, and it will lay an egg he can eat if you get a hen! They also travel pretty well and can live anywhere from 1-7 years depending on the health of the bird. You can keep a pair of them outside or keep them inside if you're comfortable with it and take them out in your yard to peck and play. We have a little bantam rooster who is so sweet! (My four cats know better than to eat him, so do my dogs...)

They don't eat much at all, at least not compared to a big pig.

[Leta]

I wish he got a chicken... but Dusty is already a fact, so I'm trying to deal.

[newbymom05]

Really, I can't stop thinking about this because it's so weird! I mean, is the gma engaging in some kind of payback? Or does she have dementia??? I mean, seriously, a PIG? Our zoo has a farm themed petting area w/ a pig, and this pig lives the life, beautiful clean pen, he himself is all pinky piggy wiggy clean, and it still STINKS. Pig urine. Very malodorous. I just. can't. imagine. But he is a big pig, around the 70+# you're talking about. Maybe you can give the pig to g'ma when it gets big? Maybe her ultimate plan is eating it????
What does your DH say? Mine didn't even want to get a fish tank, lol.

[Leta]

Isn't it so weird? I mean, honestly... a pet pig, for an 11 y.o.? It sounds like a cheesy Disney movie.

DH is still processing. Neither of us wants to alienate DSS, but this is really out there. We are, as the Brits would say, gobsmacked.

And, no, grandma is about 50 and really a pretty wonderful woman. (Not MIL, DSS's mom's mom, so no previous pig raising.) Which adds to the extreme weirdness.

[greenmagick]

Is it a pot-bellied pig? I mean they are pretty common pets arent they?

[newbymom05]

Originally Posted by Leta

Isn't it so weird? I mean, honestly... a pet pig, for an 11 y.o.? It sounds like a cheesy Disney movie.

DH is still processing. Neither of us wants to alienate DSS, but this is really out there. We are, as the Brits would say, gobsmacked.

And, no, grandma is about 50 and really a pretty wonderful woman. (Not MIL, DSS's mom's mom, so no previous pig raising.) Which adds to the extreme weirdness.

Oh, ok, that actually makes more sense to me. I can see my step mother seeing an adorable piglet and buying it, believing whatever the seller told her, and only thinking about the g'kids delight, not cleaning up after and dealing with a 70+# barnyard animal!

Here's a link for you re: pigs as pets http://www.potbellypigofmyheart.com/...et_for_you.htm Bad news, they can live 15-30 years! Your DSS can take him to college.

[ASusan]

I have been following this thread, and I would not be taking this nearly as well as you are, OP. And now that I know more about grandma, I say the pig goes to be with her whenever DSS comes to your house. It can be the pig's vacation.

ETA - and it goes to stay with her semi-permanently when DSS goes to college.

[lucyem]

I would love a pet pig We had a family friend who was the local animal control. She had 2 in her house along with 5 or so dogs. People got sick of them and set them free. Poor little pigs were clueless in the woods. Inside they were neat and did not smell. They were full size and not as big as a couple of the dogs she had. They were very smart and loved constant attention.

All that being said I cannot imagine someone buying a pet pig for a child! Wow! I could see grandma picking out a dog or other common pet. But a pig?

[Oubliette8]

Pigs, from what I understand, can actually make pretty good pets, but you need to do some serious research on the subject, and they do need alot of care. Is Grandma going to keep this pig at her place? Is his mother going to keep the pig at her place? Is it expected to live with you? Many cities have zoning ordinances that specifically do NOT allow pigs in residential sections. There have been some sad cases were families had to give up their pets or move because they didn't check their zoning first. You need to find out if a pig is even legal where you live. If its not, problem solved- either the pig stays with the irresponsible relatives that bought it, or you tell your son you're very sorry, but the city doesn't allow pigs.

If you are expected to keep the pig, and zoning is not an issue, AND you agree to take the pig into your home (you do have a choice here), start doing some serious research in pig care now. I know my library has books on pet pigs, and there are great resources on the internet as well. They need special veterinary care, and they need to be trained. They are large animals and can be destructive if not properly trained and housed. You may need to build special facilities for the pig- they can be escape artists and you may need special fencing, you may need a pig proof room of your house, or an outdoor pig pen, depending how cold it gets where you live. And yes, diet is important for them and more tricky than you would think- many, many pet pigs are allowed to get overweight (its more difficult than simply feeding them pig food- which often encourages weight gain).

I would expect that your pig and your existing pets will be ok, but they should be introduced while the pig is young. I would be more worried about small children around a pig- the pig will be very large and will likely need to be supervised with your young children. It will really depend alot on the pig. They do have the potential to be quite dangerous, so its best to find out NOW what you need to do to have a peaceful, well behaved pig and do it right.

[Leta]

Yes, it is a potbellied pig. I also fear that this will all end in tears. I'll tell you one thing: the pig is not living here while DSS goes to college. Not happening. And I am not taking care of it... that's DSS's job. To be fair, he took great care of Igor. But directly from a hamster to a PIG?

I'm just trying to figure out if there will be carnage and mayhem if DSS brings Dusty with him to our house. Apparently pigs make good travelers, so there's that. It's still all so weird.

[Leta]

Thanks, Oubliette. We do have a choice, and there's a very good chance that pigs are prohibited here... it just makes me sad because I think DSS will not want to stay with us because he misses his pet. I'm also (and I'm being very honest, here, please be nice to me) afraid to be the bad guy. DSS's mom is unemployed right now- what happens when she goes back to work? Who's going to take care of the pig then? Especially over the summers when DSS is here, so she'd being doing it all alone? (DSS's stepdad works out of town and is gone a lot.)

I could probably hang with DSS being here with the pig IF he takes really good care of it and IF we can make it work for our household, but no way in h#ll am I caring for the pig if DSS isn't around. No way. (Even if I end up liking it, and there is a fair chance of that, if it is well trained and not stinky.) My dog is high maintence enough, TYVM.

We get along really well with DSS's other parents, so this comes as an extra big shock because they are normally really reasonable, rational people. This whole thing just seems so poorly thought out.

[lilyka]

i m really worried that management did not approve this. what if the pig had to go? would you take it?

this is crazy.

My moms husbands sons wife (now ex wife) ran a dog rescue in their front yard (slash back yard breeding racket with dogs they were selling as registered even though they weren't : but really people who buy dogs bred in that environment deserve whatever they get) ANYWAY...they had som pot bellied pigs they rescued and within days the dogs had eaten them. yeah. bad stuff. granted your dogs are well socialized and clearly not all that preditorial.....

[Leta]

No, we emphatically would not take it.

We *might* be able to have the pig here if it was "just visiting", but I checked, and we aren't allowed to have farm animals here. We would be fined $50/day, so that isn't happening.

You know what really upsets me? We have a plan- all four of DSS's parents developed the plan, and DSS is enthusiastic about it. DSS is going to move here to go to college, live with us, and attend the univ where DH works. That way, DSS will only have to work ~10 hrs a week on campus for pocket money. With DH's "employee discount" and DSS living here, we'll be able to pay for everything else- his books, car, fees, etc.

This pig throws a wrench in all of that if it lives for 15 years. I guess it's just gonna have to live with DSS's mom and stepdad. I hope that doesn't affect DSS's desire to live here and go to this college, but oh well. It's not like we were consulted.

I've been trying like the devil to get our house paid off before DSS is college age, so we'll be in a good position to help him. I've also committed to getting a job in order to help him out if that's the best thing. But I'm not going to get a job so that he can live at his mom's with the pig so that DH and I can pay full tuition for some college near his mom's. That is totally not happening.

Gah. The more I think about this, the nuttier it seems.

[greenmagick]

Do pot bellied pigs count as farm animals? I "think* there are often rules seperate to them. I came across some when I was checking into the legality of keeping chickens and ducks.

[Leta]

Yes, they do. Here, at least. I ran into our city manager (it's a small city- 6600 people) on my walk today, so I asked him. No dice.

[lilyka]

ya know, I doubt he will choose a pet pig over a college education and if he does I would reconsider if this was a child ready for a college education. He is 11. a lot of things will change in the next 7 years. A lot of things will change in the next 7 months. My biggest concern would be what is going to happen with the pig once the novelty wears off. and he has a pig to care for.

[CarrieMF]

This pig throws a wrench in all of that if it lives for 15 years. I guess it's just gonna have to live with DSS's mom and stepdad. I hope that doesn't affect DSS's desire to live here and go to this college, but oh well. It's not like we were consulted.

DSS is 10/11, I wouldn't put the pig into any factor on college. DSS may not want to go to college where you are by the time he actually gets to that point.

honestly it's a pig & I'd relax especially since it can't come to your house. We had pigs growing up. A 70-140lb pot belly pig is really not that big(for a pig). There is a house here across from my kids school that has a PB pig. They have the front yard fenced off, I've only seen it out of the fence once.