Pot-Bellied Pigs

 

May 2, 2009– Pot-Bellied Pigs

     We have two new animals here at the farm, both of whom arrived last week.  Annabelle and Petunia are two Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs.  I know a bit about their history; they were both used as breeding sows and were part of a rescue, along with some litters of piglets.  The sad thing is, many city people buy these pigs on a whim, keeping them in their homes while they’re young.  Granted, they are clever and adorable, but guess what? They’re pigs!  In no time they are rooting and pulling up the carpet and either these sweet pigs end up alone and abandoned in the garage, or the frantic owners call sanctuaries looking for a home.  I can’t tell you how often we’re asked to take them.  Yet still people breed them to fetch some money, not caring that the pigs are largely unsuitable for most people as pets for any length of time.

     Someone was fostering these two pigs and now they have come to us, en route to a permanent home near the Quebec border.  I have had no experience with these pigs. The man delivering them literally dropped them and ran, and I found myself standing at the barn door with two terrified sows.   It didn’t take long for me to coax them with food but it was a slow process and they retreated back to the barn door each time a goat or horse made a loud noise.  I slowly had them follow me up the long aisle to their stall, while every goat jumped up to see who the new animals were.

     I found the pigs to be very afraid of people– we couldn’t even touch them without them runing away.  Granted, poor Petunia has so much fat around her face that her eyes are embedded deep in the folds and she can probably barely see who or what is touching her.  Both sows look positively spent, their old bodies just worn down.  Their skin is terribly dry and flaking, and their hooves are so overgrown they are twisting.  How on earth are we going to trim the hooves of an animal we can’t approach?

     It has been three days since they came and already Petunia and Annabelle are looking up when they hear my voice, slowly coming towards me when it’s time to eat.   They love pineapple and watermelon but aren’t too keen on oranges or green pepper.  They nestle deep in the straw to sleep against each other, and unlike the full size pigs who continually jump up and scream for food when they hear voices, much of the time the pot-bellied pigs eat and then go straight to sleep, ignoring me the rest of the time I work in the barn.    

       This afternoon I let them walk around the barn aisles.  Annabelle is much braver than Petunia and she has been exploring, as well as letting me touch her for brief seconds.  I am hoping that by tomorrow Petunia will get up the nerve to follow Annabelle outside so they can root around for a bit in the sunshine.

    I was not expecting to like these pigs so much, but they are rather interesting characters.  I think they’re lovely.   As Annabelle was sniffing the air, great mounds of drool falling from her mouth, I proclaimed, “There’s a face only a mother could love!!”   My son retorted with, “Or an animals rights activist.”