How to Care for a Pot Bellied Pig

Given the choice of a Pot-bellied pig, they will eat pretty much anything and everything. They eat like...well, pigs! Just as some other animals if given the chance will over eat and turn into obese animals. The Pot-bellied pig will eat so much they become large over-weight animals and may suffer from health problems.

As an animal owner, it is your responsibility to make sure your animal gets exactly what the need to keep them not only happy, but also healthy. My brother and his wife have a Pot-bellied pig as a pet. Their pig, Wilbur is the first pet pig I have been around and seen how affectionate they are.

Pig Food

So what do Pot-bellied pigs eat? A healthy Pot-bellied pig should be eating a combination of pig chow and low calorie vegetables and grains. Pot-bellied pigs have pig chow made just for them, the mini-pigs. Pig parents should be able to find the pig chow they need at their local feed store. There are several brands available for mini-pigs. A couple of the brands are, Heartland Mini-Pet Feed, Ross Mill Farm's Champion Feed Peak Performance and Manna Pro.

Pigs need protein in order to be healthy and pig chow has the protein they need. Feeding only vegetables and fruits will make your pet pig have health problems.

If you don't have a feed store or can't find a pet store that has a supply of the pig chow you are looking for, you can always find it online.

How Much To Feed

How much pig chow you give to your animal is really based on how much he weighs, his age and how much exercise he gets. Most pigs will need between 1-2 cups of pig chow per day and it's best to split the food into two meals. If your pig isn't getting enough exercise you can always hide the pig chow in hiding spots throughout your yard and make your piggie go find it.

Fresh vegetables, grains and nuts should also be on their daily menu, but make sure any high fat, high calorie foods you give to your pig, are given sparingly or they might become obese. Pigs will do much better if given a variety of foods to enjoy.

Because there's such a large variety of vegetables to choose from, your pig should be given a wide variety of vegetables throughout their lifetime. Fresh vegetables are always best, but frozen will do. Canned vegetables should not be given as they don't have the same nutrients as fresh or even frozen.

Grains are also good for Pot-bellied pigs. Things such as bran flakes, cooked grains, millet and wheat germ are a great source for grains. Grains should be given to pigs sparingly as long as they are eating a sufficient amount of pig chow.

Pigs love fruits but because of the high sugar content, they should only be given as treats and quite sparingly. A few small pieces a day should be quite enough.

Exercise

Pot-bellied pigs need to get some exercise everyday. It's best to let them walk around a large yard in order to root, graze and run. Pigs will also get used to a harness and leash set up fairly easily and then you can take them for walks.

Sources:

http://www.pigs4ever.com/PotBelliedPigInfo/potbelliedpigdiet.htm