Important Dos

Buy Only Registered Potbellied Pigs.

Which organization that the animals are registered with is not as important as the fact that the animals are registered and have a pedigree. Beware of unregistered pigs which, while certainly less expensive, may be crossbreeds with domestic pigs and may grow much bigger than an average potbellied pig. Potbellied pigs have straight tails, so if you insist on buying an unregistered pig, watch out for curved tails which would suggest a domestic crossbred.

Visit The Breeder's Facilities.

Look at all the animals available, particularly litter mates, and the Mother and Father of the piglet you are considering purchasing. The sizes of the Mother and Father are (provided that they are at least over 1 1/2 years of age), the best indicators of how big the piglet is likely to grow. This is one big advantage of avoiding imported pigs - the opportunity to see the adult size of the parents of the piglet you wish to purchase. Don't be misled by an 8 month old boar which may be the Father of a piglet as being a true indicator of how big the piglet might become. Even though potbellied pigs are sexually mature at a few months of age, they are not full grown until over 2 years of age.

Buy Quality.

Your potbellied pig will be a valued member of your family for the next 15 years or so, so don't be foolish and buy an inferior quality animal just because it is less expensive. The initial purchase of the animal is a one time expense. Once you have a potbellied pig, the expense of feeding, veterinary care and other miscellaneous expenses is the same no matter if you have a top quality animal or an inferior one. So budget to buy the best animal available; you won't regret it over the next decade. Of course, there are several reasons why you should ignore this advice and go ahead and purchase an inferior quality animal anyway:

• They all look alike anyhow or
• You only want the pig as a pet

Look at it this way: suppose you just arrived on planet earth and were looking to purchase your first care. You are faced with two choices - a Gremlin and a Corvette. Both are American cars, have 2 doors, 4 tires, and a steering wheel, may be the same color and both will get you where you want to go. Besides, you only need the car to drive to work anyway. Why would you possibly be willing to pay an extra, say $300.00 more to get the Corvette instead of the Gremlin? Of course, a person who knew anything about cards would grab the Corvette for the extra couple of hundred dollars, because they understood things like quality, style, status, resale, dealer backing, etc... The same is true for potbellied pigs, you just may not recognize it yet. Buy the Corvette! That way you won't regret it when everyone else on your block shows up with the sports car and you're driving the Gremlin.

Educate Yourself.

If all potbellied pigs look alike to you then do a little homework. Go to a potbellied pig show and look around and see what YOU like. There are different colors, long noses/short noses, tall and lean/short and chunky, etc. Just like purchasing a car, you look around, a lot and it will become obvious which is the type of animal you like best. Then buy it! Even if it cost a little more.

Examine Pedigree, Litter Papers, Health Records, And, If an Imported Pig, Blood Test Results.

Do this before you commit to purchase the animal. Any breeder who is reluctant to comply with this request should be viewed with some suspicion.

Ask For References.

Try contacting one or two other people that purchased a piglet from that breeder. Was there adequate follow up? Were there problems? Was the breeder willing to solve the problems? Would they buy another piglet from the same breeder again?

Join An Organization.

Continue your education about potbellied pigs by starting or joining an already existing NCOPP affiliate chapter for potbellied pig owners, breeders, and enthusiasts in your area. There are many NCOPP affiliate chapters throughout the United States. Please contact the NCOPP office for information about the affiliate chapter in your area.

Important Don'ts

Don't Buy Imported Pigs Blindly.

Many "puppy mill" like operations are operating and shipping out questionable quality pigs for the pet market. Many times these pigs have not had proper preventive care as piglets, may grow to be oversized, and may not have been properly tested for infectious diseases prior to shipping to and after arrival in their state of destination. Always ask if the pig you are considering was farrowed on the premises. If not then either go somewhere else, or insist on seeing proper paperwork (federal or state certificates).

For instance a negative blood test for Brucellosis and Pseudorabies prior to shipment into your state from another state and another negative test for both disease's taken 30 days after the animals arrival is required for animals imported into most states in the nation. Get copies of the paperwork for your files as well as a written guarantee from the seller that the test result you are given is actually for the animal you are purchasing. If you buy an imported pig in almost any state in the nation without both negative tests, you may unwittingly get a diseased animal as well as find yourself in violation of interstate transport laws.

Don't Buy Untamed Pigs.

If this is your first pig, you would be wise to try to find one that has already been around humans and that it has been handled. Simple things like being picked up, having their hooves trimmed, and basic house training are stressful on a piglet placed in a new environment as well as stressful on a new owner. Try to purchase a piglet that has some of the ground work started already, and find a breeder who has an interest in helping you continue that training. It is well worth a little extra money in the purchase price.

Don't Put A Lot Of Emphasis On Guarantees Unless Written.

Any guarantees which are given by a breeder about how small a piglet will mature should be put in writing. In addition, the written agreement should specify what the breeder will do if the pig grows larger than what you were told, as well as spell out what things you the owner might do that would invalidate the guarantee. For instance, you might be offered a guarantee that the piglet will be no taller than 9 inches at sexual maturity. A pig is sexually mature at 4 or 5 months of age and could be small at that time particularly if initially stunted, but could still grow to it's potential size by the time it is full grown at about 2 to 3 years of age. Another thing to watch out for is your guarantee of small size being voided because the pig was "overfed" while in your care. Overfed pigs do get fat, but they don't increase their height appreciably over their genetic potential for growth as the result of overfeeding or obesity. If your breeder offers you a guarantee, that is great! Just be aware of potential loopholes and get it all in writing.

Don't Buy A Piglet Without Examining Its Pedigree.

Sometimes intense inbreeding, (even Brother/Sister) is used to try to produce very small piglets. Check the pedigree of your piglet closely for the same name appearing in different places more than once. Particularly avoid Brother/Sister, Father Daughter, and Mother/Son inbreeding. Line breeding, where an exceptional individual might appear on the pedigree more than once is satisfactory and may even be desirable depending on the individual and where it is placed on the pedigree. Be knowledgeable and informed. If you see the same name on the pedigree more than once then ask the breeder to clarify the situation for you.

Don't Buy A Sick Pig.

Obviously! Observe for whitish color discharge from the snout or from the eyes (clear discharge from the snout is fine plus a clearish reddish discharge from the eyes are normal.) Check for rashes and excessive itching which could be signs of Sarcoptic Mange. Don't start out right away with a health problem, as it might be a bigger problem than you originally anticipated.

Don't Buy An Underfed Small Piglet.

Piglets and pigs are supposed to be plump, not skinny; they are pigs! Don't be fooled by small stunted skinny piglets. A skinny piglet is at best underfed, and at worst may be unhealthy or sick. Look for rounded hindquarters, a little jowl on the neckline, and a pleasing rounded potbelly. A stunted skinny underfed pig will grow when you get it home and start feeding it normally, and may grow up to be considerably larger than what you were told. If you want very small piglets, then find very small parents that are not inbred and that you can verify the size of, but don't fall prey to the underfed piglet that will grow to it's correct potential size.

The Dont's And Do's Of Buying A Potbellied Pig was written by Nancy Shepherd.