When I was very little, I squealed and cried and tried to walk on slippery wooden floors in a condo with no backyard. I was alone a lot during the day, but I did sleep with my daddy in his bed at night. I did my "business" outside on the balcony -- then the other people in the condo (not pig-lovers) complained and they kicked me and my daddy out! You should be aware that keeping porkers like me in the city is against the ordinance banning farm animals. If your neighbors don't mind, you are safe. If they don't like you, they can take you to court!

Luckily, I now live in a house with a backyard with nice neighbors. They have kitties and don't mind a pig. But, you should know I am almost five years old and weigh more than 125 pounds and I am too big and curious and demanding to live in the house. I stay down the basement in my own area (you better bring treats if you want to come down!) I like going outside but I must be monitored most of the time. I try to eat everything! I don't bother the flowers and stuff, I like to eat pig pellets, corn, apples and whatever my mommy cooks that doesn't turn out so good. It tastes good to me! I love to go on walks, but everywhere I go, lots of people scream and shout and get all excited! It's hard to keep a low profile. And some of those little kids do look good enough to eat. Sometimes, though, dogs come around that think I look good enough to eat, so my daddy has to carry a big stick!

I will live to be 15-20 years old, have been fixed and I need to get shots regularly so I don't get pneumonia. I have hooves that need trimmed, eyes and ears that need cleaned out, and big long scary tusks that need sawed off. There are vets to help me, but they are scary and hurt me. I don't mind riding in a car, but I hear other pigs won't do it. My daddy gives me a bath now and then and puts lotion on my skin. I shed all my long black hair in the summer and look like a little hippo.

I love to hang out with daddy (sometimes I let mommy come too). I try to help him in whatever he does. I sleep and eat and root around and the only time I am affectionate is when my tummy needs rubbed or my back needs scratched. Otherwise, I nip at people sticking their hands out at me! It's hard on me in the winter because I hate cold weather and snow, so I'm bored inside a lot. I burrow into my bed made of blankets and the newspaper I rip up. I'm not too messy and I like to do my "business" outside and will hold it all day, but in the winter, I don't go out as much so my basement becomes my bathroom.

Please take all this into consideration before taking a cute little piggy home! I've heard awful stories of people getting rid of them when they get big (my original mommy wanted to give me away, too!) We aren't the easiest pets to live with and we do better on farms with other pot-bellied pigs! I love my daddy and new mommy and don't want to leave them ever! I'm lucky they devote their time making my life happier.

If you still want a piggy for a pet, have your name added to the pot-bellied pig listserve: pbplserv@candlelight.planet.net or look into the web page about pigs: www.waverider.co.uk/~grant/vsanc.html or the
North American Pot-bellied Pig Association (NAPPA)
408 14th Street SW
Ruskin, FL 33570
813-641-1278

There is also a Pot-bellied Pig Sanctuary in West Virginia for unwanted piggies:
PIGS
10 Sanctuary Lane
Charles Town, WV 25414
304-725-PIGS.

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