How to Trust a Mini Pig Breeder on Size and Health!

How do I know what size of a pig I am buying and How can I TRUST a breeder?

To me this is a very simple question to answer, as we have been in the market buying mini pigs ourselves and I believe we follow very responsible breeder practices. If you follow my lead here on what to look for in a great breeder, I believe you will be extremely happy for decades to come with your pet mini pig. 

•  First and foremost, a GREAT breeder will always have you sign a contract! In fact the most important part of our contract is, that in the unlikely event you can NO longer care for your mini pig, that they can NEVER be sold or given to a 3rd party!!!! 25%-40% of American pet pigs will be displaced, that is why we will NEVER let any pig we breed go to a 3rd party or rescue and we take full responsibility for ALL of our babies as EVERY breeder should!!! We get it in writing and screen our parents thoroughly to ensure the BEST possible homes. If you cannot care for your mini pigs throughout their life entirely, your breeder should absolutely care enough to help adopt out, place, or take back their own piglet. A GREAT breeder should NOT want to see their pigs help flood the problem of rescues and sanctuaries and should take an active role in placing pigs with no homes. We will even pay the travel costs if necessary for our pigs to be re-homed, that is a promise that every breeder and buyer should require! If rescues and sanctuaries would work with me, I would gladly help them place their pigs as well, as who better to help as I get so many calls and emails, however they will not let me help which seems contradictory to making sure these pigs are homed for life and would erase the stigma of good breeders sentencing pigs to a lif in these rescues. We have offered money for every piglet sold, and they will NOT take it from us. So if you are a rescue or sanctuary owner that would allow us to join in your efforts, we would gratefully help! If anybody obtains one of our mini pigs without a signed contract by us, we can and will sue them! 

• A GREAT breeder will NOT have a "Buy it Now" feature on their website! In my opinion, this is a horrible breeding practice. Anybody can buy their pig and they have no idea who they are, how old they are, if they are stable, or a good fit for pig ownership! This is VERY bad especially considering they can live up to 15-20 years. In order to own one of our pigs we HAVE to know that you are in a stable home, old enough to care for a piglet, have the right housing and setting for a mini pig, and want to know you. If I can push a Paypal link to buy a pig, I would be VERY leary! I have kids and teenagers call me and would never sell my pigs to anybody that is too young without their parents being the primary owner. People who are in rental type situations will have a hard time getting new rentals and therefore we do not sell to anybody that could potentially have to give up their pigs to a landlords whim. People who work excessive hours and will keep their pigs locked up and/or alone all day everyday is not a good fit for a piggy, etc. etc. etc. Typically our pigs go to stable families, owners who have experience with other types of pets, and generally people who own their own homes and can ensure a decade or two of an amazingly awesome life! 

• Ask your breeder how many pigs they have and if they are caged!? We only breed 4 females and would not go over 6 females in the future. I have spoken to many breeders that have up to 30-40 pigs. You can be rest assured that they can in NO way shape or form hand hold the amount of babies produced with that many pigs. If you have multiple litters all months of the years, it is more of a piggy mill type of a breeder and your piglet will not get the attention and affection necessary by the time it reaches your home. Since we only have 6 pigs including our boars, they are ALL our pets! The amount of devotion that goes into each of of pigs is unreal. If we had double, triple, or even worse quadruple the pigs, we would not be able to train, love, and give our own pigs a proper home, let alone their babies. The more pigs a breeder has, the less attention, affection, and training your piglet will get. Price should not be your number one factor. This is truly important as a piglets personality is greatly shaped in the first few weeks and months of life.

• A GREAT breeder will have plenty of pigtures, video, on an informative website, as well as great social media sources for open communication such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the like. Social media is important so you can see up to date information, constant posts of videos of babies and parents, and other previous owners post pigtures and comments letting you know how committed the breeder is to their piggy parents, prospective parents, and their own pigs. Social media also shows that the pigs on their website are really theirs and that they are not just posting on picture of their breeders on their website from years previous when they where younger and smaller. You want to see your breeder interacting with their own pigs, showing them affection and training them. The website should have a plethora of information and the research should be done for you. If there is limited information on their website and social media, I would be concerned about their level of commitment to their business and the time they are willing to give their prospective parents and parents who have questions. 

• A GREAT Breeder will spend as much time on the phone with you as needed prior to and after purchasing your pet mini pig. Our first breeder we worked with gave us NO information, had no blogs or information on their website, and was extremely difficult to get a-hold of after we obtained our pig. We where on our own to figure out how to train and care for our mini piglet. Luckily, we are obsessed with our pigs and with research, however I cannot assume everybody is like us, and it is important your are given all positive and negatives prior to owning a pig, and along the way will have questions that should be answered by experienced pig owners. 

• A GREAT breeder will have references of past piglet owners on their website or upon request so that you can ensure they are great breeders and you are really getting what they promise. Who better to back the breeder then owners that have worked with them. 

A few references to check out, and references within the references:

The Miniature Potbellied Pig Registry backs my claims and concerns, and lists the original pig breeds:

http://www.miniaturepotbelliedpigregistry.com/About_Other_Pig_Breeds.php

Check out REAL clinical research on Mini PIgs, there is plenty of it:

http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/b11356-24

Wikipedia says it well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_pig

California Potbellied Pig Association recognizes mini pigs:

http://www.cppa4pigs.org/Types.html

Forums such of these have 100's and thousands od mini pig owners with all the pros and cons:

http://www.thepigsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11057

To Read the FULL article click link below:

http://www.honeyishrunkthepigs.com/size-of-mini-pigs/

For MORE information check out our website at:

www.honeyishrunkthepigs.com 

WE HELP PLACE PIGS IN NEW HOMES! PLEASE INQUIRE ABOUT ADOPTING A PIGLET WITH NO HOME! IF YOU NEED TO PLACE YOUR PIG TO A NEW AND AMAZING FAMILY, WE CAN HELP! SANCTUARIES AND RESCUES WE'D LOVE TO HELP PLACE YOUR PIGS TOO! (with 25% or more American pigs being the #1 displaced animal we would LOVE to help!)

Contact us at 714-985-9954 or email honeyishrunkthepigs@gmail.com

How big do Teacups and Micro Pigs Get?

How Big Do Teacups and Micro Pigs Get?

These sizes are completely unique to our lines and do not cross over to other breeders who may have smaller or larger pigs than ours, especially since we have created and will continue to breed our own lines of piglets. Weight and Height go by the parents and grandparents Sizes. However, what most people do not know or understand is that there are MANY factors to weight and height, just as in humans and dogs. As well, pig weights are hard to compare to dogs as a pig can double a dogs weight and appear to be the same size.

• Fixing a piglet young for example will keep them smaller than a non-fixed sow or boar.
• Sows who have babies will gain weight with every litter they have, and will grow larger then normal having a litter at a young age.
• Mini pigs kept mainly indoors will result in a smaller pig vs. your outdoor all day grazing pigs. (My friends sister-pig to my sows is half the weight only owning 1 pig, 100% indoors, on a strict healthy diet for example, 29 pounds maintained weight 2.5 years old.)
• Good healthy diets of a low fat pellet and veggies will result in a smaller pig vs. fatty foods and dog foods. We feed our pigs Mazuri Mini Pig Pellet, which is specifically formulated for mini pigs, low in fat. 
• Beware of breeders who have tiny pigs that are caged instead of pets, caged pigs will stay smaller as they are only given a small amount of food and have access to no treats, grass, or training. 
• Our pigs are fed communally which will result in a larger pig, we do not cage and individually weigh out each pigs food with every feeding. 
• Owners are ultimately responsible to feed their pigs a proper and strict diet, because of their constant demands. Over feeding your pig can drive their passion further. We do encourage 2-3 smaller feedings a day coupled with vegetables, 100% oats, and occasional fruit. Lots of healthy snacks are encouraged!!! I cannot handle a hungry animal, it really bothers me! 

Our Teacups- Teacups mini pigs are the largest of all mini pigs and are essentially miniature potbelly pigs. Don't let the name fool you, they are not tiny and will NOT fit in a teacup full grown. You get an occasional runt or a pig with a non-varying lifestyle which can result in a smaller teacup in the micro size range, but it is HIGHLY unlikely most of the time. We are trying to get away from this name as they are essentially miniature potbelly pigs and can have varying weights, due to genetics and the factors including the list above. Our teacups on average will reach as low as 35 pounds and as high as 70 pounds full grown. Our breeders are in the 60-70 pound range, 18-19 inches short, and 22-28 inches long. They are heavier then their babies typically because they have litters which add weight, graze as much as they want, are NEVER caged, well fed and trained with lots of treats, and communally fed. We do not try and keep our breeders smaller, so our breeders are on the larger size and you can expect your one pig as a pet to be smaller then our parents. Mini pigs are a very dense weight and stand anywhere from 16-20 inches short. They can be compared to an American Bulldog and are not tall. So they sound larger then they are, but are very muscular and short. I find teacups to be a perfect size for most homes, especially those with animals, a backyard, kids, etc. Although mini pigs can have happy life's indoors and in small homes as well.

Our Micros- We have a new line of Micro Mini pigs and a mix of micro-teacup pigs. We can only estimate their full grown size according to their grandparents height and weight coupled with comparing their growth to our teacups, as our micros are not yet full grown. Their grandparents are in the 20-25 pound range and 12-14 inches tall, however we cannot estimate that size until ours are older. Mabel-Lean and MoHOGany's Dad is only 16 pounds at 2.5 years old, however we are anticipating ours to be a bit bigger for the lifestyle reasons above. We can guarantee that they are much smaller then our teacups and much slower to grow. We have a 4 month old micro that is smaller then our entire litter of 8 week old teacups at 7 pounds. Their bodies and bone structure is much leaner than a teacup and they do not have the potbelly. Micros are easier to hold throughout the duration of their lives and the bonding experience can be greater as a result of the close affection. They originated in Europe and they where bred down for easier use in the laboratory for testing using different breeds of pigs. We have blogs explaining where each type of pig was originated.

We do NOT breed Pocket Nanos or Juliannas, and cannot write much on them as we have limited experience. We do know the smaller you go, the more you pay, and screen heavily! 

A few references to check out, and references within the references:

The Miniature Potbellied Pig Registry backs my claims and concerns, and lists the original pig breeds:

http://www.miniaturepotbelliedpigregistry.com/About_Other_Pig_Breeds.php

Check out REAL clinical research on Mini PIgs, there is plenty of it:

http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/b11356-24

Wikipedia says it well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_pig

California Potbellied Pig Association recognizes mini pigs:

http://www.cppa4pigs.org/Types.html

Forums such of these have 100's and thousands od mini pig owners with all the pros and cons:

http://www.thepigsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11057

To Read the FULL article click link below:

http://www.honeyishrunkthepigs.com/size-of-mini-pigs/

For MORE information check out our website at:

www.honeyishrunkthepigs.com 

WE HELP PLACE PIGS IN NEW HOMES! PLEASE INQUIRE ABOUT ADOPTING A PIGLET WITH NO HOME! IF YOU NEED TO PLACE YOUR PIG TO A NEW AND AMAZING FAMILY, WE CAN HELP! SANCTUARIES AND RESCUES WE'D LOVE TO HELP PLACE YOUR PIGS TOO! (with 25% or more American pigs being the #1 displaced animal we would LOVE to help!)

Contact us at 714-985-9954 or email honeyishrunkthepigs@gmail.com

Our Jan. 2nd mini potbelly litter for sale

Valentines Piglets are Here! Elly had 10 healthy miniature (teacup) potbellys, estimated to be 35-60 pounds depending, courtesy of Elly and Kevin Bacon. These babies where born January 2nd, 2013, and we have 9 boys and 1 girl. All pigs have black heads and white bodies with varying markings.  I have a long waiting list, so get your deposits of $250, after interview and contract in soon! These babies live up to 15-20 years and are not a novelty. We only sell to passionate animal lovers, and families who are stable.

I apologize for these images, all of my camera equipment is being fixed, so I had to try and showcase these piglets with my IPhone.....eek, not easy and they do no look that great. Hoping to re-do them when my camera arrives but have some very eager prospective owners. Please let me know if you want to know or see more images of a particluar baby! SORRY, the runt is SOLD!

And the saying is wrong....pigs do fly! Anyhere in the US for approx. $250.  

"Bulls-Eye" - $850 (SOLD 2/14/13)

"Harley" - $650 on sale 

 "Spock" - $850 (SOLD 2/27/13)

 

 "Tipper" - $850 (SOLD 2/9/13)

Kevin Bacon's lines pass on, he typically always passes on this apple shaped head and

pug nose that turns up a bit, we prefer this look in mini  pigs. 

 8

 "Charlie" - $850 ( SOLD 2/19/13)

 "Timmy" - $750 ( SOLD 2/1/13)

"Spot" - $850 ( SOLD 2/6/13)

"Jax" - $650 on sale  

 "Olivia" - $950  (SOLD - 2/27/13)

 The Runt

"Finley"- $950 (SOLD day of birth, 1st pick litter depost)

Check out our Facebook page for pigtures and videos on this new litter:http://www.facebook.com/HoneyIShrunkThePigs

Hyper Smash

Plight of the potbellied pig

Unlike birds, snakes and lizards, miniature or “potbellied” pigs are an exotic pet that is only considered valuable or desirable as a tiny baby. Once a miniature pig reaches its adult size, or is even half-grown, it has often been neglected, dumped, or euthanized at the local shelter. Statistically, in 2009, 1 in 1000 piglets born in the United States survives to be 2 years old.

In imitation of dog breeders, many miniature pig breeders advertise their animals as “teacup”, “micro mini”, or “pocket pigs”. These misleading labels are meant to imply that like a teacup poodle, the adorable tiny piglet being purchased will never grow bigger than a teacup. These breeders will even make promises that the pig will never weigh more than 20 lbs. Do not believe this unless you see the parents full grown.

Like a puppy mill breeder, those who breed teacup mini pigs will typically only post pictures of the baby pigs for sale. Pictures of the supposedly 15-20 lb parent pigs are conspicuously absent from breeder websites. However, unlike a puppy mill, a “teacup pig” can be sold for as much as $5,000. Some breeders even call such sales an “adoption process”. What a silly way to explain your cash investment.

Many breeders will sell piglets as young as 2 or 3 weeks old, far too early for them to leave their mothers, just so they will look smaller and sell for a better price. Breeders also recommend feeding a growing piglet tiny amounts of food so it will “stay small”. This results in a malnourished adult pig that will eventually die of organ failure if not rescued. Pigs need to be fed a pig-specific dry pellet food and in the recommended amount for their age. See our blog on proper feeding instructions here

Pigs are sensitive, intelligent creatures, but they have not been pets for very long. A piglet may be tiny, but it will not naturally cuddle in your arms like a puppy. Cuddling in your lap takes training and patience, as it does not come naturally to a pig. Pigs can also be extremely stubborn, so all training takes time and patience. But with love and patience, a well-trained pig can even be a service animal to the handicapped too. See our Training Blogs here

Miniature pigs can be housetrained and even litter-trained. Litter-training works best with recycled paper litter and putting the pan in an out-of-the-way location. Housetraining works much like training a dog, by providing potty breaks outside. (All of our piglets come to you outside potty trained already)

A normal miniature potbelly pig, regardless of its advertised size, will grow to anywhere from 35-200 lbs. This is still considered “miniature” because a normal farm pig can grow as large as 1,000 lbs. This is why it is good to accustom your pig early on to wearing a harness and occasionally walking with a leash, so trips to the vet later on will be manageable.

It is important to have your miniature pig spayed or neutered. (Here at HoneyIshrunkthePigs.com, we send all our babies home "fixed") Pigs are easier to handle anyway without having to contend with the behavior of a female in heat. Like a dog, an unneutered male pig can display mounting behavior on objects, people and other pets.

Pigs do not make good apartment pets as they need daily outside time to walk around for exercise and engage in rooting behavior, poking around with their flexible noses. One of the most common reasons that pigs have to be given up is because their new owners did not realize that their apartment or house was not zoned for pigs.

**PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT, DON'T BUY FROM A BREEDER THAT WILL NOT SHOW YOU THE PARENTS**

www.HoneyIshrunkthePigs.com - Mini Pigs for Sale

OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE KEEPING OF MINIATURE PET PIGS

OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE KEEPING OF MINIATURE PET PIGS

Mini pet pigs are great fun, in no time they will become part of the family. Just like children they need love, food, shelter and education. This all requires time and commitment, yet the rewards in the form of joy and entertainment are definitely there. Pigs are smart, social, curious and fun loving. Your pig will bond quickly with you and will start forming habits right away. And you will need a minimum of one acre to keep one. Thus it is best to be prepared for your pig before it arrives. Here are a few suggestions. Housing:  Pigs need bedding down off damp ground, away from drafts and out of the rain. Some people therefore house them inside, others in a garden shed or a large dog kennel. When pigs first arrive home, especially in winter, I recommend they stay inside at night. Possibly in the laundry with a hot water bottle in a pillow slip for warmth and something to cuddle up to. Sleeping bags make great bedding as the pigs love to burrow into them. Outside, straw is appreciated and you will find your pig totally disappearing underneath it if there is enough. Yarding: The yard size needs to be at least as big as a tennis court, better still a paddock where the pig can dig to its hearts content. A pig needs secure fencing from ground level to about three feet in height. The easiest way to make a fence pig proof, is to run a hot wire on offsets about one foot of the ground all around it. Shade is essential, especially in summer, as pigs cannot sweat. A shallow container of water large enough to wallow in is highly recommended. Ridged plastic children's wading pools are great and available from toyshops etc.

Feeding: Access to grass and household food scraps (except meat) is enough food for your pig. Over feeding will make your pig over grow in size. Pigs will eat nearly all day if they can. Mini pet pigs are small through both breeding and diet. You are not trying to fatten your pig for market so don't waste your food and money on overfeeding. If you can see their spine and ribs they are too thin, if their cheeks and bottom are flabby then they are being fed too much. If your pig is still not getting enough to eat from your scraps and grass, then you may have to supplement its diet. Veggie scraps from the greengrocer are great, if these are not obtainable, pasture replacement or soaked grain such as barley is available from your local produce store are good. Two cups each day of either of these plus some grass is ample food for a fully-grown miniature pet pig. Don't let your pig eat the dog's or the cat's food as they are higher in protein which promotes growth, not what we are aiming for in mini pet pigs. A maintenance diet high in vitamins and minerals is what we are after.  Don't use porcelain or glass dishes for feeding, they will just get broken. Plastic, metal or concrete vessels are the best. Clean water must be provided. Pigs love knocking over water containers, so a very sturdy one is needed. A large concrete bowl works well. Heavy plastic or metal containers fixed to the ground or fence are good. There are also commercial drinkers that let water out on demand when the pig presses on the tap with its mouth; these are available from pig product suppliers. Companionship: Pigs need a stimulating environment. They are too intelligent to just be locked up all-day and ignored. Plenty of playing and patting in the morning and at night and being taken for walks etc is recommended. Other pets such as dogs as company are great. Toys amuse mini pet pigs as well, old sacks, balls, anything you find they will play with. Freedom to roam and explore will also help occupy them, so the larger and more interesting there yard the better. Toilet Training: When confined, pigs will poo mainly in one spot making toilet training and poo collection easy. To toilet train, place newspaper or kitty litter in a low tray, such as a metal baking tray and confine the pig to start within a room such as the laundry. Your piglet will most probably poo in the tray. If not, put the poo in the tray to teach the pig the correct place to poo. Later after the pig has mastered this, take the tray outside. If the pig does a mistake inside, take the mistake outside and show the pig what you have done. It should get the gist of things, but be patient and expect a few mistakes.

Walking: Mini pet pigs are easily trained to go for walks with a lead and harness. Harnessing should be attempted only after your pig is happy with being touched all over. Allow the pig to run around for a time without holding the lead so as it can get used to it. Make sure the pig can't get the lead caught anywhere as having the lead go tight may scare and stress the pig. When you come to leading, do not pull the pig, but encourage the pig to follow verbally and with treats (but not too many!). Health: If your pig is well cared for with food shelter and love it should be very healthy. We do not immunize our pigs and have not lost any to disease except from pneumonia early on from inadequate shelter during wet cold weather. Pigs do get a form of lice, which is easily treated with a tablespoon of yellow sulfur powder in their feed each day for one week. Don't worry, these lice do not live on humans, pigs are 'allergy free' pets.  Your pig may get worms; these are easily killed again with the sulfur treatment. Garlic and other onion family foods also help with internal parasites. Pink pigs can get sunburnt in summer. Shade and suntan cream are the best solutions to for this. We clip the tusks in the pig's mouth before you receive them. Male's tusks will regrow, we don't worry about them, but if they were a problem, get a vet to trim them for you. Keep dangerous chemicals etc away from the pig's reach just as you would for children. Watch out for electrical cords; train them to leave cords alone. Soil Digging: All pigs love rooting in the soil. We recommend keeping them in a paddock or at least an area tennis court size so that they can dig all the time. We allow our pigs into the house garden area to be with us and graze. Our pigs will just eat grass for about an hour before they start digging up our lawn. So we then feed them back in their runs. Rings can be put in their nose to stop them digging. I don't like doing this, neither do the pigs. Gardens: With our pigs doing a great job mowing our lawns in around the house everyday for an hour or so, I only have to mow occasionally, to perfect the job. We have garden beds around our lawns; the pigs are not interested in most of the flowers and shrubs. They can be trouble in freshly turned soil with seedlings. These would need some protection such as chook wire over the area until they are more established. Pigs love veggies, so these would need to be well fenced off. Pig Productivity: Mini pigs can be very productive. They will remove weeds, rotary hoe and fertilize a garden bed, with joy, vigor and attention to detail. Pig tractor systems can be in portable yards moved over many plots, rotating through fixed gardens or simply leaving them foraging for fallen fruit, grazing and digging under orchards. Their small adult size means the average person can manage a breeding pair. The joy of piglets is immense, the only problem being you may wish to keep them all to add to your collection. Other options are to sell them as pets, send them to market or eat them. Five to ten piglets are an average litter size and a sow can have two litters per year. If you have any queries we would be delighted to answer them. Happy mini pet pigging. www.HoneyIshrunkthePigs.com - Mini Pigs for Sale