Protect Miniature Pigs (Pet Pigs) Under Animal Welfare Laws
Pet pigs should be bred and sold under similar laws as cats and dogs.
Miniature pigs, pigs remaining under 250lbs full grown, have become very popular as pets, yet no animal welfare law covers them. What would it take to get these amazing, intelligent animals protected? I would like to see:
1. No bottle babies sold. It is not easy to bottle feed a piglet. The chance of aspiration and death are very high, even by experienced persons.
2. No piglet sold before 6 to 8 weeks of age. Proper weaning is a process that starts around 4 weeks old. The sow teaches the piglets manners, herd order, and behaviors. Turning the piglet into a pet is done with a lot human touch, handling, and training. Piglets that are being sold a couple weeks old or less (yes, we have seen them be sold at a day old for hundreds of dollars) are the pigs that if they survive, will have behavior issues and dumped in a shelter or worse.
3. Spaying/neutering of pet pigs is highly recommended for health and behavior reasons. Uterine tumors are very prevalent in unspayed females. Aggression is a problem in both males and females.
4. Laws to protect buyers from people selling the mythical 20lb full grown pig. Mini pigs under 40lbs are rare. People should expect 100lbs and be happy if they are less. Most ethical breeders are going by height, as weight is impossible to promise. The greeders selling these bottle babies to inexperienced people, telling them they will stay 10 or 20lbs are flat out lying and they know it. They are sometimes breeding 6 month old babies at the risk of them dying to make a quick buck.
Please talk to your fellow lawmakers and get pet pig protected by animal welfare laws. Doing so can help the shelters and rescues and the heartbreak the pigs themselves experience.
Please let me know what I can do to help protect mini pigs by law. If you have questions regarding miniature pigs, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Lynn Wagner
1. No bottle babies sold. It is not easy to bottle feed a piglet. The chance of aspiration and death are very high, even by experienced persons.
2. No piglet sold before 6 to 8 weeks of age. Proper weaning is a process that starts around 4 weeks old. The sow teaches the piglets manners, herd order, and behaviors. Turning the piglet into a pet is done with a lot human touch, handling, and training. Piglets that are being sold a couple weeks old or less (yes, we have seen them be sold at a day old for hundreds of dollars) are the pigs that if they survive, will have behavior issues and dumped in a shelter or worse.
3. Spaying/neutering of pet pigs is highly recommended for health and behavior reasons. Uterine tumors are very prevalent in unspayed females. Aggression is a problem in both males and females.
4. Laws to protect buyers from people selling the mythical 20lb full grown pig. Mini pigs under 40lbs are rare. People should expect 100lbs and be happy if they are less. Most ethical breeders are going by height, as weight is impossible to promise. The greeders selling these bottle babies to inexperienced people, telling them they will stay 10 or 20lbs are flat out lying and they know it. They are sometimes breeding 6 month old babies at the risk of them dying to make a quick buck.
Please talk to your fellow lawmakers and get pet pig protected by animal welfare laws. Doing so can help the shelters and rescues and the heartbreak the pigs themselves experience.
Please let me know what I can do to help protect mini pigs by law. If you have questions regarding miniature pigs, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Lynn Wagner
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