We all love pets and who wouldn’t? Pets are fun, they offer a wide variety of interaction, and they give you a sense of responsibility. They can also be very good companions and provide energy in an otherwise dreary home or environment. Since we were children, we all went through the stages of exploration, curiosity and playfulness. It is no surprise that having a pet actually fulfilled all of the requirements that we needed as children. Owning a pet can be a very eye-opening experience for a child, and raising one can also help the parent educate their children how to be more responsible and grow up with a clear definition of how to value life. While it entirely depends on what kind of pet you should give to your children and it should be noted that a lot of animals are now considered as pets. There is actually a wide variety of choices that are now available to people who want to get pets for their children and even those who want one for themselves. A dog, a cat, or even a rabbit can be a perfect and wonderful pet for a child, but before you go and look for the nearest “puppies for sale” sign, you should realize that while domesticated pets before were limited, such is not the case nowadays. Did you know that you can now get pot-bellied pigs as pets? That’s right folks – pot-bellied pigs are now available for those people who have always wanted a pet pig. Although very unusual and kind of exotic in nature especially for city dwellers, pot-bellied pigs are actually pretty good pets to take care of. They are cute, absolutely adorable, and really good to look at. Owning a dog or a cat is kind of a given, throughout the history of man the canine and the feline have been part of the human experience, so it is no surprise that we find these pets kind of boring to say the least, especially if you live in the suburban area where there actually is a lot of space to play with and owning multiple pets will not be a problem. A pot-bellied pig can actually prove to be appealing to most pet enthusiasts, and quite challenging as well, especially since there are certain guidelines, requirements and rules for you to be ready and qualified to take care of a pot-bellied pig.
So before you go off and look for the nearest ad offering piglets for sale, there are a couple of requirements for you to consider: are you in a zone where pigs are allowed; your house should be ready to receive the pig; you should actually have your own residence (it wouldn’t make sense if you want a pet and you’re homeless now would it?), meaning you are not renting out an apartment (or your landlord wouldn’t like it); you have a secure and large yard for your pig; you know or you have a person who knows a veterinarian who knows how to handle a pig; and finally, you have the right motivation and drive to take care of a pig for the entirety of its lifespan.
To further put emphasis on the points, it’s actually not enough for you to want to take care of the pig (although it is important as well), but you need to have the resources to take care of the pig. Pigs, unlike the domesticated cat or dog, are very messy pets. They are used to mud, and wallowing in mud is like swimming in a pool of cool water for them. Mud helps keep the insects away from them, which brings us to another point – pigs normally smell bad. They are unlike dogs and cats in the sense that you need to keep giving them loads of baths and showers so that they are good enough to hug and cuddle. Another point to consider is that they have different set of diets compared with most pets, and for the most part this is the reason that they smell bad. It may take time to train a pig to have a proper diet (and not the normal pig’s diet which is composed of smelly food like corn, barley and wheat), but if we are talking about a tea cup pig then there is probably less of a concern for this. Pigs are also heavier in mass as compared to a typical domesticated pet like a dog or a cat – they may be the same in size, but expect your pig to weigh heavier. Be prepared for a typical afternoon crashing around the house chasing your pot-bellied pig (they are surprisingly nimble and fast for their weight), resulting in a wide variety of damage to your home if you plan on keeping your pet indoors. Which brings me to another good point: you should have a very wide fenced yard, enough to be able to accommodate your heavy duty pet. Dogs and cats have been around for ages, therefore they have already been accustomed to the way humans live. Pigs, on the other hand, usually live in farms with huge spaces, so you can see why the interior of a home can be a bit stuffy and constricting for them. While most pigs are well-behaved enough to let them continue on living inside your house, having a big enough yard might still be a good idea, especially during bath times. Before you consider all of the aforementioned points though, you should also make sure that your place of residence is in the proper zone; meaning not all of those who want to own a pig can be allowed to do so. It is important to note that not all people are open in owning a pig as a pet, and while cuddly and cute, some of them still see a pig as messy, offensive, and smelly.
So to summarize, pot-bellied pigs may be cute, cuddly, exotic and very tame as compared to owning a dog or a cat, but there are actually a lot of key differences on how, as an owner of a pot-bellied pig, you need to look into first. Always remember that no matter how cute, cuddly adorable your pet is, if you do not know how to take care of it then you are actually in for a lot of stress and worry.
