CARING FOR YOUR PIGLET 

  We take the care of our pigs very seriously and have a responsibilty to our animals to ensure that any person wishing to own one of our animals is made aware of it's basic needs and how to care for it correctly.

IF FOR WHATEVER REASON YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES MAY CHANGE, THEN WE WILL ALWAYS TRY TO ASSIST YOU IN RE-HOMING YOUR PET PIG

APPLYING TO OWN A PIG AS A PET

You will need a County Parish Holding number (CPH) to owna pig as a pet.  These are free and easy to obtain from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).  Their telephone number is 0845 603 77 77

TRANSPORTING YOUR PIGLET HOME

A medium sized plastic or wicker cat carrying case or small dog cage is needed with a locking front on it.  Pop some fresh clean straw in the bottom or some blankets.

WHEN YOU GET YOUR PIGLET HOME

Keep noise and visitors to a minimum in the first few days to allow your piglet time to settle in and if you have other pets allow them to see each other gradually until they are used to each other.

Whether or not your piglet is to be kept indoors or outside, your piglet should be confined to a small area at first so that it can get used to it's new surroundings and family gradually, this should normally only be for a few days.

It is good practise to handle your piglet as much as possible and pick up your piglet on a regular basis so that it gets used to you as soon as possible.  A good idea is to sit with the piglet on your lap or close to your chest, it may protest and squeal at first but this will stop once it knows you won't hurt it. They love having their bellies rubbed and will roll over and let you do it for hours!!

Keep your piglet warm, dry and draught free.  If you are keeping your piglet outdoors use lots of good quality barley straw in a waterproof and draught proof 'house'.  A childrens wooden play house or shed is ideal.  There is no need to use infra red heaters in the winter just plenty of fresh straw.  If your piglet is staying indoors for the first few weeks make sure that it has a soft bedding area, a bean bag or folded duvet works well with some blankets to bury under.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Pigs are very clean and intelligent animals and once your piglet has been shown how to get outdoors to the toilet it will always want to go outside.

Ideally, your pig should be kept outdoors and a waterproof and draughtproof shelter should be available such as a shed, wooden childrens play house or pig arc is ideal.  It should be full of fresh, clean barley straw so that your pig can bury under it and keep warm.  Infra red heaters are not needed in winter just plenty of fresh straw.  If you are making a penned area, then a size of approx 15ft x 15ft is more than adequate but you can make it bigger if you have the space.  The ideal material for the floor area is Forest Bark Wood Chippings, the rougher the better and it should be put down at least 12" deep initially and then just refreshed every season (you should be able to get these from any good tree surgeon). This allows rain water to soak through so that you don't end up with a muddy mess.  As our pigs are grazing animals they will need access to grass on a daily basis.

KEEP YOUR PIGLET AWAY FROM PONDS OR SWIMMING POOLS AS EVEN A FULLY GROWN ADULT PIG CAN FALL IN AND DROWN!!

Your pig will need to keep cool in summer and shade should be available.  You can also keep your pig cool in very hot weather by sprinkling it with water from your hose pipe, start at the bottom and work up.  Or you could create a wallow with mud and water which they will love.

FEEDING YOUR PIGLET

We feed our pigs on non-fattening sow nuts which has the correct balance of vitamins and minerals for your piglet, you can buy these from your local agricultural merchant in a 25kg sack for around £7.  For one pig this will last you weeks so it is best if you keep it in an airtight container to keep it fresh.  Your piglet will need to be fed once a day preferably in the morning and only a small handfu lis required.  When your pig is fully grown approximately half a dog sized dish should be given.

For treats you can give your piglet, fruit, bread or anything that is non-fattening and low in salt, but definately no meat or anything that is meat based. It is a case of trial and error as to which fruit your piglet will like, either way this is a sure way of winning over your piglet.  It is important however,not to over feed your pig.

Fresh, clean water should be provided at all times but only use a heavy shallow dish as a young piglet may fall in and drown in just a few inches of water.  An automatic water feeder is perfect and they aren't too expensive to set up.  If you can't set up an automatic water feeder than a shallow horse feed bucket in an inner tube is also just as good as then it can't be tipped up.

VACCINATIONS

All our piglets have been vaccinated before you take one home against worms, pig mites and mange so there is nothing for you to do for approx 12 month.  Your vet will then need to top up their vaccinations with an IVOMEC injection to protect against these.

DON'T FORGET THAT WE ARE ONLY A PHONE CALL OR E-MAIL AWAY AND ARE HAPPY TO HELP YOU AT ALL TIMES

TEL: 0788 196 3018

E-MAIL: helanrob@yahoo.co.uk

All our piglets will have been vaccinated and checked over by our vet prior to collection