Like a cat's whiskers, a pig's snout provides the animal with heightened senses to navigate and interact with the environment, and is especially designed for rooting in the ground in search of food. Under natural conditions, pigs may spend 75% of their daily activity engaged in rooting and foraging for up to 6-8 hours a day. Maybe some of your pigs do not get to spend that amount of time outdoors being a "pig", if not, you may notice some rooting activity going on INSIDE the home.
Pigs also have 3-4 times more tastebuds than humans: "The pig differs, however, from most mammals in the number of taste buds, which exceeds most species, including the human... The discrepancy between the human taste apparatus and that of the pig becomes even more evident when one compares the 1600 human fungiform taste budswith the 5000 found in pig. As a result of this, the pig tongue has three tofour times more taste buds than the human tongue (J. Anim. Physiol. a. Anim. Nutr. 82 (1999), 8–24 Receipt of Ms.: 12. 10. 1998© 1999 Blackwell Wissenschafts-Verlag, BerlinISSN 0931–2439)." Pig owners should keep in mind that mouthy/biting behavior in pigs, especially young pigs, goes right along with rooting/nosing behavior and isn't necessarily related to aggression. Toddlers explore with their hands- pigs explore with their mouths and snouts! ~Jane McPherson If your pig isn't getting the appropriate amount of time outdoors to root around and be a pig, you may notice areas INSIDE that your pig is treating as their own rooting ground. They have the need to satisfy this desire to root, if they cannot go outside and dig in the dirt, they will find other ways to root. Pigs will root and dig **PLEASE DO NOT PUT A RING IN YOUR PIG'S SNOUT!!!!! If you want a pristine yard, do NOT get a pig! Part of being a pig parent is understanding that they NEED outside time and WILL dig and create holes in the yard. If you need to, create a space for your pig to dig, but do NOT punish your pig for acting like a pig.
21 Comments
6/10/2016 03:46:31 pm
I raise show pigs for a living and I didn't know about some of these "snout secrets"! My yard is full of holes thanks to them too but that's an easy fix. Would not trade them for the world!
Reply
Mini Pig Info
6/11/2016 01:14:23 pm
Couldn't agree with you more!! It's always nice to see other pig parents who don't mind the messy yard :)
Reply
Kaitlynn Wilson
7/7/2017 11:04:10 am
What does it mean if my piglet's snout is peeling at the top?
Reply
mini pig info
7/7/2017 04:25:08 pm
Most of the time its more of a callous on the top of the snout. They use their snouts to do a lot, so the skin becomes tough and sometimes does peel. If you notice any sores on the snout, that would need to be addressed by a vet, but peeling is quite normal.
Reply
Lilla
1/31/2018 03:10:06 pm
Your pig isn’t getting enough hydration for its skin, try adding a couple tbsp of coconut oil into their food or rub it on their body (be warned if you have a dog they will more then likely try to lick the coconut off)
Reply
Braylee
8/21/2020 12:40:01 pm
It is normal it is just puling of dead skin just like lizards
Reply
Cindy
1/7/2018 10:48:47 pm
What does it mean My pig always wants to push my hands with his snort and sometimes put my fingers in his mouth he doesn’t bite just push constantly
Reply
Jen
2/17/2018 12:11:12 pm
He/she is just showing you love. My male pig roots, softly, on my hand throughout the day. Only my hand. At night he will do it and then go to sleep right next to me.
Reply
Jen
2/17/2018 12:13:31 pm
Is there any way to teach a pig to root in one area of the yard only? My backyard is a pig's yard, LOL. It looks like a meteor shower hit it, but I wanted to fix part of it up so my kids can go out and play again.
Reply
Kathy Barrett
8/28/2020 10:19:10 am
He nudges very hard on my legs and toes, he also gets between my legs when I'm walking, turns around and runs back at me again, how do I stop this?
Reply
Jocelyn
4/26/2018 10:51:35 pm
Would anyone be able to suggest a way to keep my 8 week old piglet from nip biting myself or our kids when she is nudged (with my ankle or the back of my hand) away from something she shouldn’t be into, like chewing a rug or biting the refrigerator. Nudging her away Ana redirecting her seems to only make her more irritated.
Reply
Mini pig info
4/27/2018 05:41:35 am
Is she spayed? 8 week old pigs test their boundaries, that’s what they do naturally, with their siblings, mom, dad, etc. if she is still intact, sometimes this can exacerbate the behaviors as the hormones start raging through the body. Also, if you are hand feeding any treats, stop doing that. Often times they associate human hands with food and if/when they don’t get it, piglets will sometimes bite the hands. Since your main complaint is biting the ankles/legs, my thoughts is that it has something to do with hormones as pigs that are desiring to breed will bite their “mate” in order to let them know they’re ready to breed, and they don’t understand there isn’t a possibility to breed with a human. So there could be a couple of different things going on in your case. If you want to discuss this any further, feel free to email us at minipiginfo@gmail.com
Reply
Henry
10/4/2018 08:04:40 am
I use a little spray bottle with water . After 2 times I just pick it up and she leaves things and people alone
Reply
Kylie
8/14/2018 02:57:27 pm
My pot belly is constantly nudging my face, my ears, and my neck and here recently, the inside of my hands. What exactly do I do?
Reply
Jolene Pavey
9/13/2018 10:56:52 am
I love my pig she is so smart and sweet.. she plays with my cats and live in my apartment with us and is potty trained to a potty box bigger then a cat box. She does not like to play in the mud or get wet like our other pigs but they stay outside. She doesn't even like to go outside much is this normal also she is very lazy I'm a stay at home mom and she sits in my chair with me most of the day when I'm sick. I have lupus and she spend all day with me and can seem to know when I'm not feeling well she gets her own carrots out of the fridge and sweet bell peppers but she listens very well and does not tear up things. I love her so much how often would you say her feet need looked at since she doesn't go out much.. thank you Jolene
Reply
Christie Marek
10/6/2019 12:03:11 pm
A couple of months ago I went to an auction to gain a Pigmy or Nigerian dwarf goat to our family. They came out with a couple of miniature pottbelly pigs, tiny, and soooooo adorable. My kids went nuts, I secretly was jumping up and down in my mind. I kept saying "my husband will kill me, recant have one" over and over. Then the bidding began! Noone wanted the last one and I knew that was my sign. So i got the last one for a measily $9! Omgoodness, he has been nothing short of a blessing to our family! I bought him a cage that a fence connects to it so you can take him outside to play too. I bought him bottles and goats milk. Every 4-6 hrs I was up feeding him 2-4 oz., he slept on me and a heating pad. He didnt stay home because of the bottle feeding and because I'm a business owner, he came to work with me! Everyone in town knows me as the pig lady and even the lady at the bank the other day got mad because I havent brought him in lately. Lol!! He is a little bigger now and loves staying outside digging holes in his play area. I have him a special house made with a heater and A/C so he lays in his house and on his front porch like an old man sitting in his chair. He is sooooo funny and one of a kind! He plays football with the boys, a soft small football that they roll to him. He will run in circles af TJ er hes taken the ball, by standing on it with his front legs. Hes the smartest pig I've ever seen! He learns VERY quickly. He was easy to potty train, on puppy pads and would try folding the pad over when he was done if I didnt remove it within his whining moments. His name is Bandit and hes not just a pig, hes my baby Bandit and part of our family forever!! If I knew then what I know now, I wouldve gladly paid a $1,000 if not more for him!! Hes one special little guy!!
Reply
Michelle
12/10/2020 01:10:29 am
I’ve recently rescued a mini pig off of Facebook as she was offered up for free and was worried she’d end up with someone with bad intentions. I knew nothing coming into this rescue but I’m researching everyday as I was literally left with no instructions. I need to find her a loving home. I’ve reached out to 4 sanctuaries but unfortunately was told they have a full house. I’m hoping someone could help guide me. Thank you
Reply
bunnie
4/6/2021 07:23:59 pm
my male minipig is so rough with the rooting on people. he would rather spend hours trying to root and jump on me than play with ANY of the toys i bought him. he is only motivated by food (veggies, pellets). i miss my sweet boy so much and will do anything to fix this
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsBrittany Sawyer Archives
July 2019
Categories
All
|