They're smart, friendly, and have potbellies

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Kathleen Myers pets her potbellied pig, Martha, who is underweight because she has an inefficient metabolism. Myers cares for and breeds many other potbellied pigs on Ponderosa Mini Farm. -- Photo by Mindy Poehl

August 5, 2004 - Short, squatty and clever potbellied pigs wander the grounds at their home on Ponderosa Mini Farm, located just outside of Waco. The owner, Kathleen Myers, selectively breeds the pigs, refining them to make one of the most gratifying pets.

Potbellied pigs make great pets because they easily bond with their owners and they are smart.

"Pot belly's have a mellow personality and they are very smart. They have an IQ of a five-year-old." Myers said.

Potbellied pigs are fourth down on the intelligence scale, after humans, primates, dolphins and whales, and they have a long term memory.

Myers breeds the pigs because she wants to share healthy pigs with others.

"First of all, I like animals a lot. There is a special thing about pigs. They are so sweet," Myers explained. "I also breed pigs because of the people. My pigs go out all over the country and I often keep in touch with the owners. It's like a ministry in a way. It makes me feel good to do it."

Myers has a website - www.potbellypigpets.com - "that got 35,000 hits last month," she said. She also has a book called <I>The Complete Guide for the Care and Training of Pet Potbellied Pigs<I>, and an online store. "This is like a small business," Myers said.

Myers began breeding potbellied pigs in 1989. She was first introduced to the pigs at a show and sale at King Ranch in Dallas. At the show, she met "Mr. Pig of the United States," who helped her pick out six pigs.

"I knew nothing about pigs and I piled them into my RX7 (sports car). The next day I went to a woman who taught me what to do with my pigs," Myers said.

In the 1980s when potbellied pigs first arrived in the United States, they cost over $20,000. With the extravagant price of the pigs, breeders' ears perked up as they became interested in this breeding prospect. By the 1990s, the price of the potbellied pig was down and breeders were finding it difficult to keep up with the demand. As the pigs became the "Pet of the '90s," crooked breeders did not practice safe breeding techniques and pigs were outbred to other pigs. All the unethical breeders wanted was money in their pockets.

Eventually, bad breeding caught up with the bad breeders, causing the pig market to dwindle. Pigs were getting too big and weighed over 200 pounds and they were becoming aggressive. With the pig market steadily dropping, shady pig breeders moved out of the pig breeding business, leaving the dedicated pig breeders to do their job.

Now, only 12 certified potbelly pig breeders exist in the United States. Myers was a founding board member of the International Potbellied Pig Registry and she served as president of the North American Potbellied Pig Association from 1994-2000.

Myers said female pigs are fertile at one year. The females are then bred by boars, who are also fertile at 12 months. There is a gestation period of 114 days. Most potbellied pigs have a litter of six to eight babies, who are weaned at six to seven weeks, neutered, spayed and given shots. They are then placed in homes. The average adult pig weighs 120 pounds, is 16 inches long and lives 10 to 15 years.

Once piglets are born on Myers farm, she doesn't want the pigs to become too attached to her.

"I don't let them bond with me anymore," Myers explained. "I found it to be true that it takes pigs five to seven days to bond with new people, when they are used to having me around. Now, it takes them anywhere from two hours to two days to bond with their owners."

Piglets under two months should not bond to Myers, because they need to establish their position in the herd. And, when they are six weeks to three months old, they will be sold and enter their new household. Since the piglets have been acting as a single unit within their herd, by eating, playing and urinating together, the piglets will adopt their new human family as their herd.

Pigs require more care than a dog, Myers explained. They spend 30 percent more time awake than cats and dogs too, so they get bored easily.

"We need to teach them that humans are safe, because it's like they have a hole in their psyche," Myers explained. "They easily bond with people and the herd is an important factor. They require psychological care."

Myers said to be consistent with pigs because they remember every thing.

"Have firm and loving rules. They don't understand screaming and hitting," she said. "Pig mothers are good discipliners. Pigs live in a pecking order established in the litter and they do the same thing in a human household. Let them know that they can't have an attitude or challenge the owner."

Pigs make great pets not only because they are smart and love their owners, but because they are easily trained. Myers said potbellies are housebroken almost immediately. If you are careful about your instructions, the pigs can learn new tricks in two to three days.

Requirements for raising pigs include a fenced yard with 80-square-feet per pig, shade and water in the summer, a heat source, like blankets, in the winter and attention given to them. They also need vaccinations, hoof trimmings, and one to two cups of pig food twice a day.

Myers concluded that potbellied pigs are like raising a child in the household and they, too, become part of the family. "They are loving, so it's so easy to love them back," she said, and that is why she breeds her pigs to share them with others.