LIFE
B4 • DELHI-PRICE HILL PRESS • NOVEMBER 9, 2011
Pigs can make adorable pets “Ow, bad pig!” I cried, jumping back as Sweet Pea, the 130-pound teacup pot belly pig nipped at me, grazing my right arm with a surprisingly sharp tooth. “Give her a shove,” her owner, Melissa Kelly of Fort Thomas called out, “Push her around! Don’t let
her think that you’re afraid of her; show her whose boss!” Oh yeah, that’s me. Boss of a pig that only has 10 lbs. on me. I have trouble being Alpha enough to get Nosey, my Basset Hound puppy to sit on command; and that’s when I’m bribing her with a
piece of steak. “Telling you to get tough with her might sound mean,” Melissa explained later, “But it is very important to establish that you are the boss with pigs. It is the only way you can get the dominant effect and that just helps to make
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them better pets that have happier lives in the long run.” As adorable as they are, pet pigs Marsie can become Hall very ag- COLUMNIST gressive. Prospective pig owners need to do extensive homework prior to bringing their pets home because they are not easy to raise. “It’s a big problem,” Melissa continued, “The pig rescues are full of unwanted pigs that people have discarded because they don’t have the time or patience to take care of them over the long run. They are cute when they are small, but they grow and can get attitudes without proper training. You have to work with them for their entire lives and that can be up to 20 years.” That said, Melissa is delighted with her porcine companion. A pig lover since childhood, it was her heart’s desire to own one someday. A year and a half ago, her dream came true when she purchased Sweet Pea from a breeder outside of Cynthiana, Ky., for $150. The piglet was five weeks old and weighed just five pounds. “She had never been handled by humans before, so she was a bit wild,” Melissa said, “So, I kept her in a large dog cage with blankets on one end and a litter box with pine litter on the other side.”
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Sweat Pea is a family pet that lives inside. Pigs can make good household pets. THANKS TO MARSIE HALL NEWBOLD Sweet Pea immediately went “to the potty” in the litter box. It is instinctual with pigs to not eliminate where they sleep. Now that she is grown, she is trained to ask to be let out when she needs to go, just like a dog. Pigs require minimal veterinary care. Their hooves grow just like human fingernails and it is difficult to trim them. Sweet Pea will not allow Melissa to do this, so it requires a house call from the veterinarian. Have you ever heard the expression about eating like a pig? There is a good reason for that. Pigs have huge appetites and will eat whatever is available. That can cause obesity and subsequent health problems. “Their diets have to be extremely limited,” Melissa counsels, “You have to stick to commercial pig food and veggies. Fruit is okay, but has to be in small amounts.” Sweet Pea, who was spayed at the age of 12 weeks, lives in the house with Melissa, along with
her dogs Roxy, a Shar-Pei/ Labrador mix and Pepper, a Jack Russell terrier with whom she cohabitates quite peacefully. The charmingly decorated house is immaculately tidy and doesn’t smell like anything, except maybe scented candles. “Pigs are very clean animals,” Melissa said when I commented on this. “That they are dirty is a big misconception. They also don’t sweat or get fleas.” Besides having run of the house, Sweet Pea has her own bedroom decorated with Melissa’s childhood stuffed pigs. “Sometimes I come in here when she’s asleep and lift up the covers and look at her lying there,” Melissa says with a sigh, “And I think I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to have a pig for a pet.”
For more pet care tips visit www.marsiesmenagerie.com. If you have any ideas for future columns please contact Marsie Hall Newbold at marsolete@insightbb.com.