She's super adorable.
.w.

I love the message that she sends, too.

Ps. Pigs are some super adorable pets. I had one for a bit, and he was super duper affectionate. If you get them while they're piglets, they'll nuzzle into your arm, and start suckling wherever they can get their mouth around. It seriously tickles.

Thank you.

What an awesome experience to have, you lucky duck! I'd be willing to get a piglet, though it depends on what's available in shelters when I'm ready to get one.

Actually, I knew a whole bunch of people that keep pigs as pets. They either started out as a future meal that they fell in love with or as a cute pot belly pig. Funny thing is, pigs will grow pretty much their whole life if you keep feeding them! So those "Cute" little piggies became really big piggies in time. That's the only drawback to having one. But if you mean to own animals like pigs, you should certainly look to the country life. I moved to Arizona, then North Dakota and I love it out here! Then if the pig gets a might too big, he\she still has plenty of room for running.

Good luck with your endeavor, I do hope you find a perfect pig someday. Pigs have widely varying personality as well. There are many different facets to them.

She's very cute and you did a great job.

Sincerely,

Anthony Ficton

Wow, thank you for the information! And actually, despite the fact that an average sized pig would out-weigh me, I think the idea of them becoming larger sounds awesome, as long as they remain a healthy weight. I seem to always find adult animals cuter than the babies, probably because adults get nice and pudgy! Oooo, the country is a good idea for space. How much space do you think they need? I imagine them needing a heated "barn" for the winter, and a large fenced in outside enclosure (like a dog would need, except a heavier fence). I'm still researching their needs. I'd want to know everything I could before getting one, and have a living area all set up. I think I'll look into volunteering with pigs first.

As already mentioned, pigs do keep on growing and growing. Also be careful with learning their behaviors and dominance signals. pigs get very territorial and possessive if they decide they are the alpha. Can get violent and very dangerous in a dominance struggle.

but, if that is what you want, go for it.

Well I should expect that if you live in a climate where temps regularly dip below freezing and stay there for some time, such as where I live in North Dakota, than you would for sure want a shelter from wind, snow and rain. However, most pigs adapt to the cold by growing really thick coats. Therefore they are not as susceptible to cold as one might think. A pen does not have to be very big at all and I know folks that keep the pig in the garage. If it gets really cold, you will want to provide a source of heat. Not too much though, its easy to overheat a pig actually. The source of heat though should include a fail safe supply of liquid water. Many people don't realize that just because they are not sweating much, the don't need water. A pig will need to have a free choice source of water that remains clean and liquid, so putting this in their pin along with a heat source is ideal. A LOT of waste and toxins are actually removed by the kidneys and so the pig needs clean fresh water that will never freeze. That of course assumes you live somewhere that has bad weather.

As to how much space, even a small yard would be enough- though now you would have to pickup pig waste. So an acre to ten is great. I had ten acres, let my horse run the enclosed area with the dogs and just made everything "horse proof." Horses are soooooo curious! Pigs are too and they will just wander about and come see you when they want. My horse ALWAYS wanted to see me and I never had any trouble catching her because I was fun to be around. I suppose that's the secret to pigs too. Use those God given hands of yours to find those itchy spots and your horse or pig will ALWAYS want to be around you! (Could you imagine having an itch somewhere you could never scratch? Make friends with a horse real quick by finding that spot! Their lips will go up and look like they are laughing when you find it. Heck, maybe they are laughing!)

Other than that, you don't want to overfeed. Talk to a vet. Pigs are made to grow fast because pig ranchers want the whole process to be fast as possible. They get them good and fat, fast as they can. So the dieting guides in feed stores will be of zero use to you. They assume you want to butcher the pig in less than a year. While the food may be nutritious, it is often TOO nutritious, making the pig grow way too fast! How healthy would you be if people exposed you only to fat foods designed to put meat and fat on your bones? Not very, but healthy enough to make it through to the end of the year, no doubt. SO be careful with pig feeds and remember that your pig will always be out rooting. That's to say the pig will find natural foods to eat as well- rather like a horse grazing. If he stops rooting, you are feeding him way too much! If he won't ever stop rooting, you are feeding him too little.

There are people who actually show pigs the way some people do dogs. Now granted, that's largely for the meat market, but they tend to keep these pigs alive a much longer time for breeding purposes. If you don't let on you are a Vegan, just that you want one as a pet, they would be happy to help. There is also LOTS of free stuff done by agricultural departments around the world. You can for sure find something about care and feeding of pet pigs and which ones make good pets.

Like I said, just don't let on that you are a Vegan and all should be well. You don't strike me as the typical Vegan that dam near wants to kill people to keep animals from being eaten, so if you can work with these people, you should learn all you want to know. Lastly, there must be a book out there in either public domain or like Amazon\Kindle\Etc that will talk all about pigs as pets.

Best of luck friend and don't forget to send photos!

Anthony

Thank you for all the advice - I read it all and made some notes of things. Yes, I've read about pigs needed water all the time. I'm thinking a flowing water system would be really cool to invent, but of course I'd have to keep it clean somehow. I am currently in Massachusetts and it gets quite cold, snowy, and sometimes below freezing here. So the garage idea makes a LOT of sense, because it would get some heat from the house but still be cool. Though I've never had a garage, I'm assuming they are somewhat insulated and maybe heated.

Oh wow, I had no clue that a small yard would be enough, but I agree that at least an acre would be ideal. And cute! Your horse sounds wonderful. Horses are one of those other animals I've been meaning to spend more time with - I've had really limited exposure to them actually. From what I get, they seem to have a lot of personality (especially the sassy ones).

Ah, yes, food. That makes a lot of sense as to why they would get big so fast. I will look up PET pig feeding guides, and I will try to give a balanced diet. Oh, I've just read about rooting! That sounds like a good indicator of how hungry they are. I found it particularly interesting that they will tip over furniture because of that behavior, but I guess it makes sense when they learn to tip over the kitchen garbage can. (I don't know if I'd let an adult pig into my house though, depends).

Though I've never really been interested in show animals, I do like the idea of gathering information from the people involved in it. I'll be sure to not let on to being vegan, though!

Photos, well, the issue is time/money. Adopting a pig now would mean that I couldn't give it the attention necessary - I'm thinking of getting one after college. This reason is partly why I want to volunteer with pigs, so I don't have full responsibility. There is actually an animal farm/sanctuary right in my college's town with pigs (and horses and many many more animals). I really need to get in on its volunteer program, heck, I'll look into it right now. Thanks again for the info!

Horses are fascinating animals as well. Look into the Parelli Method. I used Parelli to teach my horse. I took her from barely being able to be lead, to safe to ride, fully saddled, at the walk- by myself. Without knowing anything about horses previously. Parelli will teach you how to speak horse. More than that, it will teach you to show horses you can't be easily outsmarted, which is 99% of the time what horses do. Horses function on respect and there can be no relationship without it. It's not the "Do what I say or I will hit you with a stick." kind of respect. That does not work with horses. It is the "Do what I say because I care for you, want what's best for you and I am a better leader than you." type though. The horse decides what level to take it to, but the basis is real communication. I have gotten some horses out of really bad situations using it.

One time a horse decided to wedge herself between a wall and a truck so that she could get at some hay in the back of the truck. The mouthful of hay eaten, she found it not as easy to get out. People around her started to panic and she was picking up on that panic. Using Parelli, I got her to backup safely, unharmed and a bit wiser for the wear. I did not hurt her, scare her or force her to panic either. I simply made it clear that she must back up- and she did.

I HIGHLY recommend this training method with ANY animal that is herd based, with herd based hierarchies. It is simply amazing. It will protect YOU as well, because animals will understand they need to respect you. It will help you understand why sometimes animals will do what appear to be very mean things, like bite or kick when you are not looking or vulnerable. Nature is quite a bit less formal in setting up relationships than humans are! We bring our understanding of relations to the horse (or other animal) and the horse brings their understanding of of relations to the human. When the two meet, bad things happen. What we interpret as unprovoked aggression is really the horse attempting to establish dominance, attempting to place its social structure upon us. We don't respond to well to that. But then how much more the sillier to place our understanding of social structures upon the horse! This leads to frustration on our part and either total dominance of us by the horse or we learn to use "tools" like spurs, whips and other "motivational" devices. We call them stupid or dumb when in reality it is there assertion of their intelligence that brought about the need for aggression from us! Parelli gives you the two main tools of any relationship, that being respect and communication. From there, real unity of purpose can develop and horses can become great friends. They will see you as THE person to go to, the one that cares and loves them and understands them. Real, loving relationships are possible as well.

Tell me friend, have you ever loved anyone that you did not first respect?

Respect then, is the foundation of all relationships. Parelli will teach you to project both an air of respect, in that you won't harm or strike out at others, and an air of respect in that, you won't allow others to harm or strike out at you. It gets to the base foundations of all relationships, in that we cannot really make anyone do our will. We can ask and we can respond to what others offer us. But when one respects and is respected, now when we ask, others move out of love, out of respect, they go beyond what is required and really try to please us. This is what I have with my horse and when I first started, I did not have. I knew the whips and spurs and ropes and restraints were never going to work, but I did not know what would. Parelli gave me the tools to have real friendship with my horse.

Do a Google search for Parelli Method and it should return TONS of stuff. They are big on the web. See if you can find someone who is a Parelli trainer somewhere in your region. I almost GUARANTEE you will be able to trade help around the horses for basic lessons. Parelli people all tend to be very nice, open and loving. Just learning the seven games will help you learn to communicate with animals using their language. It is sort of a real world "Doctor Doolittle" way to communicate. Then when you watch animals in the future, you will see them using all sorts of signals that mimic the seven games.

In my opinion, should we ever meet an alien race, Parelli Method understandings of projecting respect while asking for that same respect, will be the basis of our communication. Lack of respect by either side will lead to real disasters.

Sincerely,

Anthony Ficton

I've certainly googled the method and I'm reading into it now. I've never heard of it before.

I have to say the way you're describing it makes it seem that others don't always agree with the method. I understand that, there is controversy behind most things. I think if I ever have extended time with horses I WILL look further into the method, because the idea of mutual respect and communication is golden to me. At that point I will decide whether I will take on the method, which it will probably be my own version of it considering I like to try multiple methods, and get a feel for what works for me (and the animal I'm working with).

Kind of reminds me about my rats, actually. Not sure if it's the same thing though, because obviously they are smaller and they understand that they cannot win a fight to the death. But if you have an "untrained" (unsocialized) rat then you need to respect their boundaries, and build trust. You don't just open the cage and grab them if they are frightened, you wait for them to come to you, and feed them a treat. You let them know that you aren't a threat over days, weeks, months, etc.

Another thing about animal training, that I think the method you're talking about probably incorporates, is learning how animals of the same species interact. For example, rabbits assert dominance and cause hostility by pressing themselves/their face against another rabbits face. You can learn from that, basically don't go near a rabbit's face. They will either hop away submissively or take offense and bite.

Oh wow, I wrote a lot. Animal training is so interesting, especially how it varies so widely from animal to animal, but it really does boil down to things like respect, experience, knowledge, trust, love, etc.

OLD POST but Parelli is just negative reinforcement (really, a carrot stick is no different from spurs or whips or bits; it is a 'motivational' tool as well, in the end) and with modern ethological teachings, is not congruent... horses actually do not establish dominance or follow pack theory. there's more info out there, mostly about dogs (esp regarding Cesar Millan's abusive b.s. -- and Pat Parelli is a friend of his if that tells you anything.)
not to mention, horses KNOW we are not horses, we can not 'speak' horse even if we try, so it doesn't make sense for us to throw ourselves into their 'herd' (which, in reality, act more like family units.) ... and not to mention the idea of 'respect' is a human made concept.

and i speak as someone who was a Level 5 parelli student (also an ethology student & equestrian of 15 years, also have worked a variety of professional horse jobs), worked with top instructors and students who worked directly with Parellis themselves. i had to take a really long hard look at what the heck Parelli was all about and realized it was NOT ethical, both Pat and Linda (and many, many, MANY students) show extremely poor judgement. most of their horses (even their personal ones, esp poor Magic) are not happy, they are a result of learned helplessness.

i now use clicker training with my horses and they (and I!) could not be happier. clicker training works for orcas, for big cats, for working German Shepherds -- it can work for horses too.

Well because Parelli involves the use of pressure, some feel it is sort of "mean." That usually comes from people who have never seen horses and is an ignorant imposition of human values upon what amounts to an alien race. Horses themselves respond to pressure naturally and easily 90% of the communication in the heard between individuals IS pressure or the suggestion of pressure. So by using touch gently, you are at first asking nicely, politely. If the horse ignores you, you ask a bit more firmly. You then simply increase the pressure until the horse responds. Horses totally get it and relate to it instinctively. They realize instantly that here is a human that speaks horse. The accent may be a bit odd, because we use hands, not mouth and hoof, but it is totally understandable. I have actually had horses get incredibly excited at the realization that here was a human they could communicate with!

I shall never forget the "spinning mare" that after a few moments suddenly realized I was speaking horse. She danced, literally danced, around in a circle and got all excited at the thought that here, after all these years, was a human that spoke horse. She would not stop licking my hand and her owner was flabbergasted as this mare had been a total "checkout" in any activity she had ever tried before. Bored to tears, just going through the motions so as to not get "punished," she suddenly realized that here was a basis of communication by which she could actually participate in activities, rather than just be enslaved by them. I don't know if the woman stuck with the Parelli method, but it certainly made an impression on her horse.

Those that say its "mean" don't understand that it is a touched based method of communication at first that is gradually built into the simple suggestion, the polite asking, the slightest perception of a change in body, a change in thought. It is how the Indians of the Americas were termed by one general to be "the finest light cavalry he had ever seen." That touch is best rendered at first from a distance in the case of a strange horse, both for the horses comfort and for the persons safety. Distance gives the horse a way of escape should there be a misunderstanding in the initial phase. This is likely with a horse you have had zero interaction with at first. But the gentle touch of a rope or even a lunge "whip" is laughable to call mean when one sees what horses do to each other. And very soon the horse, being quite a bit less stubborn than a human and in some ways much smarter, realizes that this is a form of communication. From there, active participation is possible. Pressure, as you noted in your rabbit example, is universally understood by all animals. It is only we humans that don't seem to "get it." So while a light touch of a "whip" might appear a bit cruel on video, think about what's really going on there and watch how fast the horse comes to an understanding that this human speaks horse. Watch his reaction that suddenly there is a human I can at least understand! Does he seemed frighted? Are his eyes white with fear? Or is his face one of astonishment and sudden attention saying, "How did you do that from way over there?!?"

Because the occasional long whip is used to communicate at distance, some patently reject it. But look at the force behind that whip and tell me it was anything more than the gentlest touch? Tell me its cruel? It is not. The reaction from the horse is one of shock, yes. But not shock from the whip, but shock from the fact that someone can actually communicate and make their intent effectively known from such a great distance. Again, this is a human bias being interjected into an alien psychology. We have no right to do that and it leads to no end of problems. Horses communicate via touch, via pressure. They establish dominance the same way and relate to one another via that dominance. The advantage of being the dominant in the relationship is that the dominant is always shown respect, never bitten or kicked and always seen as the go to person for safety, protection, provision. If a human does not want to be that for their horse, what point is there to owning one?

Very shortly though, respect turns to love and a mutual love relationship starts between horse and owner. But there must be a reliable framework of trust to build that love upon. Trust begins with the respect of, "I won't harm you- but I won't be harmed either." From there, truly great things are possible between horse and man. Wonderful and loving relationships are possible. But there must be a foundation of understanding, a framework in which horse and man can hang a common understanding upon. My horse will let vets give her shots, only if I am there. Pain is not the issue. It hurts a little, but only for a minute and she picks up the vibe from me that this is needed, that this is ok, that though this hurts, it will keep her healthy. She looks to me for leadership, understanding and relationship to other humans through me. If I accept them, she does too. In this sense, its no different than dogs. Once the dogs know I accept someone new, they soon settle down and accept the new person "into the pack."

Parelli will give you a real foundation, a real understanding of how to relate to any herd animal, be they horses, sheep, cows and even pigs. There are "Nay Sayers" but they are all flash judgement types that NEVER actually tried the method before. They watched a video and said, "Oh he used a whip. Whip = Evil." Or, "Oh he made them jump. Jumping = Evil." In reality he asked for their attention with the whip, he asked if they would like to jump, not that they should. This method does not compel in any way shape or form it only asks. It is then the horses idea to finish. In this way, only the safest of actions will be taken by the horse and they won't jump or do anything until they know for sure that it is safe. I have spent years using the Parelli methods and I am telling you that they are as utterly harmless as they are effective. If anything, they are a godsend, a true means of communication between man and horse and my horse loves me and I her because of this method. What better endorsement can one have?

This method acts out of mutual respect, what other method can there be?

Another reason you must be the dominant in the relationship is that you can't afford for the horse to experiment with you in the dominance game, because what is little more that a love tap to horse can break your bones! You MUST be the dominant at the outset, but that attitude is quickly dropped, as soon as the horse realizes that you can talk horse. Then politeness is used. I ask my horse, "Can you please move honey? I need to get by." She responds with a happy, "Of course" and moves her body. She does that because she KNOWS I love and care for her, not because I will "beat her" if she does not.

The other thing about horses is, they are pretty darn polite to people. If you ask them in horse to move politely, 98% of them will. It dawns on them real quick that you are speaking a dialect of horse and they "get it" much quicker than we do.

Well I have blathered on here as much as I can about the Parelli method, further endorsement seems pointless. I suspect that the best way to prove the method to you and show you that it is the godsend I preach it to be, will be to try it for yourself.

So is there anybody or anyplace around where you live that would let you get close to a horse? I can teach you the first "game" to play with a horse that will build communication and respect between the two of you. It involves very simple touching and pressure, there are no "whips" or other devices involved and shortly, within seconds, you will utter your first words in horse. Maybe there is a breeder somewhere that you can go down and poke around? They don't mind, as this is how they sell horses. You need only get close to a horse. If you could get in a pen with one, all the better, but even over a fence or stall door, you can use the Parelli method.

Just note me back and I can explain further.

aww

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2012/01/02/.....ethical-vegan/

James Cromwell went vegan after starring in the movie Babe.

**co-starring