Pigs

Some years ago, Pot-Bellied Pigs became the pet to have at home. Supposed to be miniature pigs, hundreds made their way to homes and gardens everywhere. But these miniature pets grew and grew, some reaching between five and six feet long and three feet tall. With their size came problems. Many had foot and leg problems, others lung and heart conditions due to their size and weight. One we saw had its belly rubbing the ground; the teats had been worn off and the whole underside of this poor pig was ulcerated and infected. The owner said a vet was treating it- we hope he was.

We rescued a lot of pigs which had just outgrown their homes. being very tame, many were allowed to have the run of the house. Countless tables, chairs and carpets have been wrecked by these enormous 'miniatures' being part of the family. More recently a real miniature breed has been imported from New Zealand - the Kune Kune. These are much smaller and more suitable as pets, but still need space and should be treated as pigs. We rescued two from Berkshire when the owners moved to a town, two from Hampshire where illness forced a cut-down on pets; two more outgrew their pen and demolished it, along with the adjoining vegetable patch.

A much bigger pig - a Landrace - had literally fallen off a lorry (on the A34 near Newbury). A passing motorist stopped and picked it up (it was only a baby at the time) and he took it home. The family reared him and it grew and grew. They contacted us to see if we could take a six month-old white pig, quite well grown. Travelling to Newbury with a horse-trailer and expecting something about three to four feet long, it was quite a surprise to find 'Piglet' was well over six feet long, four feet high with an enormous head and body, weighing what seemed like half a ton! Anyway, she came home and later went to a small-time pig farmer locally to become a mum.