AboutHelen Morrison Expertise Pot-bellied or other miniature pet pig care, including diet, housing, training, health care. Can provide information about zoning, adoption, supplies, and organizations. Questions about any kind of pet swine are welcome!
Experience Fifteen years experience owning, raising, and caring for small pet swine, including "Vietnamese" pot-bellied pigs.
Organizations Pigs of Great Fortune
Publications Animals Exotic and Small
I am the Swine Contributing Editor
Expert: Helen Morrison Date: 4/29/2008 Subject: possibly getting a mini potbelly pig
Question The current owner states that her 6 month old female pig does not like living indoors. She always wants to be outdoors. We have a huge fenced in area where other animals are kept. If I do get her, she would be staying out there...can pigs be with other animals - 3 goats, mini pony, and mini donkey????
Answer Pigs are usually social creatures and get along well with most other animals. The problems are normally due to miscommunication between the pig and other animals, or to accidents because the pig is not able to protect himself from the other animal.
In general, a pig will be quite happy living in a fenced barnyard with other animals, as long as the pig is fed in a separate secure area, and kept there until all feeding is over. Pigs instinctively try to steal food, and that causes horses to kick and goats to butt, both of which could seriously injure the pig.
Pygmy goats are generally small enough for most pigs to defend themselves. Larger goats could be dangerous, depending on the goat's personality. Mini horses are an energetic handful (one friend had to sell her mini stallion because he kept biting the pigs tails), but I've been told the mini donkeys are much more mellow and get along well with pigs.
But a lot depends upon the personality of the individual animals and their caretakers. If your animals are generally social and feeding the pig separately is not an issue, then introducing the pig should be no problem.
