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About Helen 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

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Exotic Pets > Pot Bellied Pigs > My pig needs to be neutered

Pot Bellied Pigs - My pig needs to be neutered

Expert: Helen Morrison - 10/29/2009

Question

Bryan and I

I need to get my pig neutered, I was wondering how long the recovery time for him would be. He is about four months old and seems to be very healthy.

Also I know they are fat :) but how do I know what too fat is? Right now he weighs about 20lbs.
should he weigh more, or less, or is he fine? Should I feed him more or less after he is neutered?
Thanks you for your help it is very much appreciated!!

Answer
If the neutering is done properly by a vet, he should be up and around as soon as the anesthesia wears off, and back to his normal self the next day. Your vet may prescribe some post-op pain meds and antibiotics. Internally, the vet will need to make sure inguinal ring is closed. Externally, the incision will probably be left open to drain. It may itch as it heals, and your piggy may start butt scratching.

The general rule of thumb is that piglets should gain at least 1 lb a week until they are 6 months - 1 year old. A four month old pig (16 weeks) should be about 16 lb, a four and a half month old pig should be about 18 lb, and a five month old pig should be about 20 lb.

The pigs appearance is the best guide. He should look well fed, but not overly plump. There should be no fat rolls around the face, the eyes should be easily visible. You should not be able to see any bones sticking out. When looking down at the pig from above, he should be tube shaped, he should not look like he has just swallowed a basket ball.

Feeding pigs is more of an art than a science. The size of the pig, his activity level, the kind of food all play big roles. Most house pigs get a lot of treats. So start by limiting treats. In general, it's a good idea to restrict treats to training sessions only, it makes the pig a very motivated student! But if your pig is used to getting a treat after going potty or demonstrating some other good behavior, that's ok. Just measure out how many treats piggy can have each day, and limit him to that. Another good option is to take 1/4 of the pellets out of one meal, and use those pellets as treats during training. Piggy still gets training treats, but does not get extra calories.

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