There is something going on that is an absolute disgrace.  It is the buying and selling of underaged piglets.  Why is this done?  Why is it so bad?  How can you know if a breeder is selling underaged piglets?  I will answer all of these questions.

What is an Underaged piglet

An underaged piglet is any pig that should still be with it’s mother.  A piglet, just like most mammals, needs it’s mother.  It needs her for proper nutrition, immune building nutrients and the perfect amount of fat.  People can try to supplement a piglet’s diet the best they can but nothing compares to the miracle of a mother’s milk.

This piglet is only a few days old.

Why do breeders sell underaged piglets?

Breeders take piglets from there mother and sell them very young for a variety of reasons but basically it falls back to one reason:  GREED.  A piglet that is sold at a few days old takes little to no time, effort and expense.  Whereas a piglet that is kept with their mother for 7 or 8 weeks takes endless amounts of time, effort and expense.  Some breeders want to take the easy (sleazy) way out.

Many breeders will make excuses for this behavior saying the mother has rejected her babies.  This is no excuse for selling them at a few days old.  If the mother has rejected her babies (which is rare but does happen), an ethical breeder will keep them and care for them until they are at an age when they can safely go to a new home (at least 6 weeks old).

They also claim that a “bottle baby” bonds more deeply with their family.  (NOTE:  piglets should never be bottle fed!  They aspirate easily and can die from pneumonia.)  It is true that a piglet will bond and socialize very easily with the people hand feeding them, what they don’t tell you is all the issues and challenges you will face

To name a few:

• A newborn piglet needs to eat every 2 hours around the clock for the first 2 weeks of life.
• From 2-4 weeks they will need to eat every 4-5 hours around the clock.
• Goat’s milk is best.  In a pan.
• A newborn piglet can not regulate it’s body temperature for 2 weeks.  They need an outside source of heat like a heating pad or heat lamp or they will die.  80-90 degrees.
• Piglets taken from their mother tend to have aggression issues later because a mother pig teaches her piglets manners.
• Piglets taken early also have issues with potty training.

The Size obsession

Another side to the underaged piglet selling is the buying part.  There is a huge obsession with the size of a pet pig. Thousands of people have fallen for the “teacup pig” lie because they want to believe that they can have a pig that stays tiny.  When in reality, “teacup pigs” are a really good (horrible) marketing tactic.

Breeders know that there is a pig size obsession and they want to sell their babies.  So selling underaged piglets is one way they can sell their piglets with little to no effort, time or expense.  All they have to do is take a newborn piglet, put it on an elder pig food (very little fat content) and advertise “teacup,” “micro mini,” or “tiny” pigs.  When they pull a baby off it’s mother, the piglet tends to grow much more slowly.  They may even limit food or starve the baby to keep it small.  Many of these piglets don’t see their third birthdays because they have so much internal damage.

Unfortunately, people line up for the chance to own a “tiny” newborn piglet.  They don’t realize what they are doing.  Supporting unethical breeders means they will keep it up.  We need to stop supporting them so their is no market for it.

How Do I Know If I Am Buying an Underaged Piglet?

This is a great question!  But it is not always easy to know because people lie.  People lie a lot.  But here are a few precautions you can take:

• Ask about age.  Age of piglet.  Age of parents.
• Read their reviews.
• Check them out on social media.  Are they transparent?  Do they post when the piglets are born?
• Is the piglet fuzzy?  If so, it is too young to leave it’s mother.
• Does the piglet still have part of the umbilical cord attached?  If so, it is too young.
• Is the piglet eating food or still on goats milk?  Never buy a piglet that isn’t on pig pellets yet.  It is way too young to leave mama.

If you need help discerning if a piglet is underaged or not, please feel free to reach out to me.  I would be happy to assist you in determining the age of a piglet.

In Conclusion

The buying and selling of underaged piglets is a huge problem today.  Please do not support these unethical breeders.  If you do decide to fall for the lies and marketing tactics of these greedy breeders, be prepared for a long road and possible a little heartache.

If you have been lied to by a breeder about your piglet’s age and are struggling, feel free to reach out to me for some help.  I have had to hand raise a piglet so I have some experience and understand how frustrating and difficult it can be.

For more information on underaged piglets, check out my YouTube Channel.