With the Year of the Pig starting on Tuesday, pig lovers fear that a rush of people wanting to usher good fortune into their homes by getting a piglet as a pet could lead to a wave of abandoned animals.
Anita Chen, who runs a social media forum for owners of pet pig and has two pigs at her home in Taipei, said that the first thing owners have to consider is their freedom and flexibility.
Pigs like her Xin Xin and Mei Mei have the intelligence of a five-year-old child and can open everything from fridges to doors and drawers, often removing everything inside, to the horror of their homecoming owners, Chen said.
Photo: Reuters / Tyrone Siu
“Piglets are very attached to people, they will constantly squeak to make you play with them or feed them,” she said, adding that many overwhelmed owners abandon piglets after just a few months.
Visitors at a petting farm in Taoyuan get a kick out feeding milk to piglets in a pen, and many want to take one home.
“We don’t advise this, as they are farm animals,” farm owner Yang San-guei said.
Bama pigs, the species most commonly kept as pets in Taiwan, might be small and cute when they are young, but can grow to a hulking 60kg, Yang said.
However, if visitors will not be warned off, Yang said he is willing to sell piglets for NT$3,000.
The other little pigs go to market when they outgrow their pen.
Veterinarian Chang Chien-ming said that anyone thinking of getting a pig should their research them thoroughly to avoid nasty surprises “so that they know how big these pigs can grow, find a veterinarian, and educate themselves about medical and nutritional aspects,” Chang said.
He said he had also seen renewed enthusiasm for pigs as pets over the past year.
Veterinary clinics willing to treat pigs are difficult to find, with only one-in-100 accepting pig patients, Chang said.
Many owners quickly realize that having a porcine pet can seriously crimp their holiday plans. Pet hotels do not accept pigs.
Abandoned pigs in Taiwan have a harder time finding a new home than cats and dogs.
Publicly funded shelters do not accept pigs, as they are not classified as pets, leaving it to pet lovers or private shelters to take them in.
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