What Should I Feed My Mini Pig?

Pig Feeding Advice

The bulk of a mini pig's diet should be made up of mini pig food.  Mazuri makes a brand of mini pig food that can be found at most Tractor Supply Company stores.  And you can also order food through online retailers like Ross Mills.  It is important that you do not feed your pig table scraps or just a random assortment of food.  This can lead to undernourishment or to an obese pig.  And you want to limit snacks to healthy low calorie treats in limited quantities.  As many sites will point out, it is very easy for pigs to gain weight and very hard for them to lose it.  So, measure out the food you give your pig after determining the right amount.  Mazuri's webpage gives a chart for determining how much food to feed your pig based on their weight and age.  And then you can add or subtract based on your pig's activity level.  Our piglet Millie is very active and constantly on the go.  So, she eats almost the same amount as our 1 year old pig Charlotte who weighs 15 pounds more but is less active.  And any piglet under 8 weeks of age should only be drinking their mother's milk.  

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New Year snacks for the pigs. #minipigs #pigsofinstagram

A post shared by Charlotte Phillips (@charlotteandpumpkin) on Dec 31, 2017 at 6:23pm PST

​Good treats for pigs include most vegetables.  When outside, pigs will also graze on grass, weeds, clover and other vegetation.  And when training a pig to do commands, cheerios are a good low calorie treat.  But, you want to try not to be constantly feeding your pig or pigs, otherwise you many end up with a pig that is constantly demanding food.  We feed our pigs in the morning and in the evening.  And we give treats in between for following commands like sit, shake and spin.  As the website minipiginfo.com points out, teaching pigs tricks is not so that the pigs can perform, but rather it helps to encourage appropriate behaviors and stimulates the mind of these highly intelligent animals.  You are establishing yourself as head of the herd.  You will be better able to teach them appropriate behaviors for in the home.  They will learn to associate positive reinforcement with positive behavior.  And you'll be set up to teach new lessons in a positive way should behavior issues occur in the future.  You are raising your pig to be a member of your family  that can follow household rules and expectations and this is the foundation of that process.  

And never feed your pig animal products.  This is not healthy for your pig and can be downright dangerous.  Meat contains many zoonotic diseases that lead to early death for your pig.  Your adopted pig is a member of your family and you are responsible for giving them a quality life.  Sticking to the mini pig food and healthy snacks will ensure that they have the best chance of a long and happy life.   Remember, when people talk about how 'pigs will eat anything', they are talking about pigs on farms where the pigs are not going to live more than 6 months.  So, the factor of how unhealthy the food is for pigs is not taken into account.

For a list of foods and plants toxic to pigs, visit: Mini Pig Info