Micro Pigs All the Rage in the UK

I’m not a fan of pet fads for the simple reason that once the novelty wears off the pet usually ends up getting the short end of the stick (chicks and bunnies at Easter, guinea pigs after the movie G-Force, “Taco Bell dogs,” etc) and ends up in a shelter.

The recent trend in the U.K. are micro pigs — a “bred-down” version of several other small pig breeds, including potbellied pigs, Tamworth, Kune Kune and Gloucester Old Spot.

Though small pigs have been around as pets for a long time, sales for these tinier versions have kicked into high gear. However, even though the tiny piglets weigh only around four ounces at birth, they can get upwards of 40-65 pounds as a full-grown adult, or about the size of a medium dog.

I’ve always heard that they make great pets and can even be litter trained, and since they have very fine hair (as opposed to fur) they don’t bother allergy sufferers as much. Though this particular crossing of breeds isn’t sold here in the U.S., I doubt it’ll be very long before someone hops on that bandwagon!

What do you think — would you have a pig as a pet?

[image: flickr]