Are you considering keeping your pig outside all the time? Ready to give up the stress of having your mini pig tear up your cabinets and what not? Here is how you can transition your pig to outdoor living.
It was time. I didn’t want it to be but I was torn with an overnight trip with my husband in the Adirondack mountains and keeping my sweet little baby pig inside.
My husband was having a harder time adjusting to a piglet in the house. Part of it was, it’s a pig and the other part was we were finally seeing light from the constant demands of our own babies.
A piglet is very similar to a puppy. The curiosity, the needs, the chewing, the eating.
It had been a full year my sweet Bently was living inside the house. My dreams came true. I’ve always wanted my own mini pig and I got one as a baby and it was living inside with me.
At one year of age, Bently was needing more stimulation. The truth is, he is a pig and his natural instincts weren’t being satisfied by sitting outside for parts of the day.
Of course, we built him an outdoor mini pig pen, where he would spend the days outside and come in for dinnertime and sleep.
One thing that was killing me was the constant waking up at 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m.
If you have a baby mini pig do not give into the squealing when they wake up in the morning or they will have you fooled.
SQUEAL IT OUT WASN’T WORKING
No matter how much I tried to break the habit it wasn’t working because I couldn’t let him “squeal it out”.
I have young kids and a husband who wakes up at 5 am. The half an hour he was missing out of sleep when he doesn’t get much as it is, was taking a toll on our marriage.
I was willing to have little rifts in our marriage until I could figure out how to get Bently to sleep longer.
The truth is, he was enjoying his time outside and loving it. This pig wanted to be outside.
CHILDREN IN DANGER
I had the fear of his head swiping one of the girls. Our youngest was only 3 at the time and although they had a great bond, he could get moody.
Now after having a male and female pig, our female is less temperamental than our males.
Bently was great and never bit anyone in the house, but he would head swipe a few times. This is normal. This is how pigs treat other pigs.
They nip and bit when they are trying to tell the other pig no. The difference is human skin is not as thick as pigskin.
The head swiping was another reason I felt to keep him outside permanently. It would bring too much mommy guilt if something was to happen.
He’s an animal.
NO ROMANCE
The second big draw was the fact my husband and I hadn’t had a night away in over a year. My mom was flying in to take care of the girls and the animals. She was very nervous to take care of Bently.
I was also nervous about it. I’ve read many stories of pigs acting out when someone new is in their house.
At this stage, Bently would be very shy with new people and run right back into his room.
Pigs aren’t big fans of change.
Heck, I’m not either.
My husband mentioned having Bently outside full time.
MY HEARTACHE
My heart was ripping but I knew if he lived outside all my mom had to do was feed him. She wouldn’t have to let him out or anything.
At that point, Bently was roaming free outside for at least a couple hours a day.
My husband built him a makeshift roof and we got him an igloo because it just so happened I decided to do this in February.
I won’t hide the fact I had separation anxiety and anyone who isn’t a pig parent would probably giggle, but these pigs see into your soul.
I felt AWFUL leaving him outside all alone.
I cried the first night and had to go out at 1 am to check on him. He wouldn’t come out and see me so I thought he hated me. I didn’t sleep that night.
HE LOVED IT
The next morning he was outside roaming around and grunting to me like he always did.
He was fine.
That’s the truth guys.
They are okay. It is an adjustment but they are okay. They can handle it and you can too. The one who takes more time is us. I wasn’t quite fine, but Bently sure was.
Two months Bently handled living outside on his own. I would bring him inside for visitations because I was missing him. The biggest thing that shocked me was when I would let him out, he didn’t once run up the stairs and wait at the door.
It’s been two years now and Bentely has two other pigs outside, he loves going for walks, and has adjusted to life outside wonderfully.
@thefrugalfarmgirl he smells food! ##petvlog ##minipig ##petlover ##rescued ##potbelliedpig
♬ Yummy – Justin Bieber
I don’t think he cared so much as to being outside, he just wanted to roam around looking for food.
I felt sad but there was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders without him in the house all the time.
He was trying to get into every cupboard and flip anything he could over. The constant need to watch him was exhausting.
Did I mention he also was always getting up at 4:30 a.m?!
A MEANT TO BE FRIEND
On the way home from my overnight trip, although I felt a little pain of guilt, what moms don’t right? We stopped at an animal shelter and I met Olive. That trip in February we also had a fluke two days where the temperatures were in the 60s!
Olive is an adorable mini pig who was the same age as Bently. She was surrendered to our local animal shelter because the owner couldn’t care for her anymore, just a year old.
It was all meant to be. She came to our farm in April and the two are buddies now. Of course, there are still food issues which will always be the case with animals.
All change takes time and the same goes for animals. It took a lot of time and patience for Bently and Olive to become friends.
You can’t throw two new pigs together right away. Especially one who is your baby!
If you are thinking about having your indoor pig live outside all the time remember these key tips.
You must have an adequate space for your pig to roam. They will want to root and have a mud pit in the summer to cool down. They will also make one corner their spot to poop and pee.
You Must have a shelter. We started Bently’s first year outside in an igloo and used tarp to go around it. It’s best to have a second layer to keep them protected from the wind and rain.
READ OR PIN: How to Keep Your Mini Pig Warm in Winter
This is how our pigs were sheltered last winter. Of course, if you’ve been following out vlog they now have a nice new barn for the winter!
You also need only one type of blanket for your minipigs!
You are going to need thick skin like your piggy. They thrive in their natural environment. They will love you always.
Let your pig in for visits if your heart is breaking and you are missing them. You may realize after a few visits the constant run for the cupboards, garbage, etc. isn’t worth it. You can visit them in their home.
Give your pig a companion. Check your local animal shelter or even one nearest you for any minipigs. Check craigslist too. There are so many people giving up pigs because they realize they are a ton of work to keep inside AND they grow to look like real life pigs! Shocker right?!
I encourage you on this journey. Let me know if you have transitioned your pig to outdoor living and how it went.
If you are thinking about doing it, let us know how it is going and if you need any other tips or inspiration. I love encouraging and getting to know other pig parents.
*Update, I now have three potbelly pigs and love them all so much! They’ve all been outside 24/7.
8 Gift Ideas For the Practical Outdoorsman in Your Life
I really enjoyed reading your story along with your pig 🙂 I don’t have a pig or a piglet but I can see
how it would be having one , getting into everything and waking up that early.. Am glad it all works out for you and the piggy ,,
@tisonlyme143
Today is the first night of my Young pigs outside, they love being outside I cant lie but I dont, I am in a constant worry of them being stolen for the worse, but inside here they were chewing the floor and had a space of 4 feet by 8 feet :(. The have at least 4 times the space outside for them only with mud grass and banana trees, their little jungle they can run there and bark… They seem really happy there and happy to see me and happy to see the cats… The only one that is not happy is me… I feel like abandoning them… Even through I built their pen and their House for them… Most of all is the worry of them being stolen… But I have lives here for over 10 years and my neighbour has some chickens and turkeys and she said never has someone stole an animal from her… My fencing is twice as high as hers and sturdier… But you know… These guys are unbelievably cute and tiny… And with such personalities you Just want to watch them all day… But as cute as their are they want to be independent… They di what they want when they want it and when I was trying to carry them back to the room they squealeeed they were grassing and eating mud even late at the afternoon 🙁 the struggle is real friends…
I can totally related. I didn’t sleep for a good five nights after I put my very first piggy outside. It does get easier and you do start to have a peace of mind with things not getting destroyed in your home. Just remember what you already know, they truly do love it outside. How old are your pigs?
My niece has A in door pig I keep telling her she needs a friend this pig well Lucy is her name she is so lonely she follows us around but we have problems with her biteing us we do remove the pig but she is unpredictable we live Lucy but she should be outside we live on an acre so she has plenty of room inside she sleep in a cage I don’t think it’s fair for her.
Aww and when pigs are with other pigs they start to behave better. We had a young pig that was a little nipper and constantly jumped up for attention, after being with two older pigs, she has better manners 🙂
Thank you for this post.
I can’t even get my pig to go outside! I try cheerios but she wont go near the door. She has gone out twice before, and seemed to enjoy herself.. but she simply will not go =/
She is 5 months old. She does pretty well much of the time but we do constantly have to watch her.
She sleeps all night without issue. She is tearing one of the walls in her room apart.
She is bff with our inside cat… I would love her to be outside, at least part of the time. I do not want another pig, though. This one is work enough lol
This was an awesome read. I have a 9 month old pig that goes outside to use the bathroom but he wants in right away after hes done. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve tried putting things outside taht he can play with/ eat but he is so stubborn. I wanted to try and transition him but he hates it so much he’s broken our fence before because he’s wanted to get out. Any advice?
Oh my goodness my heart! He loves you. Honestly it’s the age. He will grow out of it. Give it a few more months. If it was me I would sit out in the pen with him for a few hours until he gets used to it. My first pig did the same thing he would squeal when I would leave him outside but he would learn that squealing doesn’t get what he wants. The older they get the less they squeal.. Did you see our pallet fence for the pigs? It has worked out great. No one has escaped except for our ducks 🙂
Hello, I just recently had to move my potbelly pig to an outside house. We actually built him his own mini-house and he has his own private fenced in area. I was wondering about insulation for him this Winter, i wanted to insulate the walls but was afraid he might rip at it and eat it. Do you use any kind of heat lamp or anything? I know they use them in chicken coops. This is his first year being outside living and i just want him to be completely comfortable. Thank you!
Hi Linda. That sounds lovely. I’m sure he is going to love it. The biggest thing is having a post to keep them protected from the wind. If he has a mini house and it has a door fill it up with straw and blankets and he will be just fine. No heat lamp needed.
Your story has really helped me. I just placed my 3 year old mini pig at a local farm/sanctuary. She became depressed and crabby and it was no longer safe to keep her inside our home. I considered building an outside enclosure but we have children and I was afraid she would hurt one AGAIN. The farm is such a neat place and they have just about every farm animal that one could imagine. I can go visit her whenever I want. I was really worried about how she would acclimate and this post has put my mind at ease. They have access to go inside a beautiful insulated barn when they want. So thank you again.
Oh Jen I know how hard that must be. I’m so glad you get to visit her. Honestly there is a misconception on how much some pigs really adore being outside. She will do just fine this winter. And she will find a buddy and be snuggled up with them. 🙂
Hi, i have just raised a pot bellied pig from birth. I was working at a farm in italy and the people were treating the animals very badly. Her mother was sick and rejected her and her sister. Her sister died at 3 days old and when i left i took her with me. This week i had to take her to a safe sanctuary because i have no fixed abode. It broke my heart. It is dropping in temperature here and she is now living outside. She is 10 weeks old and it is 6 degrees outside. Do you think this is dangerous for her? I am so worried.
Oh Zoe, I am so sorry. If she is out with other pigs she will be just fine. They are really good at making nests with straw and blankets and burrowing underneath. When they lay next to other pigs at night they will generate alot of body heat and stay warm. She should be just fine.
I just got a 6 week old piglet and he’s inside right now and I’m planning on getting him a friend on Friday who is around the same age do you think I will have issues bonding them since they are both so young?
It is always best with pigs to keep them separated at first. We keep our pigs side by side so they can see and smell each other. No matter what pigs fight for dominance at any age. Once the pigs stop challenging each other through pens or fence whatever it may be you can let them at it. I would introduce them in a space large enough for the new pig to run. Usually the pig who runs away is showing the other pig they are submitting.
Tasia,
Your story has been reassuring and seeing everyone else’s posts. I am 5 months pregnant with my first child and unfortunately, the day has come that I must transition my pig baby outside. It is spring here in Ohio and it seems to be the best time to work him into the summer months. It is really eating at me but seeing that we have everything ready for him in a safe and comfortable space makes me feel better. Believe me, my heartaches. He has been in the house for 4 years and I am certainly going to miss waking up to his oinks and excitement. He will certainly let me know his displeasure about this transition. He is certainly a big baby but after time I do feel he will be happier.
My biggest question is, once the baby comes, I really would like him to get used to having a little one around the house and outside. My piggy baby does tend to be territorial. Any suggestions on how to adjust our piggy to new family member?
Hi Candace. Thanks so much for stopping by. Oh trust me, that feeling of wishing he was still in the house has NOT left me yet. It comes back in waves, BUT I know it is the best decision. His personality is a little too much in our home. And he is a strong rooter and loves being outside. Your pig will adjust fine. Do you have any other pets? My only suggestion would be if he is outside 24/7 to get him a friend. You can always bring him in for visits. I found when I started doing that with Bentley he needed to RElearn what was allowed and not in the house, and eventually I just stopped doing it. Congrats on having a baby 🙂
I think for awhile just having the baby near the pig, through the fence sort of situation will be okay. When I first got Bentley our youngest was 3 and I was always careful with them. He was a baby too, so they were perfect. Now with Bentley turning 4 I wouldn’t put a baby near him until they were older. I would of course have him aware of the baby. C
This read was amazing and truly helpful! I had my baby inside for 2 years, and tonight is her first night in her outside home. I also have another pig, which she’s always been outdoors (just the timing) so there areas are separate, but she can see her so she’s not alone. I’ve been struggling since she’s been outside this afternoon and got even harder laying in bed. I was debating if I truly made the right choice for her, which this showed me I feel I did! Bella LOVES being outside and roaming which she can do all day now and not be cooped up in a crate while I’m at work. Thank you again for sharing your experience!!!
I’m so glad you found this post. My heart aches right with yours. It’s worse for us. I want to do a video update on this too, to show others how much they like it outdoors. You did the right thing, no need to feel guilty either.
Love all the stories about the mini pigs. I have been raising a wild hog little girl since she was one day old. We live in south Texas so our winters are pretty mild. Summers are the worry. We have had her since the third week in march. Bottle feed her for two months now she’s on pellets and veggies. She loves her veggies. She’s four and a half months now and about sixty pounds. She is a toddler thru and thru. Getting into everything!!! She sleeps with her blankets on the floor by my bed all night and loves being outside with our big dogs. They all get along fine. Actually she thinks she’s a dog. We built her a pen to go in when I went back to work in June. She has pool and mud and fresh water and toys and a house but now that it’s summer I notice she is very slow moving and goes straight to her bed on her own after dinner. I’m worried she’s way to hot after being inside most her life. At least if she has to be out there all day. We go in and out all the time but not for long. Just wondering if she will eventually get used to it. I can’t keep her in our laundry room much longer during the day even for an hour. Freezer is opened food containers on the floor. Shoes being chewed on. Etc etc.
Hi Stacey! That is so much fun. Sounds like she is living the life. As long as she has mud and water she will be fine and a shady spot. When its really hot our pigs are slow moving too.
I figured with time she will acclimate but I’m such a mommy I go get her as soon as I can and bring her in. Lol. Thank you.
Hello my name is Ivania.one question can I keep my pig tied to a super long rope in the daytime so she can Rome and do what pigs love to do🤔I’m afraid if someone will steal her. Are there pig harness like dog? .
Hi Ivania, I have never left my pigs tied out, because they are pretty strong. Are you thinking of leaving the pig tied out while you are not home? I would not recommend that. You could always sprinkle some treats in the grass and have them search around. I recommend training your pig to come to you when called to, that way you can let the pig out for awhile and have her come back to you. I’ve found in my experience with pigs, when you even pull on a leash they are pretty vocal about it, and it takes training to get them to go where you want on a leash. Out on a tie out when the pig is pulled a way they don’t like, I’m pretty sure they will make quite a fuss about it and probably break free. Did you see how we used pallets for our pig? Even a small pallet pen would be better. Also I did a whole post about the harnesses a pig I’ll drop that link below too.
Pig harness tips-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNChqkbozF8
Pallet fence–>https://www.thefrugalfarmgirl.com/build-mini-pig-pen-free/
I have a six year old mini pig
Who has started to become a handful
Abs thinking about putting outside
But really struggling with it.
You could start by putting them outside for a few hours during the day and bringing in at night. Sometimes all it takes is to see how much they really enjoy being outside to make us feel a little bit better and give us the break we need.
Your post has helped me as well. Our three year old pot bellied pig lives mostly outside but comes to the door and wants in at night and when it is raining. The wanting back out at 4am is exhausting as you mentioned. I have been researching/planning an outdoor space for him. I also will be adopting a friend for him from the rescue I got him from. Reading this has helped give me ideas for setting up his space and reassured me that I am doing what is best for him.
My pot belly pig is 4 months old and I worry about leaving him out at night because of predators, I have something eating my chickens. He is about 20 lbs now. Any advice?
I have found that our pigs have been fine outside at night. It is hard to say depending on your area. What predators do you have that would go after a pig? In our area, the biggest ones would be a coyote but it would be rare for them to climb over the fence and mess with a pig.
Hello!
I am in the process of transitioning my mini pig Rosie Rainbow, to outdoors. I bought an igloo for her, but I dont know what to put inside. Do I just use her blankets? What can I do to help her when winter comes? I need all the help as I have no experience with this but love my Rosie Girl so much. I want to make her safe and cozy outside. Thank you so much!
Hi Molly! Aww I think Rosie is going to love it. Our pigs love straw and their fleece blankets in the igloo.
Hi again! You may remember me (or not) from commenting on some of your other pig posts. I know I’ve talked a little about Mabel in them. I’ve enjoyed reading everything of yours that I have, and for some reason (and funny timing) this article popped up on Pinterest. I decided to read because I hadn’t seen this one before now I don’t think.
Anyway, you completely nailed everything that we had been dealing with with Mabel. So, so funny. Mabel had been inside since about 2 months after we took her in *maybe you remember her story* and a few months ago started getting bored and was getting grumpier and biting me (who is her mama and BFF), plus the having to buy and attach magnetic cabinet locks because she was getting into everything, overturning everything in her sight, and hating our dog… it was just getting to be too much. The kids were scared to death of her because she’s bitten all of them, head swiped and charged, and my husband was always a wuss when it came to her and started to resent her. I decided it was “time.” It broke my heart into a million pieces knowing I was putting my girl outside.
When I finally made the decision, but hadn’t actually moved her yet, I started looking for a friend for her. I actually came across two bffs that were about the same exact age as her, that were at a nearby animal rescue league (they had lived together before being given up so were already connected at the hip). I contacted them, went to meet the boys, and fell in love. I committed to bringing these two home and did just that.
I moved Mabel outside shortly before we brought the boys home and let me just say, no one, and I mean NO ONE prepared me for the pig introduction. Holy crap! That was brutal for a little while and I immediately worried I’d made a bad decision moving her outside and adopting the two boys, however, after about a week, they were the three little piggies… happy as can be. Our one boy (the biggest) is definitely the dominate one and though Mabel got her butt whooped a little for those few days-a week and cowered and basically begged to be let back in, I stayed strong and protected her as best I could, got out the tote lid to “move the pigs” away from her at times to give her space, they all live as one happy family now. Mabel was most definitely growing grumpy from being bored in the house as she hated any and all toys, except ripping cardboard boxes, getting into cabinets, and forever rushing into the pantry when a child stood there debating what food to get out. Taking her outside; she was able to graze and sun bathe, play in her pool (or poop in it as she’s famous for doing; how ladylike, right?) and root up holes as round as she is.
I checked on her so many times the first week and I bawled like a baby. I still have my moments, but sometimes she’ll come in and visit and I find myself sitting with her inside her gazebo as she’s buried under her straw and hay and giving her belly rubs and talking to her. She’s happy now (though she misses the AC on the hot days), and I’m upset I hadn’t moved her outside to do pig things until recently. I litter trained her so she would never even go outside when she was in the house. I worry that I’ll be a sucker come winter and wonder how quickly I’ll open the door for the three… my husband will probably kill me lol. But everything you said in this post was spot on for us too… the good and the bad… literally all of it. I’m also so glad I stopped being selfish and realized what she needed, provided it, and now she’s living her best life with two pals who are well mannered and so handsome. It’s the best when I walk out, and ask “where’s my girl?” and she comes a running… neck jigglin’ and all! 🙂
@Tiffany Holtzinger, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT! THOSE ARE EXACTLY MY CONCERNS AND I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER KNOWING YOUR BABIES ARE HAPPY AND THRIVING OUTSIDE! THANK YOU!!!
Loved ready your piggy story! I’m looking for advise, I’ve had my potbelly for almost 3 years and he is now an outside pig. We had him in an igloo which he out grew but he won’t go in the new one won’t even eat food if we throw it in there. It’s been about two weeks we have been trying. Any tips or advise
Aww he misses his old one huh? I do know the older the pigs get the longer it takes for them to adjust to new things. Do you have any of his blankets in it? Is there enough straw to make it cozy?
I have a mini pig we rescued.. the old owner said a hawk had killed her brother and had a hold of her. Her eye was punctured when we got her and she had worms .. I took her to the vet and we saved the eye although she is blind in it. She has not been outside since she was 1 month old. I built her a nice outside pen and working on her own pig house but I cannot get her to go out the house… she gets near rhe door and just shakes and backs back into the house … what should I do she is destroying my house or I would keep her inside with me forever lol
Wow! That is quite a story. She is probably still scared from past events. I would imagine once she has a pig house in her pen area she will feel safer. We used the dog igloos in our outdoor pig pens and fill them with straw. They love it. I would sit with her outside once there is a place for her to hide and feel safe too. Keep spending time with her outside to reassure her she’s okay. It will take time but she will adjust.
I have two juliana pigs. I started with one my Frank and had to get another so he had a friend when we were busy with kids and work. They are amazing and yes alot of work and you need to put the effort into training and giving them love. We are transitioning ours outside this year they are a year old so I appreciate ypur blog! My husband is not a fan of them but they are my babies and our kids favorite friends!!
I am in your same bast boat. My mini pigs Samuel and Daniel have lived in the house all of their 8 months. They go outside evsry morning and come in at night for dinner and bed. This has worked great. But I amgoing to be gone for a week and the constant battle of themgetting into things and samuel over eating when he gets ibro something is going to be too much for someone else to handle and more worry for me. I put them out last night. I built them an awesome shelter and put their favorite stuff out but they fried and cried wanting back in. It was toooo hot i think. Today i changed everything up. took all their house stuff out and gave thema mudd puddle and more shade and fans. Im thinking they are just too hot. Their inside home is in the cool basement….
They always want to come in and they always want to go out. So idk what their deal is. But I feel awful. They have never played in mydd now they are playing in mudd. I guess that is good think. And i guess its just cause it just recently got so hot… Any other suggestions would be great. Do you use ligts, fans, outside?
Mud makes pigs so happy! I think everything you are doing sounds great. They are pretty easy to take care of once they are outside and I believe a lot happier too.