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Can You Feed Pumpkins to Mini Pigs?

It’s that time of year after Halloween when pumpkins are facing their last days. However, this time of year, you can easily find pumpkins from friends and neighbors to feed your livestock- especially your mini pigs.

Pumpkins are cheap and a pretty healthy option as well as loaded in nutrients.

The best part? You can store pumpkins in a cool area and feed them to your mini pigs throughout the winter.

You can feed your mini pig’s canned pumpkin- when my first pig lived in the house and was under a year- a canned pumpkin would last a few days.

Now it’s just not cost-effective for our full-grown mini pigs.

I have a young KuneKune pig who loves pumpkin as well. However, she has a very short snout and cannot open up a pumpkin without slicing it first.

Can You Feed Pumpkins to Mini Pigs?

How to Feed Pumpkins to Your Mini Pigs

They are the most straightforward animal to feed pumpkins to, you can toss the entire pumpkin in, and they will paw, bite and pull it apart.

Depending on the age of the mini pig, you may not be able to toss it in. If you have had mini pigs for under a year, you will need to chop your pumpkin up into smaller pieces. This is because they won’t be able to bite it open yet.

If you have a male mini pig- they can tackle it no problem.

I usually feed my five-year-old mini pigs a pumpkin by slamming it down onto the gravel and tossing the pieces in. Sometimes I’ll cut it in half and give them each a half to eat out of.

I like to break it up into smaller pieces and scatter it around their pen. Then, when pigs are searching for food, it keeps them entertained and burning calories. Which we know can be a struggle for some mini pigs.

If you are feeding pumpkins from Halloween, be sure there isn’t a bunch of mold on the pumpkin. If you get a moldy pumpkin, toss it into your compost instead.

Can You Feed Pumpkins to Mini Pigs?

Why are pumpkins good for pigs?

Pumpkins are full of vitamins. For example, vitamin C helps boost the immune system. Pumpkin also helps when pigs have an upset stomach. So anytime your pig shows signs of an upset stomach, you can feed them cooked pumpkin or straight from the can.

We grow pumpkins every year on our homestead. It’s one of the easier plants to grow. You can toss the entire plant into your pigs and let them chew on the leaves and vines. Our pigs want nothing to do with the actual plant. They are all about the real pumpkin.

You can give your mini pigs gourds as well. This is the first year I have had a couple of gourd plants. They are more challenging for my females to open on their own. I always end up slicing those in half. It, too, can be a fun way to entertain your pigs while they push and pull a gourd around. Or it could lead to frustration.

So go on and give those piggies of yours a pumpkin or two and watch them chew it up with delight.

Are Pumpkins seeds a natural dewormer?

You’ve probably heard this a time or two when searching on the internet. I have myself, but I haven’t found any evidence that proves it is an actual natural dewormer. We deworm our livestock once a year regardless. We’ve never had an issue with worms and our pigs, and they have eaten a ton of pumpkins.

I wouldn’t rely on pumpkin seeds to get rid of worms.

Bentley eating pumpkin mini pig
Here is Bentley, my first pig- who lived in our house until he was 1.5!

Is there any harm to feeding pumpkins to pigs?

Like with all foods, it is all about balance. If your pigs aren’t used to pumpkins, don’t go tossing all five of your pumpkins into them right away. Introduce new foods slowly. If your pigs are used to pumpkins, and you know they can tolerate a higher amount go ahead and let them have it.

My mini pigs are five and three years old, and I tend to give them each a pumpkin every other day during the fall season. If you notice any change in bowel movements, then cut back on the number of pumpkins.

Again, don’t toss a moldy pumpkin to a pig. It can cause stomach issues.

Frugal Tip To Feed Pumpkins

Ask your friends and neighbors for their pumpkins after Halloween. Or buy up some pumpkins at local farmers’ markets or shops when they go on clearance. Then, store them in the freezer by cutting them up into chunks.

We keep our pumpkins whole in the basement/garage for a few months and toss a few in each week during winter.

Check out the posts below for more mini pig care tips:

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