Oreo's Page

My name is Oreo. I am a Vietnamese Potbellied Pig. I was born July 20, 1994. I live in the country with my mom and dad, Selena and Gerald, and my brother Caleb. I stay outside during the day, and I get to come in at night. In the winter I spend the day in the garage with my own blankies and a heater. I prefer going outside to go potty, but if the weather is too cold or snowy or rainy, I use my litter box (really!). I know a trick, too. When mom says "sit," I sit right down. Then I get a treat. I want to learn some more tricks, but mom hasn't gotten around to it yet.

Oreo on Blanket

What happened to Oreo's foot?

Look at that foot. Don't I look pathetic? What a harrowing experience! Check it out.

Life as a Pig

I have my own little house outside with lots of straw in it. When it is cool, I love to burrow under the straw. Actually, it's just fun to push the straw around. It is inside a fenced in pen, which is inside the backyard chain-link fence. I like the backyard better than my pen. The grass tastes so much better, and I can push the dirt around with my snout and check out all the interesting smells. But that's not as much fun as the yard outside the chain-link fence! I figured out that if I pushed on the fence long enough with my nose, I could loosen it enough to crawl under. Right after I figured this out and I was enjoying the tasty grass, my mom found out I was loose. She called me, but I wasn't about to follow. I had just gotten started! Then she tried to chase me back into the fence. No way! I led her all over the yard, into the field, back behind the shed, back to the field, across the yard. After about 30 minutes, I was getting tired, so I decided to go back into the fence. Normally when I go where I'm supposed to, my mom gives me grapes. So I stopped, turned around, and politely asked for my grapes. Did she give them to me? No! She just glared at me. When I followed her to my own pen, she did let me have one, though. I'd like to try the grass on the other side of the fence again, but dad and mom bought stakes and put them all around fence. Oh well.

When it is time to go in the house, I walk up a ramp that dad made for me. Then mom gives me my pig pellets, lettuce, celery, and other good stuff to eat. She keeps trying to give me carrots, but I won't have anything to do with those things. I don't care if she grows a lot of them in the garden. She should try growing pig food instead! Mom and dad keep me company for the evening, and after my tummy rub, it's time for bed. I sleep in an extra-large dog crate. It's a lot taller than I am, but I have lots of space to push my blankets around and make them just right. Then it's snooze time, until morning.

If they don't get up soon enough, I push the door up and down with my nose. It makes a lot of great noise. I usually have to wait until they are ready for me to get up. I know that if mom is in the shower, I don't get any food, so I just go back to sleep until she's done. After breakfast, I go back outside and take care of business. Then it's nap time again. After all, the most important things in life are eating and sleeping (eat your heart out, Garfield!).

Piggy Friends

I have a lot of piggy friends and their families out there. Here's some of them:

Hammy

Hammy's CyberPiggy Buddies

National Committees on Potbellied Pigs

Potbelly Pigs On Line

PA. Heartland Ltd., The One Stop Pig Shop

Lana Faye's Page

Binki

What is a Potbellied Pig anyway?

Potbellied pigs like Oreo are natives of Vietnam and are considered miniature pigs. Many people mistakenly assume that these small pigs are only supposed to weigh 25-50 pounds when full grown. Not so! Pure potbellied pigs can weigh up to 200 pounds. In comparison to farm pigs, that is small! Their bodies are very compact, so even at 90 pounds, Oreo is much shorter than our 100 pound dog.

Pigs are very intelligent and are easily trained (they really will do about anything for food). Like people, potbellied pigs have different temperaments. They can be very affectionate, very pushy (literally with their nose), aggressive, funny, clever, territorial, sweet, helpful, and so much more. They have a wide range of sounds, from squeals, to barks, to grunts. When they are happy, their straight (yes, straight) tail wags.

Caring for a potbellied pig, as with most pets, involves a time commitment. They do need shots to stay healthy, hoof trims to be able to walk correctly, eye and ear cleaning at times, and skin care (they get dry skin easily). They need to be kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer (they don't sweat and can get sunburned). They also need proper food, which includes pig pellets (see above link to PA Heartland). Pigs think they are always hungry, and food has to be rationed so they don't overeat. Fat pigs can develop many health problems. They will also sample non-food items, so everything has to be pig-proofed. (Oreo is particularly fond of our son's shoes.)

If you are interested in learning more, check some of the above links and consider subscribing to the potbellied pig listserver. Pig owners around the world share their information, stories, and suggestions through this e-mail service. E-mail petpigs-request@annex.com and type Subscribe petpigs in the body of the message.

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