http://www.melissaprimm.com/islands-for-sale-in-canada/
where can i buy teacup pigs?
hey, im looking to buy my son a tea cup pig for his birthday and i need to know where i can get one. I live in Canada, BC and i need to know if anyone has them for sale on vancouver island.Thank you so much for your help.
“Teacup” pigs are mythical creatures- its a marketing gimmick. While tiny as babies, they grow to an average size of 150 pounds. Pot-bellied pigs are the most common miniature pig breed. There’s also a legitimate breed called the Juliana, but it’s fairly rare (and about the same size in any case). Seeing the parents does you no good, because people who market pigs as “teacups” are unscrupulous and breed the parents quite young, sometimes even as young as 3 months of age. Pigs are not done growing until 4-5 YEARS of age. They will show you the juvenile “adults” and tell you that yours won’t get any bigger. Except their “adults” are nowhere NEAR adult size. At 1 year of age, a miniature pig is only perhaps 1/4-1/3 of its adult size! By the time their “adults” are actually adults, they are porkchops or dropped off at a rescue or shelter.
Note that you won’t find photos of adult “teacup” pigs next to anything that can be used to determine size on any of these “breeders” websites. That’s because this is what they look like as adults: http://www.teacuppig.info/pigtures.html They’re large. And not nearly so cute as those little babies they plaster all over their websites. And since they are concerned with making money, and not your satisfaction with your pet, they’re more than happy to lie to you and misrepresent what you are getting.
Do be aware that “miniature” varieties of pigs will mature from 70-250 pounds in 99% of cases. And that is very much miniature when compared to a fully adult full-size pig. Those that are smaller are uncommon, and generally sickly and with short lifespans. Most will be around 150 pounds full-grown and at a healthy weight. And please remember that they are pigs. In almost all locales you must be zoned to keep livestock in order to have one. They must have a fenced yard, which they will destroy at least part of rooting and wallowing. They need training and exercise, or they can be bored and incredibly destructive because of it. When they are unhappy, they squeal- Loudly. So hopefully you have understanding neighbors, as it isn’t a pleasant sound. They can be litter trained, but their waste stinks horribly and you’ll be shoveling it out multiple times a day. I find pig waste to be about the most offensive smell in existence- and if you’ve ever visited a pig farm, you know what I mean. So think carefully. Realize that “teacup” pigs are fictional creatures. And if you want a pot-bellied pig as they really and truly exist, make sure you’ve done your research on their care and needs and find a breeder who breeds fully adult pigs so you can see their actual size, and who treats their pigs as valued pets, not ATM machines on hooves. Or adopt. There are plenty of rescues out there overflowing with people’s “teacup” pigs that “got too big”. Only 2-5% of owners actually KEEP their miniature pigs to adulthood. Tells you a lot about what the reality is versus expectations, doesn’t it?
North Nanaimo Vancouver Island BC Canada townhome for sale