Could I keep a pig in the city?

Question

My girlfriend wants us to get a pot belly pig. We do have a garden but live in a city, so there's not loads of space.

Is this possible? Is it a good idea?

I have heard they are as loyal as dogs and do make good pets.

Answer 1

Yes, they are very smart.

Answer 2

Pigs are herd animals and one will get lonely. Pigs can make good pets, but will you make good pig owners?
How will you dispose of the pig muck? It smells, what will your neighbours think of that in hot weather? Pigs need a lot of space. They like to dig up the ground and root around, it will quickly plough up the area that you keep it in.
In the UK you need a movement licence from the Ministry of Agriculture. Without that your pig can be confiscated and destroyed. A movement licence is a book, and you record where your pig lives plus any journey it makes. This is in case of an outbreak of a notifiable disease, so the movement of infected animals can be traced.
Pigs are omnivorous and they also hunt. Ours ate a cat and a hen that wandered into the pen. For that reason they should't be considered safe with babies.
Boars have a very distinctive smell. Sows can be territorial, and a handful when they are in season.

Answer 3

hi i looked into getting a pot bellied pig a while ago and found that you need a special licence to move them about as they are considered livestock, also they can grow quite large so if you have a small garden it will be turned into a baron waste land as pigs like to dig things up.

buy a book on pig keeping first, it helped put me off and i love pigs

Answer 4

I used to have three pigs when I was wee (I lived on a farm). (Quick digression here: I went away for a few days on a school trip and came back on the Friday just in time for my supper. We had stew. After supper I announced my intentions of going down to the shed to see Felicity, Dorothy and Spotty (yes, sadly, those were their real names, and no, they weren't named after anyone). My father cleared his throat and said 'You know that stew we've just had? It was nice stew, wasn't it?' Alas, poor Spotty, I knew him well. Inside and out.) Pigs should live in the country. It's different for cats and little dogs, and as has been pointed out potbellied pigs do get f'''ing vast, and their excrement stinks. Trust me on this one. Get a cat, because cats are fantastic - this has been scientifically proved.

Answer 5

yeah my friends a pig and shes lived in the city for 10 years.

Answer 6

Where i live you cannot have any swine in city limits.

What you need to do is call you city court house!

Swine poop is the worst smelling poop you could ever smell i now i raised them.

Plus a pot belly pigs can get over 200lbs and when this happens more and bigger poop!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Chances are the city you are talking about has a ordinance against livestock living in the house. Might want to check first. And yes some places consider PBP to be livestock.

Answer 8

You could use it as a method of garbage disposal! No more putting the bins out! You just have to lob it out the window and the pig will do the rest! You're a genius man! a f**king genius!

Answer 9

Pigs are one of the smartest animals on earth and a well kept potbellied pig can be one of the cleanliest pets you can have. They don't require much space and are easily trainable.

Answer 10

erm maby but they would be better off in the contry with their familiar surroundings.If you were to keep the pig in a city then you would need a very big garden! haha!

Answer 11

i don't think i would want one unless i lived in the country where they can spend alot of time outside. ya know, so they can do fun little piggy things. i think it would be best to really research all aspects before you get one. its only fair to the sweet little pig. also, so you know what you're getting yourself into