# Is My New Pot Belly Pregnant?



## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

I adopted a female pot belly pig yesterday.  She was picked up by the humane society and when they found her owners, they decided they no longer wanted her so they surrendered her.  I'm the resident livestock adopter so I picked her up.

I have very little information on her.  All I know is that her previous owners had her for 5 months.  She has pretty cloudy eyes (cataracts?).  She's chubby and I'm concerned she may be pregnant.  She's a little touchy about her stomach and she's a bit moody but otherwise she is very sweet.  She's had a lot of stress in the past week which probably hasn't helped.  I plan on taking her into the vet to be seen.

Also.. if she does happen to be pregnant, I don't know the first thing about handling a pregnant pig.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!







I have a hard time getting her to stay still for a picture.  If there's any different angles that would make it easier to tell just let me know and I'll try my best.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 9, 2016)

She appears to have a milk line coming in. At that stage in pregnancy you'll notice movement I  buffet belly. If she was worth an unaltered male she's likely pregnant. Pigs cycle every 21 days. Chances are she was bred by him during one of those cycles.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

Ferguson K said:


> She appears to have a milk line coming in. At that stage in pregnancy you'll notice movement I  buffet belly. If she was worth an unaltered male she's likely pregnant. Pigs cycle every 21 days. Chances are she was bred by him during one of those cycles.



She flopped over for a belly rub last night and I was debating if I was crazy or if I felt something moving.  I have no way of knowing if she was with a male or not but I guess time will tell!  If she has a milk line coming in, if you had to make a wild guess, how much longer until she gives birth?


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## Ferguson K (Jul 9, 2016)

Could be 1-2 weeks.

When she fills up completely and starts discharging, you've got 24-48 hours. 

She will likely go off of food, start building a nest, become fond of a certain spot, and more in the days prior. Pigs like building nests.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

Correct me if I'm wrong but is this a pregnancy indicator?  I've been Googling all day and decided to check and see if she had one and I think this is it.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 9, 2016)

Yes. The swelling, formation of teats, and swayed back are pregnancy indicators in potbellies.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

Ferguson K said:


> Yes. The swelling, formation of teats, and swayed back are pregnancy indicators in potbellies.



I was aiming more towards the little point sticking up at the bottom of the vulva.  In all the pictures I've seen of pregnant pigs, they all had this whereas non-pregnant ones did not.  Oh boy!  So should I be expecting piglets in the next few days then?


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## secuono (Jul 9, 2016)

That doesn't work on potbellies and many random pigs.

The milkline means she's definitely pregnant and could give birth in a week or 6wks.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

secuono said:


> That doesn't work on potbellies and many random pigs.
> 
> The milkline means she's definitely pregnant and could give birth in a week or 6wks.



Wow, crazy.  Thank you for your input!  I've never dealt with a pregnant pig before.  What things should I have on hand while she's pregnant and for when she gives birth?  Should I be feeding her anything different?


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## TAH (Jul 9, 2016)

@misfitmorgan


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## secuono (Jul 9, 2016)

Some pigs stop eating a day or two before farrowing, but mine were gluttons the whole time.

PBs suck with their first litters. And since you don't know when they will arrive, it's even harder to be there to make sure mom made a nice nest and doesn't smush them.

PB piglets are suuuuper tiny, so line her pen with 8in tall wood or small hole chicken wire.

She'll need a house with plenty of room to move around and a bale of hay/straw so she can make a nest. Too much and the piglets will bury themselves too far down and apart, not good.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

secuono said:


> Some pigs stop eating a day or two before farrowing, but mine were gluttons the whole time.
> 
> PBs suck with their first litters. And since you don't know when they will arrive, it's even harder to be there to make sure mom made a nice nest and doesn't smush them.
> 
> ...



Should an ultrasound be able to tell me how far along she is?


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## TAH (Jul 9, 2016)

rescueblonde said:


> Should an ultrasound be able to tell me how far along she is?


They might be able to tell by how big the babys are.


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## rescueblonde (Jul 9, 2016)

TAH said:


> They might be able to tell by how big the babys are.



At this point, some info from the vet would be better than nothing I guess.  Any ideas how much an ultrasound will cost?  I live in Ohio, US if that helps.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 9, 2016)

Ultrasounds here (Texas) are about $75, but my vet gives us discounts so I don't know what to tell you to expect.

As is stated. You could have piglets in days, or in weeks. Depends on how far along she is.

The swelling and milk line are my points of referenceon your pig for signsof pregnancy.


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## Latestarter (Jul 9, 2016)

More babies on the way!


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## rescueblonde (Jul 11, 2016)

Luckily I came out and checked on Annabelle.

She started giving birth as soon as I got out here. Two stillborns so far. She's restless so there may be more.


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## Apaulsen2890 (Jul 11, 2016)

Keep us updated!


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 11, 2016)

i didnt see this until today, sorry.

Hopefuly she has some live ones for you. i would recommend a bottle for feeding piglets in case she doesnt take care of them.


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## Latestarter (Jul 11, 2016)

Sorry for the 2 dead ones... that's pretty common. 2 is a very small number for a pig... even for a PB... Go give her a great big squeeze (just kidding - don't want her to squirt piglets all over the place!)  you get some live ones out of the bunch.  There's another member who has a PB that just had babies... Let me see if I can find/link her thread. She's been having a ball with the little ones. http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/little-help-please.33986/
Hope you'll update and post a few pics when you can. Good luck!


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## rescueblonde (Jul 11, 2016)

She never had any more. Today she's up and eating and acting like nothing even happened.

Now, will her milk dry up on it's own or is there something I need to do? Do I need to try to squeeze some out? As you can tell, I have no idea what I'm doing.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 11, 2016)

Sorry they didnt make it.... 

No you shouldnt need to do anything she will be uncomfortable for a few days but her body should reabsorb the milk on its own.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 11, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> Sorry they didnt make it....
> 
> No you shouldnt need to do anything she will be uncomfortable for a few days but her body should reabsorb the milk on its own.



X2


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