# Feral pig + first time owner



## JeepGirl (Apr 27, 2020)

I ended up with a very young (-24hrs old) wild hog after someone shot the mom.
Wet umbilical cord, still working on walking efficiently, too weak to scream when I picked her up.
She's super smart, super sweet, and super lucky that I keep colostrum on hand.

Fast forward to 3 weeks later...I feel like we are just about out of the woods health wise.
She is eating, gaining weight, no scours or constipation..
Still drinking milk {fresh goats milk + half and half+ pumpkin puree} but is transitioning to softened pig youth pellets.

I have no clue what to expect.
Can anyone give me pointers as far as toys, behaviors, training, positive/negative reinforcement techniques, etc.?
Anything is appreciated - although I do have toileting under control.

The only issue I've had is that she is starting to use her teeth when she is frustrated.
I say "no" very clearly and push her away/end any interaction for a couple of minutes.
I do understand the commitment and potential destruction that comes along with her, I also understand the encouragement to shoot any and all wild hogs.

Pictures included of miss Tallulah


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## Baymule (Apr 27, 2020)

She is sweet and cute now, but I don't think she will stay that way. The "wild" in feral hogs is strong, nature versus nurture. I honestly don't know if you can nurture her out of wild behavior. Please understand that I am not knocking you for taking her in and raising her, I just don't know what to tell you to expect. I've know an lot of people that trapped them very young and raised them, but they were wild and turned mean. Nobody I've ever known has had a newborn like yours. 

Pigs are brilliant smart. She will like toys. For bigger pigs, a bowling ball is recommended. I've looked at garage sales for one, but haven't found one yet. For a little pig, maybe she would cuddle to a stuffed toy, maybe she would shred it. LOL A ball made of a hard substance? 

Please be ready for her to turn to her wild ways. Watch carefully, so that you don't get hurt. Even domestic pigs can be dangerous.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Apr 27, 2020)

From my experience (got piglet from wild about a week to a month old no ideal) we got three (originally 4) pigs that were wild. The female sow that was with them was tamer and a domestic that had gone wild. That being said mine have known me since December 16 and still are wild. They do come when called and also will greet me but will stay far back. At one point i did have them eating a large item from my hand but haven't had more time with them. That being said you could take her atleast partially however that instict is still there and will remain. I have three currently and they all are different. One will come with in a few inches of me another a foot or 2 from me and the third won't even eat with in five feet from me. It depends on her and i would say if you end up unable to work with her regularly she will go back. And I would be worried if there are small kids near her or anyone she could injure. (Coming from mom of 4) Be very careful with the way you raise her. I would make sure to treat her like a pig and with a health respect of how big she will get. She might be fun to snuggle now but won't be later. I had a duroc  sow who thought she was a house pig. Her previous owner allowed her to sleep in her bed, she sang to her allowed her to swim with her kids in a kiddy pool act. When I got her she was 350 lbs of crazy. She met her boy friend and freaked out the first week or more because she didn't know or really realize that she was a pig or what the heck had happened to her pampered life style. She wanted to sit on me and would run up to me or run up behind me and knock me down not to be mean but out of excitement and not understanding that she was huge and needed to repect my space. I wish you luck but keep in mind what feral pigs look and thier size and behaviors they for the most part are also known to dislike dogs greatly around here.  Do as much research as you can. I wish you luck.


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## Mini Horses (Apr 28, 2020)

Like most all feral, they are often mixed with domestics than have escaped.   The interesting thing I see is stripes.   Only Mangalista are striped -- as far as I know.   Whatever elements she may have, wild is there and even many domestic breeds are unfriendly.

What do you actually want/plan/hope to do with her?   It doesn't sound like porkchops but, that would be my goal.    While my AGH
pigs were friendly, they were always planned as freezer campers.

Hope it works as you would like.


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## Baymule (Apr 28, 2020)

The stripes are the mark of a true feral rooter hog. Mangalista hogs are striped as piglets because they are not an “improved” breed, but closer to their feral hog origins. They are an old breed, @luvmypets could give us a better history of Mangalista hogs than I can.


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## JeepGirl (Apr 28, 2020)

I am hoping she will stay a bit on the tamer side...but I'm preparing for the worst just to be safe.  
I've never seen an adult wild hog in real life but from pictures I know they are quite ugly and large lol
I don't have kids or I don't think I'd chance it!

I think our plan is to fence in a couple of areas that we can't put our goats in because of all the rhododendron and just let her have that space when she's older.
  Maybe let her root my garden area up really well for me cause I know I'll never do it myself  lol
We don't really deal with pigs so we won't ever breed her, just let her have a good life, whether she turns into a nutjob or not lol
Most importantly we want to make sure she can't escape.

@Baymule love the bowling ball idea, I'll definitely try that. 

She is insanely smart.
She learned her name in less than a day, and has learned a few other commands within the last couple of days. You Can Tell She's stubborn though.


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## Baymule (Apr 28, 2020)

Even tame domestic hogs can be dangerous. We have raised feeder pigs for the last 5 years and the only breed that didn’t give me that creepy feeling up my back were Red Wattles. Now we have a nice grow out pen with shelter, water barrel on the outside with a hog nipple that sticks into the pen. No more knocking their water tub over, no more me going in to get it, fending off pigs with a pipe. They will circle behind you for a “taste”. Creepy. The shelter has a opening that we can feed them through. DEFINITELY not going in a pen of hungry pigs with feed! The two we have now are insanely hungry-with a Feed bin kept full. They go nuts over treats, no way I would walk in there with food. 

One batch of feeder pigs we had were in the garden space. I wouldn’t go in there if I was by myself and I took a pipe length with me to whack them on the snout. They were Berkshire and Large Black cross, good eating but sneaky devils. I love my Pig Palace, it is much safer for me.


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## Shellymay (Apr 28, 2020)

I recommend you contact someone who raises piglets or a vet to get her fangs clipped/trimmed, they do this on most piglets you purchase for raising as feeder pigs/pets ect…… I am not sure what age they do the first trimming but necessary I believe....

With that being said, we raise one pig a year and we call it our annual pet pig, we always have it slaughter it in or around 10-11 months of age, because we only raise ONE pig I get them young and tame them, they love belly scratches and will roll over just like a dog for them, once pig is tame and big enough we run ours with some of our sheep in pasture, the pig grows up thinking it is a sheep and will graze like a sheep (kid you not) pigs are really really social animals, mine will make friends with my LGD'S my sheep anything that will allow it to hang out with them, we raise ours to come when called for feeding, always make sure when your pigs is older that you give it access to a mudd hole or small pond (not to deep) pigs can't cool off without water to soak in and mudd….I have never had a bad experience to this day yet and have been doing this for around 6-7 years now, the only meds we give our pig is a pelleted wormer twice in the time frame they are on the farm before they become freezer meat...

Now if you have MORE then one pig (also should say we only do female pigs) if more then one then they know they are pigs and they compete with each other and tare everything up, but one pig raised with another animal doesn't know its a pig as long as you raise it from a young (6-7 weeks) average age, tame and release with other animals....


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## Baymule (Apr 28, 2020)

@Shellymay it is good to see you here.


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## luvmypets (Apr 29, 2020)

Hi, yes I raise Manga’s. They basically came about when hungarian nobility bred normal pigs with wild boar over many generations to create the ideal pig they wanted at that time.

As Bay has mentioned you can never fully 100% trust a pig. I am closely bonded to all my breeding animals and they are all very calm, friendly pigs. I love my pigs, pet them, snuggle them, even lay in the dirt with them. But that sweet demeanor can change in an instant and I always have multiple escape plans if needed. 9/10 they bicker amoungst eachother for my attention but every now and then one may be in a mood or I could get caught in the crossfire so I need to be ready to move. They each have their own personalities so certain pigs require more caution than others(cough* prissy). Teaching your gal boundaries is a good place to start.


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## High Desert Cowboy (Apr 29, 2020)

Generally they clip the needle teeth when they process the piglets in the first couple of days. Commercially we really don’t do it anymore.  At 3-4 weeks they’re still small enough you can nip them off with a set of dykes.  She’ll scream bloody murder but she’s a pig, that’s what they do.  Once you put her down she’ll forget all about it.  At three weeks she can be on mostly solid food.  If you want to supplement by soaking in milk it’s fine, but I don’t think she needs a bottle anymore.  I wean at 28 days but I’ve weaned them as young as 17 days (not by choice) with no troubles.  
Remember, this isn’t a puppy dog and cute little quirks grow into dangerous habits. A nip from a piglet hurts and can bleed like a son of a gun, but I can tell you a nip from a big angry sow feels a lot worse, and she’ll throw her weight behind it. 
 For toys I like the bowling ball.  they like to explore with their nose so an area that she can root around in will keep her plenty busy.  Raising her from a baby should really throttle down the “wild” tendencies.  She won’t have ever had to scrounge for food, run from predators, or fight with other sows for limited supplies so I’d say she’ll just grow up like any other domesticated pig.  But as had been said I never trust a domesticated sow and I deal with a lot of them.


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## Ridgetop (May 7, 2020)

Everyone has said pretty much the same thing.  Pigs can be domesticated but don't trust them not to hurt you.  We have raised a number and they are smart but powerful.  You have all heard the old joke - 
"Where does a 500 lb. pig go?"
"Anywhere it wants!"
Pigs do not always stop growing and can reach 800-1000 lbs.

Personally, I would have fun raising this pig to about 200 lbs. then take her to freezer camp.  By then she won't be as cute or fun, will be capable of damage to you, your children, and your property, BUT if you feed her corn soaked in goat milk am and pm, will be super tasty.  No need to keep her as a pet since she will not be much of a pet in a field far off.  Personally, no need to keep a large breed pet pig if you are not going to breed her anyway.  I would not breed a wild hog since there are other breeds that produce a better carcass.  

In Europe farmers do graze their pigs with cattle and sheep in the fields.  

Our first pig was an orphan pig too.  She was a lot of fun, learned her name, and would follow us around as we did our chores when she was little.  When she reached 250 lbs. she caused damage our fences, chased the goats (not in a nice way) and rooted where we did not want her rooting.  We had to pen her up.  Her name was Ham Hocks and she was a Duroc.  She loved her back scratches too.  She was at her best though in the freezer and tasted delicious!  

If you decide to keep her as a forever pig, make sure to have the vet (if you don't want to clip them yourself) clip her tusks.


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 11, 2020)

I know this is old but....she could potentially become huge. 

I mean I tell people all the time how big our pigs are and everyone goes yeah that sounds big. Then said people meet our breeder pigs and are shocked. When you walk into our barn the first pig to "greet" you is Sara, by standing up on her back legs. Oh how cute...when they are little. Sarah on her back legs is over 7ft tall. Sara is duroc and around 750-800lbs.

We also have our herefords who are a little smaller but still 6ft tall on their back legs and over 600lbs.  Wild hogs can get up to 400lbs...in the wild, though not common due to being in the wild. So I imagine a wild hog kept in a pen would get to the 400lbs range at least. 

I'm bringing this up because, she will require quite a lot of food and at these sizes a fence/pen is a SUGGESTION of where you would like them to stay. Kind of like a full grown Bull, the fence is a suggestion. So keeping her penned up or in a fence for her life might not be possible. Our pigs dig under our fence, break our fences, walk over our fences, etc. It is not really un-common to get home from work and find 600-800lb hogs in the front yard.


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## Ridgetop (Jun 13, 2020)

You know the old joke?
"Where does a 1000 lb pig go?"                "Anywhere it wants!"

Pigs keep growing and get huge.  Since a lot of feral hogs have cross bred with escaped domestic pigs, only the poor feeding in the wild keeps them small.  People seeing pigs at the Fair marvel at their size but most of those 250 lb. hogs are only about 4 months old!

Javelinas are much smaller but they are a different breed found in southern desert areas.

Any pig needs strong fencing.  Most commercial hog farms are constructed of block walls - this also allows them to be hosed off and sanitized easily.  I spent a number of years living in Europe and all pig houses there were built of rock.  The hog house on the school farm in Ireland was built of rocks  (probably concreted together) as were all the farrowing pens inside.  Large, heavy rocks with heavy wooden gates.  And there was evidence of repairs made to those gates as well - broken boards reinforced, etc.

Using concrete block and concrete floors helps to keep hogs contained since they can't dig out, but they are massively strong, devious, and often still find a way out.  There is nothing on a hog that gives you a grip to catch it either. If it wants to go somewhere, just move aside!   The largest pig we ever raised was 350 lbs. and was very tame.  she still went where she wanted until we got her to the butcher.  My youngest son always wanted a brood sow, but after dealing with a number of 4-H Fair pigs, we decided we did not have pens strong enough to hold one.  He did raise a couple of replacement heifers.


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## Baymule (Jun 13, 2020)

And that’s why Baymule only raises feeder pigs. 6 months and I’m done!


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 15, 2020)

Yes pigs get huge but Sara is also around 4yrs old, so lots of time to grow.

We could keep smaller breeder, just breed them for 3 cycles and then send them off to the butcher. The only problem is we have registered herefords So that would be an expensive way to go since we only have one Boar.



Baymule said:


> And that’s why Baymule only raises feeder pigs. 6 months and I’m done!


It's a good thing you do, I dunno how you guys would eat that much Pork! DH said Sara is going this winter, we shall see, she is his baby.


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## Baymule (Jun 15, 2020)

Not Sara!


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 15, 2020)

Baymule said:


> Not Sara!


I know, she is getting grumpy though.


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## Baymule (Jun 15, 2020)

misfitmorgan said:


> I know, she is getting grumpy though.


So, what? We should take that as a warning? Don’t get grumpy ladies or it’s off with your head! LOL LOL


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 15, 2020)

Baymule said:


> So, what? We should take that as a warning? Don’t get grumpy ladies or it’s off with your head! LOL LOL


  
No she snapped at our friend when he walked by her stall and wasnt paying attention. She is also back to catching and killing our free range chickens. She is very smart, she leaves her food and waits for the chickens to come in for it then eats the chicken and her food.


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## Baymule (Jun 15, 2020)

Sneaky and smart. Good thing there aren’t any neighbor kids in the barn. I have a vision of tennis shoes in her pen and the caption reads, Children? What children? Burp.


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