# Do Females Have Tusks?



## littlegoat (Apr 25, 2014)

Hello, 
I am getting my first ever pigs today! I am rescuing them from a farm where they would have been raised for slaughter. They are still piglets. I am getting 2 females. Do the females have tusks? I assume they wouldn't right now, since they are piglets, but when they are older. 
Thanks everyone!


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## holm25 (Apr 25, 2014)

they shouldnt depends on if the tusks were pulled


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## AshleyFishy (Apr 25, 2014)

Yes they can have small tusks. Normally you won't see them unless the mouth is open. 

Just remember those pigs are going to be about 600+ pounds and can rip open your legs easily. Best advice I received when I got into pigs was "treat a pig like a bull, never take your eyes off of them and have a quick way out." Which I didn't take to heart till my placid loving duroc sow tried to take a chunk out of me.


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Apr 25, 2014)

AshleyFishy said:


> Just remember those pigs are going to be about 600+ pounds and can rip open your legs easily. Best advice I received when I got into pigs was "treat a pig like a bull, never take your eyes off of them and have a quick way out." Which I didn't take to heart till my placid loving duroc sow tried to take a chunk out of me.



LOL- I've considered pigs, but haven't talked myself into yet.  This is the sort of thing that gives me pause.  Littlegoat, I hope your experience is a good one.  Do you know what breed the pigs are?  I understand that sometimes you get different temperaments depending on the breed.


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## elbesta (Apr 25, 2014)

If these are full size pigs and you don't want them for pork chops a 500 lb plus pig can be a handful. For the most part they are not pets. They can be very hard to keep contained, they can eat a lot and some people think they smell, (I think they are fresh as a daisy)  but to answer your question, gilts/sows don't have tusks like a boar. I have pigs and they are very friendly they like belly rubs, BUT, when I come out with a bucket of feed it gets put In there trough from outside the fence. A 500 lb pig could snap a leg like a twig with out being mean. BUT if they are PB forget everything I said, have fun and don't feed them to much.

And by the way holm25


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## littlegoat (Apr 25, 2014)

HoneyDreamemomma - I do not know what breed, but I was told that they could be 3 way mixes. 
elbesta - We will be working very hard to tame the pigs. We will be leash training them, so we can take them out of the barn on a leash, and while they are not in there (or watching us), put there food down. We will try are hardest to keep them as friendly as possible. I will be spending lots of time with them


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## Baymule (Apr 25, 2014)

3 way mixes sounds like they will make some large hogs. Rescuing them from slaughter sounds like a noble aspiration, but reality might set in somewhere along the way. Piglets are cute, so cute that you just want to hold them and squeeze them. Pigs are smart, entertaining and can knock you down like a bulldozer. Hogs are smarter, they ARE the bulldozer and can seriously hurt you. Walk a hog on a leash? I wish you luck with that, a full grown hog, that would be like walking a hippo on a leash. Even the friendliest of pigs can hurt you. Please be careful.


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 25, 2014)

Story about a friendly pig.  My wife used to work at the Swine Education Unit at NC State.  All of there breeding was by Artificial Insemination, but they alway kept a boar on hand for "heat check".
This lucky guy was picked out as a little baby as just the friendliest pig you have ever seen.  He's then handled more and a lot of effort is made to keep him tame.  He's fed plenty and lives like a king.
So, one day, they let him out to make his rounds and he made a playful head swipe at one of the student interns.  She had to have 48 stitches in her calf.
And they culled the heat checkers when the got about 250lbs.  Per the other posters, they get much larger.  Particularly if they  are commercial type crosses. I would caution you to be careful with full grown hogs.


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## AshleyFishy (Apr 25, 2014)

Electric fencing on the inside of their pen is a more reliable way to contain them. However, they know when that wire isn't hot and even the most well fed pigs will test it.

Like Elbesta stated feeding from the outside of the pen is the safest way. As for keeping them in a barn...I hope it is sealed cinder blocks with a concrete floor. Any dirt available to them and they will be digging down and peeling the walls back on the barn to get out. You might try running an electric wire on the bottom inside of the stall to help deter digging.


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## happy acres (Apr 25, 2014)

Pigs grow into hogs quickly, and continue to grow throughout their lives. They can conceivably reach 1500lbs or greater. Please be extra careful with them!


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## M.L. McKnight (Apr 25, 2014)

Your gilts aren't going to have true tusks like a boar but as they age their teeth will get a bit longer and your dominant one will chomp like a boar does. If they are freezer bound then chances are they won't get over 250lbs before it is processing time.
If you are wanting to gentle them, strap a dog harness (*or horse halter which can double as a harness) on them and walk them on a lead rope or a leash. Hold on tight because at first they will jump, twist, pull and throw a fit. Pigs are smart and will get use to it in a few days, the more you have your hands on them the tamer they become. 

I picked up a three day old spot gilt that another farmer was going to knock in the head because her momma had thrown a fit after getting her leg caught in a crate and killed the rest of the litter while breaking three of her own legs. I didn't see a thing wrong with the little gilt, took her home and raised her. She became halter broke and ran around the farm with my dogs. She is now 350lbs and is a spoiled as can be. I have her bred to my hamp boar and continue to let her out when I am working around the barn in the evening. She wanders but always comes when I call her name or whistle. 

Spend time with your hogs and you won't have a thing to worry about.


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## littlegoat (Apr 25, 2014)

I got them.They are both females, so I was told they would just have sharp and biggish canines.


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## M.L. McKnight (Apr 25, 2014)

Those will probably be their needle teeth aka 'wolf teeth', they are nothing to worry about.


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## jhm47 (Apr 25, 2014)

I once had a boar attack me.  Wound up with 30+ stitches and a nasty infection.  Was on antibiotics for over 6 months.  Also was attacked by a sow that weighed over 600 lbs.  She bit my hand and shook it.  Broke 2 bones and dislocated a finger.  Never broke the skin, but that took a long time to heal also.  BE CAREFUL with pigs.  They are NOT suitable for pets!


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## Bossroo (Apr 28, 2014)

Pigs are very intelligent and can be quite friendly,  but at the same time one of the most dangerous animals around. Years ago, the mob used pigs to completely dispose all of the " evidence" of a wack job of someone that they didn't want to be found.  About a year ago, there was a newspaper article of a bleeding heart farmer raising pet pigs ( I posted the info here about it)  , that is until those female pigs grew up and when this person went to feed them,  those pigs made lunch of HIM.  I would highly rethink your pet pig  plan OR  buy a million dollar insurance policy ( name me as beneficiary) , consult a lawyer to write your will ( again, name me as your beneficiary).  Good luck !


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## M.L. McKnight (Apr 28, 2014)

Some of these posts are becoming ridiculous! Respect what your pigs COULD do and enjoy having pigs in your care. They are smart, curious critters that will root up rough patches of terrain for you and eat anything you give them. (*Boil potato peelings, onion skins and cucumbers in water first.) 

Don't let yourself become afraid of ANY animal you have and don't keep anything mean. You'll do fine.


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## happy acres (May 29, 2014)

Don't be afraid of your livestock, make sure they know you are "boss ", and anything mean get rid of.


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