Buying Kune Kune pig as pet?

swingjune

We are looking at buying this type of pig as pet : http://www.britishkunekunesociety.org.uk/kunekunehistory.html

We are in the midst of seeking permission from the council about this - keep fingers crossed !!!

Do you have any experience to share?

scheming_gypsy

how come you're seeking permission off the council? or do you like in a council house and checking they're ok with it?
as far as i know they're not on the DWA list so you wouldn't need the council to ok it, unless you were in council property.

foreign_correspondent

Any pigs need mud to wallow in, especially in summer.

Without it you will have a very sunburnt pig. If this happens he can get cracks in his skin, into which flies lay eggs, and you will have to sit with a pair of tweezers and get the maggots out of the pigs back.

I know this as I have done it, and its not pleasant - please make sure you have the right sort of garden and can cope with the resulting sludgy mess.

You will find that even clean pigs do attract quite a lot of flies in the summer anyway, and of course there is quite a lot of poo to clean up, and it does tend to be quite sloppy and smelly.

lowis

FC - you are so right about the flies laying eggs...

i had a rabbit some years ago, he kept himself very clean, and the bits he couldn't reach i washed for him, and i ensured his environment was always clean. one very hot weekend in August (the hottest of the year) i went away for 4 days and in that time, whilst my neighbour was looking after him, he got fly-blown! it was so horrid...he had maggots literally eating his skin off him by the time I had returned. thankfully the vet saved him, she said that this was surprisingly common - but in the 10 years I owned my rabbit this happened just the once. no idea why it happened that weekend, i guess the conditions were just right...

if this can happen so easily to a knowledgable, clean and responsible pet owner i dread to think of how many pets this can happen to.

foreign_correspondent

yes, I used to be a zoo keeper many years ago, and one of my vivid memories is stitting there with a pot bellied pig whilst I picked all the maggots out of the flesh on the top of his back then spraying him liberally with Gentian Violet, which was our first line of defense against any injuries!!

These pigs were living in good conditions, and cleaned out every day- it is just one of those things that can happen, and a good reason to be very wary of any skin lesions - and pigs are very susceptable to sunburn.

orlao

Also remember that pigs are social animals, they need a piggy friend! Can be quite noisy especially if you have to do something they don't like, your neighbours will think you are killing them....slowly.

You will have to get vets to come to you or apply for a licence from the authorities EVERY time you want to take them off your property.They are notoriously difficult to sedate so unless they are very trusting it is expensive and worrying everytime they need treatment.If foot and mouth makes a reappearance in your area they can be compulsary(sp!) slaughtered as they will still be classed as livestock not pets.

If you have dogs they will loooooooove to roll in pig poo....it takes a full week for the smell to fade no matter what you wash the dog in.....believe me, I've been there:D

After saying all that....the plus side is that they are very intelligent, great fun and always entertaining.....you won't eat sausages, bacon or pork once you've had a pet pig though.

swingjune

I live in private housing and a breeder advised me to seek council permission first.

We will be going to see the breeder and to find out more about it and whether we could cope with the responsibilities

We just need to be very careful with what we want to take on.

foreign_correspondent

swingjune wrote: »

I live in private housing and a breeder advised me to seek council permission first.

We will be going to see the breeder and to find out more about it and whether we could cope with the responsibilities

We just need to be very careful with what we want to take on.

I think you need permission from the council as its classified as livestock - people often used to keep a pig in the back garden for meat.

It's always best to research well beforehand and find out what you are taking on, and also please consider who would look after it if you wanted to go on holidays etc - may be harder to get a pig sitter than a dog or cat sitter!

Also, if you are garden proud, not a good choice - as I said before, mud for wallowing, pig poo, and a voracious eater are not conducive to a " Homes and Gardens" style picture postcard back garden!!

LittleTinker

Awww lovely piggies. They are cute things arent they?

They are a great pet to have to keep your lawn down. lol....as kunekunes love grass.

They eat quite a lot of fruit and veg too.....and you havent to give them all your leftovers!

They dont need mud as such....just make sure they have something with water in during the summer time (not winter as they dont like to be wet in winter) like an old wheelbarrow or something like that.

Most kunes wont need planning permission to keep.