Introducing the micro pig: Clean, intelligent and loves TV
Forget cats, dogs and rabbits. The latest pet craze sweeping the UK is for “micro pigs” — tiny swine animals which prefer curling up on the sofa to watch TV with their owners to wallowing in farmyard muck.
Even fully grown, the tiny creatures barely grow bigger than about 15 inches tall and 60 lbs in weight. At birth they are about the size of a teacup.
A cross between miniature Pot Bellies, Tamworths, Kune Kunes and Gloucester Old Spots, the pigs are bred to be as small as possible and sell as pets for up to £700.
Jane Croft, who runs Little Pig Farm in Cambridgeshire, said she had been overwhelmed with inquiries about the animals from as far afield as the US, Australia and Russia.
“Demand for micro pigs is soaring and we are inundated with enquiries every day,” Croft told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s amazing how popular they have suddenly become and just how many people want pigs as pets.”
Despite their farmyard heritage and reputation for muckiness, Croft said the pigs made “fantastic, low-maintenance pets.”
“You don’t have to take them for walks and they have very few health issues. They don’t make much noise, they are easy to lavatory train and once they have bonded with you they are very loving,” she said.
“They are actually very clean and never mess in their bedding and are just so adorable. They are also highly intelligent and are the fourth most intelligent species after man, monkey and dolphin.
“They really are the perfect pets, I don’t know why people haven’t thought of them before.”
Croft said the pigs also made excellent pets for people with allergies to cats and dogs.
According to the Little Pig Farm website, the pigs “love human and animal contact, are easily house trained and will sit on your lap while you watch TV so you can scratch their bellys. They will ‘talk’ to you and have you giggling for hours.”