The heartbreak of mini pigs as pets.

[Catherine]

Mini pigs: they are adorable and they are cute and very sweet, but they don't stay small!
Most end up more than 200 pounds. Some end up 300-400 pounds. The sale of them is not well regulated. Most cities don't allow pet pigs. Most people are not able to keep the pig once it gets big.
Fortunately there are some shelters out there.

https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/...s-shelters

Ralphy's Retreat is one such shelter.  It didn't start out as a pig rescue, but once the pets became popular the need the rescue them became critical. There are so many pigs out there that need to be rehomed when they grow bigger. The real heartbreak is for the pig that doesn't know why it has to leave its family.

If only people would ask how big the pig will get. They could visit a pig rescue and see what an adult mini pig is like. If they still want a pig they could rehome an adult. The need is great and it would be doing an act of kindness. Most people however will choose a different pet once they see how big their mini friend will get.

[Tobi]

Yes it's very sad, and I have heard of a few instances where people couldn't keep a pig when it grew up. If only people would think ahead a little bit before getting a small pig.
Pigs do get attached to their human families. They are quite like dogs in that respect.

It's good to see there is a dedicated rescue for these "mini pigs."

But it's important to think ahead before getting any animal. Especially a young one who will be very different when they grow up.

[Catherine]

The most famous mini pig is Esther the Wonder Pig. She isn't so mini and her people refused to part with her so they turned their lives upside down to move where they could keep her.

www.washingtonpost.com/video/local/a-new-way-to-love-dc-visually-impaired-riders-explore-the-city-on-tandem-bikes/2018/09/25/d72d2e4c-bffe-11e8-9f4f-a1b7af255aa5_video.html?utm_term=.7d3dfc483a8c

They have created an animal sanctuary around their life with Esther.

Like everyone else getting a mini/micro pig they were totally misled about how big she would grow.
Most people fall in love with the cute little piglet, but they would not be prepared to move to a farm and change their lives so they could keep her.

Even the pigs that do stay small are still fairly big. I don't know why they have become popular as pets. Pigs may be sensitive and intelligent, but they are just too big to work as pets for most people.