5 things you didn‘t know about owning pigs for pets in an apartment
With the coming Chinese Year of the Pig, we‘ve decided to interview Mrs. Katzerová, an owner of a famous Prague pig, Karkula from Prague 5, and also the co-founder of the Czech club of owner of domestic pigs. The following 5 things will be a surprise to you!
1. They have a matriarchal system
We were wondering if pigs had any particular type of behaviour or traits. ‘Surprisingly, they have a matriarchical system. The more dominant, headstrong, and difficult to ‘domesticate’ are the girls. On the other hand, the pig boys are easier to deal with. They’re malleable, and ‘docile’. Pigs in general, are territorial animals, and they aren’t used to letting strangers or other animals near them.’
2. They are more intelligent than dogs
Pigs have a greater intelligence than dogs. They don’t like to be dominated, and they use their intelligence for their prosperity. They’ll never cooperate or listen in the same way that we’ve become accustomed to with dogs.
3. Luxury ‘mini-pigs’ don’t exist!
You may have come across the term ‘minipig’, but Mrs. Katzerová says: ‘The word mini is misleading. Every pig will grow up one day! We generally consider a minipig to be a pig, which weighs up to 140 kg in adulthood (5 years). An adult minipig weighing 10, 20, or 40 kg is a FANTASY!!!’
4. They aren’t stuitable for kids
Did you also think, that a piggie would be an ideal pet for children? Mrs. Katzerová says otherwise: ‚We don’t recommend piggies as pets for children. The reason is pigs can be a bit clumsy, and they can hurt children by mistake. It’s enough when an eighty kilo pig steps on a bare foot of an adult, or when an adult male pig rubs its tusks on a calf, which can lead to a painful accident.’
5. It costs as much as a dog
A pig costs from around 1. 000 to 25. 000 Kč. The cost of feeding an 80 kilo pig is similar to the cost of feeding a small dog. Yearly veterinary checks cost around 4.000,- Kč.
