Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The available research on miniature pet pigs and their behavior is scarce. This study aims to investigate housing and whether the living conditions of miniature pet pigs is on a par with Swedish animal-welfare legislation. The study has also pinpointed some frequently encountered problems in owning miniature pet pigs, according to the pig/let owners.
The study was conducted by a questionnaire that was sent to miniature pet pig owners, a literature study was conducted and case studies from the Swedish County Administrative Board were investigated.
Results from the survey included 166 miniature pet pigs. Survey results indicated that most of the questioned households followed or housed the animals above the required legal level. However, there were two parts that stood out as concerning: socialization and weaning. 13.5% of the studied miniature pet pigs were housed without physical contact with other pigs and 12.5% were weaned earlier than 10 weeks. For a third of the reported cases, the owners were unaware of at what age the piglets were weaned. The legislation regarding socialization and weaning is unclear, which may result in different interpretation.
A third of the households experienced unwanted behavior to some degree in their miniature pet pigs. The most frequently reported unwanted behavior was aggression towards other pigs (20%), followed by stress or anxiety (10%). Almost a third of the participating households experienced issues regarding claw health with at least one of their pigs. The survey also found that almost 40% of the responding households housed a rehomed pig.
The fact that miniature pet pigs live without a conspecific, are weaned too early from the sow, show aggression and anxiety, have problems with their claws and change home often can lead to negative welfare. Therefore, these topics need to be further examined to gain more knowledge that could potentially increase the welfare for miniature pet pigs.