ANIMAL: Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig Sus Scrofa Type of Animal: Pig Habitat: Farms, fields, suburbs Location(s): Originated in Vietnam. Now found worldwide. Appearance: Usually gray, gray/pink/white coloration mix, black w/ spots, or mostly pink w/ gray spots, not a hairy breed, smaller than most European/American breeds. Some have tusks in mouth but these are usually trimmed. Rather plump appearance. Food/Diet: Veggies, nuts, roots, tubers, leaves, grasses, soybeans, legumes, bulbs, fruit, grubs, snails, worms, eggs, young birds, hay, pig pellets, refuse, carrion, oats, wheat, barley, pig meal, fish, berries, fungi, corn, rye, flowers, raisins, grapes, shoots, small rodents, snakes, weeds, alfalfa, shrubs, small birds, cereal, insects Status in Wild: Domesticated Conservation: Breeding in farms & zoos. Bred for meat & for pet trade. Lifestyle: Sows, juveniles. & piglets live in groups called sounders, ranging from 3-30 pigs often accompanied by an adult boar. Some breeding groups have a few nonbreeding boars & barrows (castrated males in them as well). Nonbreeding boars & barrows often kept in bachelor groups. Additional Info: Called: Male-Boar Female-Sow Young-Piglet Group-Sounder Weight: Male-150-200 lbs Female-120-150 lbs Young-10 lbs Gestation: 3.5-4 months Height: 1.3-2.16 ft Body Length: Male-3.3 ft Female-3.25 ft Life Span: 12-15 years, up to 20 years on occasion Tail Length: 0.7-0.9 ft Main predators are bears, crocodilians, leopards, tigers, jaguars, lions, pumas, cheetahs, clouded leopards, wolves, coyotes, feral/domestic dogs, wild dogs, chimps, fossas, hyenas, komodo dragons, large snakes, bobcats, lynxes, ocelots, & caracals. Servals, fishing cats, golden cats & other smaller wild cat species prey on piglets along w/ foxes & raptors. Some large eagles prey on adults. Sexually mature at 2 months old. However, they’re not full grown until 1.5-2 years old. They have poor vision but excellent sense of smell/hearing. Usually 4-12 piglets in a litter. Fun Fact(s): Believed by some to be smarter than dogs. Came to U.S. in 1986 & is now more numerous in U.S. than anywhere else. Pigs given full run of house before 6 months usually difficult to housebreak. Contrary to popular belief, they’re quite clean. Often sleep in one spot, defecate/urinate in another. They like mudholes & water because they can’t sweat. Usually quite friendly w/ barrows & spayed sows often kept as pets, some boars get aggressive & sows highly protective of piglets. Some sows aggressive during heat cycle. This only applies to some pigs. Unruly pigs often abandoned & given to shelters. Thousands often abandoned when they get too big due to ignorance.
