Oscar is 15 months old, so it’s time for his weigh in! After Oscar’s first birthday, I decided to stop posting his weight every month and just update once every three months. Although mini pigs can grow for up to three to five years, I figured his growth would slow enough after his first birthday that the posts wouldn’t be interesting. I sure was wrong!
Right after Oscar’s one year weigh in, he had a big growth spurt. In fact, he grew so quickly that he started looking a little thin, so we increased his pellet amounts to make sure he was getting enough. After a while, his growing seemed to slow and his weight caught up, and now he’s back to his happy, healthy self.
We’ve had some of our biggest behavior challenges with Oscar in the past three months. Oscar’s snipping and head whipping really increased after he turned one. He was attempting to bite us and the dog on a daily basis for a while, and I eventually hit one of my highest points of frustration with him. We weren’t sure if he was in pain and lashing out from teething or if he was just being mean, but we were really frustrated and left wondering where we went wrong with him.
After a ton of frustration and research, we decided that Oscar has Spoiled Pig Syndrome and tried to address his behaviors accordingly. I put Oscar in mini pig behavior bootcamp by restarting Move the Pig, making him work for his meals, not allowing him to nip at toes, and by being more firm with him overall. Due to those changes, we have seen a huge improvement in his behavior. He’s not perfect and still has an attitude and nips at times, but everyone in the house, including Oscar, is much happier.
Our big lesson throughout the past three months is that we will always have to stay on top of Oscar’s behavior. The hardest part is keeping up on Oscar’s structure and discipline, particularly Move the Pig, when he’s sweet and loving. But, when I forget, Oscar takes advantage of those moments and starts challenging for hierarchy again. This is a pattern I expect we will deal with forever with Oscar, and it’s been a hard lesson to learn. In order for him to be the best pig he can be, I need to embrace and live in his world of hierarchy with him. When I am acting as his leader, the house is much more peaceful and happy.
The upside to Oscar’s recent behavior issues is that I feel more bonded than ever with him. The bond helps balance out the behavior problems and gives us sweet, happy moments with him that we love. Oscar still loves cuddling, and he approaches us and wants to be around us more than ever. He used to be more independent, but he follows me around the house much more now and even greets people at the door sometimes. We are firmly in a routine with Oscar these days, so day-to-day tasks are easier and we can spend more time enjoying him.
After a year with Oscar, owning a mini pig is much more challenging than I ever imagined, but it’s also much more rewarding. I never expected the highs and lows that have come with owning a pig, but he has made me cry and laugh more than any pet I’ve owned. Someone mentioned in a comment on here that pig parenting is not for the faint of heart, and I agree 100% with that statement. In a year, Oscar has made me yell, cry, question my sanity, leave the house just to get some space, cry some more, smile, experience joy and, most of all, laugh. These mini pigs are a ton of work, but they are also amazing little (and not-so-little) creatures.
At 15 months old, Oscar is 37 pounds, 16″ tall, and 29″ long.
What a cutie! He really has grown considerably over the last few weeks. I love his little spots and we originally wanted a spotted pig also. There is a Chase bank commercial on television that stars a little pig being walked by his owners to the bank. We live in Washington state so that might be something that isn’t shown in your area. The little pig looks like Oscar and that is probably one of my favorite commercials just because of the pig. .Alfredo is solid black with a tiny white spot on the tip of his nose.
Alfredo also went through a growth spurt recently (he is 18 months old now) and he also blew his coat along with losing his Mohawk! The Mohawk is coming back in and is about 1/2-inch long now. I think the closer we get to the cooler months, the more hair he should have. I would also imagine if he is going to be getting tusks, they would be erupting soon. I really hope he doesn’t get tusks, but we will worry about that if and when they come in.
He also went through a stage of being a royal pain in the rear. He would wake up at 2:30 in the morning making enough noise to wake the dead. As my husband needed to get up in a few hours for work, I would shuffle out and feed him just to quiet him down. Not the smartest thing to do and I created a monster by not putting a stop to his demands immediately. It then became a daily thing. This absolutely could not continue and we toughed it out for a couple of days and didn’t cave into his demands until Alfredo realized that no, breakfast is NOT at 2:30 in the morning and all of the bellowing, squawking and having a hissy fit was not going to give him something to eat. However, it is difficult to ignore an unhappy porker that is not getting his way! Since I do work at home, I have a bit of wiggle room in getting my work completed, but my husband has to be alert and sharp and could not afford to keep losing sleep. Alfredo was showing all of the signs of the spoiled pig syndrome and we knew we had to get tough and put a stop to this bad behavior.
We did pretty much what you did with Oscar. We moved the pig, made him work for his food and treats and set firmer boundaries. He seems much happier and things are much more peaceful here. I don’t like to yell at him, but I found I was doing too much of that and, really, that solved nothing except upset both of us. I also bought him a food ball from Pigs4ever and that is the best money I ever spent for him. He loves this ball and he will play with it up to an hour at a time outside. If it rolls under something and he can’t get it out, he will come to me and expect me to find it. We both get our exercise.
I expect more challenges from him and it isn’t going to be smooth sailing every day, but at least we have the tools to cope with these issues. He can be a handful, but we get so much love and enjoyment from him and I couldn’t imagine not having him and it sounds as if you feel the same way about Oscar.
Thank you so much for honestly sharing your experiences with Alfredo. He is right ahead of Oscar in age, so it helps me to see what you’re going through with him. I got the biggest laugh when you said you and Alfredo both get your exercise with his food ball. I give Oscar his Bob-A-Lot in our bedroom since it’s carpeted, and we have the same issue but ours is with it going under the bed. He will try to get it for about a second but gives up easily and then comes to get me. Then I go in there and get it out for him, repeat about 10 times…haha. I might have to look up that Pigs4ever food ball though!
I think you’re right on about expecting more challenges from Alfredo and knowing it isn’t going to be smooth sailing but relying on the tools to cope. If I expect Oscar to be perfect and sweet all the time, of course I’m disappointed. But, now that I’m used to the pattern we’re dealing with according to his hierarchy issues, it doesn’t upset me as much and I know what to do now. It’s the “what am I going to do” moments that are hard, so knowing how to fix the problem is half the battle. As mad as I can get at him, I love him a ridiculous amount. I don’t even know why some days (haha), but I just adore this little guy.
Oscar just finished blowing his coat (oh my goodness, the vacuuming…), and my husband noticed Oscar was already growing hair back but I wasn’t sure he was supposed to yet. So, I’m relieved to hear Alfredo’s hair is coming back as well. You’ll have to let me know if Alfredo grows tusks because I’m a little scared of that since it’s so unknown.
Thanks again for sharing all of that! Makes me feel not so alone in our “adventures” with Oscar. The ups and downs with him are enough to drive me crazy, but I really do enjoy him these days and, like you said about Alfredo, have no idea what I would do without him now.
P.S. I have seen the commercial with the pig, and I love it! So cute! 🙂
I dunno, I still think he will stay a small pig. Rylee’s cute. She always has a puzzled look on her face.
I think you’re right about him staying a small pig. His growth spurt surprised me and I’m sure he’ll have a few more of them, but I doubt he’ll be very big once he’s full grown. He’s happy about the recent pellet increase though…haha. Rylee has some pretty funny expressions. I always imagine she’s looking at me these days and saying “why, mom?” Haha. 🙂
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