Knowing how often mini pigs poop is valuable information and may impact your decision in getting a mini pig as a pet. To answer plainly, it needs to poop 3 times a day. If you notice that the waste piles aren’t as frequent as they should be when you are cleaning up, then you can assume something is not right internally and needs your attention immediately.
But before we get into the health aspects of your mini pigs pooping habits, let us take a look at the general cleaning and upkeep a mini pig requires as well as their potty training.
Can mini pigs be potty trained?
Yes!, pigs can be potty trained just like dogs. They can be trained to go outdoors as well as use a litter box. Pigs are intelligent and generally potty train easily but, as with any young animal, there will be accidents so training is required with patience and consistency. Young piglets have a hard time holding their bladder until they are 9 months old so they should have easy access to the litter box or outside every few hours or so.
Mini Pigs Training Tips
Like any other pet, mini pigs also require a lot of care and attention This includes their day-to-day cleaning and maintenance. Let us look at a few ways you can train your mini pig to be more manageable.
- Housebreaking
If you have a fenced yard for your mini pig, you will observe that he relieves himself in the same place, as far as possible from his favourite place. When housebreaking your pig, take him outside so that he can relieve himself regularly, praising him when he is done.
Pigs unlike dogs won’t let you know if they need to go outside of their usual schedule. They can hold their bowels for longer periods. When you start housebreaking training, keep your pig confined to a small area. Pigs don’t like to defecate in their personal spaces, so they will rather go outside than do their business near their sleeping or eating area.
- Installing Litter Boxes
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Many mini pig owners chose to train their pets with litter boxes. If your pig successfully uses a litter box, he won’t give you any indication that the litter box needs cleaning. You’ll have to clean out the litter box every day or your pig will decide to poop elsewhere.
Pigs are clean animals and don’t like dirty litter boxes. You can use plastic wading pools or pine shavings, the type used for bedding horse stalls. Place the litter box away from the pig’s eating and sleeping areas.
- Temperature Extremes
Even if your mini pig indicates to you that he must go outdoors to relieve himself, it is a good idea to keep a litter box in case of weather emergencies. Mini pigs are sensitive to extreme cold and heat.
In extremely hot weather, you can briefly let your pet outdoors do their business and return inside to your air-conditioned home, but cold and snow are a different story. Your pig might hate going outside so much that he starts having accidents in the house. Use the litter box as a backup for your mini pig when the temperature varies severely.
- Accidents
If your pig begins eliminating inappropriately inside the house, there’s a reason. If he pooped all over the house, there could be medical problems.
If the vet rules that out, consider any recent changes in your household. If you moved your mini pig’s litter box or replaced it with a new one, that could be the root of the issue. If your schedule changes and you’re letting your pet out at a different time, getting used to the new routine could be a while.
Do Mini Pigs Need A Lot of Cleaning?
Now that we have established that mini pig’s poop around 3 times a day. The question arises whether mini pigs need a lot of cleaning and what you can do to potty train them.
Mini Pigs Potty Training
Potty training is one of the first things all mini pig owners will work on with their piglets. This will be a lot easier if you start as early as possible. First, decide if you want to train your pig to use a litter box or go outdoors or a combination of both.
Potty training in cold climates limits outside potty training until summers. Consistency in training is key to success.
Young piglets do not have control over their bladders, so many owners start with litter boxes to avoid accidents. Start with a small area like a pen or a gated-off room.
Remember, babies need to use the potty often throughout the day. Immediately after waking, after eating, after drinking, after playing, and anytime in between.
Training Your Mini Pig To Potty Outside
- Keep your mini pig confined to a small, safe area until they get used to the family and the environment. Give them a cozy area to sleep with a bed or blanket. Take them to the designated outdoor potty area. This area must be safe and secure for your piglet. Never take your pig out without a harness and leash unless you have a small fenced area or outdoor playpen. Every time they eat, drink, wake from a nap or have playtime, take them out to potty.
- In the beginning, you will want to take your pig to go potty several times a day. If you want your piglet to learn to go potty on command, you need to choose command words and use those when you take him outside to do his business. When they do go potty outside praise them as much as you can. You can even reward them with a treat and they will soon catch on that they have done the right thing. You can either install a doggy door for them to use or attach a bell to the backdoor and train them to ring it when they need to go out.
- Just like dogs, there is no need for punishment. Physical punishment will not help your piglet learn house training skills. If you catch them doing something wrong, you can verbally tell them “no” in a stern voice and tell them where they should go.
Training Your Mini Pig To Potty Inside
- It is very useful to ask your breeder what they have been using for a litter box and get the same pellet to help in a smooth transition. Breeders often use pine pellet or horse bedding pellet. Cat litter cannot be used as pigs will eat the kitty litter and it is hazardous for them.
- In your absence, try to confine your mini pig to a small area. Also, keep the litter box in this area. Your mini pigs can’t hold their bladder very long. If the litter box is not nearby, you can expect an accident.
- Avoid letting your pig roam the house freely without being attended to. This will distract them and make them overexcited. They might forget where the potty box is.
- Mini pigs are clean creatures and dislike soiling their sleeping or eating place. Keep the litter box in a different corner, away from their bed and food bowls.
- To train them, put your mini pigs in their potty box often and say “go potty”. When your mini pig does potty in the right place, praise them for doing it.
- Pace your mini pigs in their litter box every time they eat and drink. It should be done often, throughout the day. Use positive reinforcement methods and reward your piglet with treats and praises. Your mini pig will soon understand it has done the right thing.
- Get the right litter box and your piglet will happily do its business. It is an essential part of your mini pig’s daily life. Ensure that the sides of the litter box are very low for mini pigs to enter.
- If you live in a large house, you may need more than one litter box for your piglet.
- Don’t change the location of the litter box very often. It is best to keep it in the same spot permanently. Once they believe a spot is a potty spot, they will continue to use it even if you move the litter box.
Making sure your mini pig has mastered potty training before they freely roam the home is an important part of potty training successfully.
How to Deal With Accidents
Expect your mini pig to have a few accidents in the house. It is a normal part of potty training. Dealing with accidents starts and ends with not punishing your piglet for their mistake.
Potty Troubleshooting
Even the most successfully potty-trained mini pig can have setbacks. Lapses in potty training may be an underlying cause of something else. Make sure there are no medical problems that might be interfering with your piglet’s ability to “hold it.”
If there are several lapses in mini pig’s potty training, make an appointment with your vet. Get your piglet a thorough health examination. Diarrhoea, urinary tract infections (UTI), kidney stones, and bladder stones might also cause accidents.
Pottying right outside the box:
- Put towels or pads around the perimeter of the potty box until they get better control.
- Place your mini pigs in the potty box often.
- You must ensure that the litter boxes are clean before you leave home.
Spraying urine over the side of the box:
If your mini pig is spraying over the side of the litter box, get one with taller sides and cut a walk-in entrance for them.
Pottying in inappropriate places:
If your mini pig is going under a bed or a desk, this means they want privacy. Try a covered litter box.
If your piglet is picking spots around the house to potty:
Once a mini pig has an accident on the carpet, removing the urine smell can be extremely difficult. They have an incredible sense of smell. Your piglets will get back to that area after many efforts of removing the smell.
Thoroughly clean the soiled spots and clean it up. Thorough cleaning after an accident will remove the urine or poop scent.
Mini pigs don’t like to soil the area where they eat. If you sprinkle their food and treats over those spots, several times a day, they will view that spot as a place to eat, and hence hesitate to soil the area.
Hormones:
It sounds interesting that intact mini pigs are more difficult to potty train. Their hormones will drive them to leave their scent to attract a mate. Spayed and neutered mini pigs are far easier to potty train.
Mini pig refuses box:
If your mini pig refuses to use the litter box, they might not like it or feel uncomfortable entering. Mini pigs do not like slippery surfaces. You must ensure that they feel secure standing. Experiment with different litter choices. Some mini pigs have litter preferences and refuse to use litters they don’t like.
You need to be patient and consistent with your piglet, but not harsh.
Mini Pigs Poop Says a Lot About Its Health
Although pig poop isn’t a hot topic, if you are a pig owner, then this is something you should know. Any living thing that eats and drinks must excrete waste products. Knowing the pooping habits of your pig can help you identify a problem early on and treat it so it doesn’t turn into something more serious.
The colour & consistency of faeces can tell you if your mini pig is hydrated enough or even if your pig has eaten something it shouldn’t have. A lack of solid waste or straining to defecate can indicate a possible obstruction in the bowel. The colour of faeces can indicate different things as well.
A pig’s digestive tract contains more bacteria than any other part of the body, so the bowels and bladder must function correctly. A change in bowel movements could be a result of a change in diet, but it could also mean that the body is trying to fight infection.
Never leave your mini pig poop in the yard or anywhere else. Picking up after your piglet is easy if you’re prepared. Always bag it and trash it! Even when no one is watching you!
If you have any further queries about mini pigs poop, don’t hesitate to ask.
Last update on 2023-07-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API