Oh geez--how terrible! :( I'm so sorry this happened. Why do people who don't actually own the animals insist on feeding them things?! Keeping my fingers crossed and sending 'get well piggies!' thoughts their way. It sounds like you are already doing everything you can, I can't add any advice. Velvet ~:>

I use dog poo in my compost pile and it decomposes very quickly just as I would imagine pig poo will. I say use it, albeit rather smelly. Use lots of leaves, grass clippings or compost to cover it up in the pile to reduce the odor.

I had 2 boys and a girl, but I would think two females would get along fine. Make sure you get her fixed NOW!! I didn't know that my girl needed to be fixed when young, and wasn't able to get her fixed later. It's a very complicated operation for a pig, and when they get older and fatter, it's too difficult. If you don't get her fixed, she'll go into heat about every 3 weeks and it's awful. Complete personality change. They become aggressive and hump everything that moves. They will literally not leave you alone and chase you. They're small pigs compared to farm pigs, but still average at about 100 lbs, so having a 100 lb pig chasing you, attacking you and humping you constantly for several days every 3 wks is no fun. The boys have to be fixed. They are not fit to be pets if they aren't. They smell constantly. They're much more aggressive. Their tusks grow faster. And they hump nonstop. They're in a constant state. Now, I know what you're going to say - - that most males are - - but I mean CONSTANTLY. :) You have to be careful not to overfeed them bc it puts too much stress on their little legs and they become "fat blind" and generally unhealthy. Harleybabe was about 110, Rudy about 85, and Pudge was the big boy at 150, but that is a healthy weight for his frame. (He's still a young'n in pic above) Once she begins to trust you more, if you scratch her, she'll be your best friend for life!! They LOVE to be scratched. I buy those rubber handheld things with nubbies on them that are used for horse grooming and scratch the pigs with those. They stand real still, their mohawk goes up, and suddenly, BAM, they flop to the ground in a state of bliss, waiting for a belly rub. It's hilarious. Providing browse? I'm not sure. Did you see that on 9 sites? Only thing I can think of is browsing room. Sadly, a lot of people would get potbellies as pets, and try to keep them - alone - in small spaces. They need room to run around outside and graze and preferably a herd mate. You'll read lots of stories of people who became disillusioned in their pigs bc 1) they got big when backyard breeders dishonestly marketed them as mini pigs that would stay small (no such thing) 2) they became aggressive from being in confined, unnatural for them, small quarters 3) owners did not take the time to learn about their needs as pigs bc they're completely different from cats or dogs. I've spent a lot of time reading about them; I still do. One more thing -- as soon as she's letting you close, make sure you start trimming her hooves now while she's young, so she's used to it and will let you continue to do it. Really important. If their hooves aren't trimmed properly, they grow sideways and the poor pigs can become lame as a result. I'm attached another link for you. It's a Yahoo Group that you should join. A little on the chatty side, but still very informative. Well, GW won't let me link it, but you can find it in Yahoo Groups - "Pig Info and Chat" Kisses to Porkahontas, Betsy

These are the only Dave stories that I know that are about pets; well except for his giant dog Bruiser. Bruiser showed up at the house one day, gaunt & stinky & with a haunted look in his eyes. Dave lived in the country, so there was no 'animal control'; you had to call the county sheriff's department. Dallas County told him that rabies was rampant that summer (it always is) & that all strays, as well as all wildlife about which they received a complaint, were being shot on site. They told him that he could shoot the dog or they could come out & do it. Have I mentioned that Dave was a rough-&-tumble macho guy? He had killed deer for the table, & he had guns in the house, but he put that dog in his truck & drove to the vet. Vet said there was nothing wrong with the dog that soap, water, & groceries wouldn't fix. Dave named the dog, had him bathed, dipped, & vaccinated & took him home & fed him all he'd eat. Bruiser got healthy & his hair became thick & shiny & sleek. & it turned out that this dog, who had been so skinny that he looked like a hound mix, was probably part Mastiff & part pit bull. In his prime, he weighed over 150 pounds. He & Dave loved each other. Bruiser slept in the bed with Dave unless Dave's granddaughter Alicia, a petite little girl of 3 at the time, was spending the night. When she came over, the dog abandoned Dave & slept with Alicia. Bruiser patrolled his territory, kept out all threats such as dogs & mail carriers, & allowed no one near Dave without Dave's okay. & Alicia grew up, I guess, as secure as any child can be. The Secret Service couldn't have done a better job. As I've mentioned before, Dave was a totally macho guy, & he'd never had Bruiser n-e-u-t-e-r-e-d. When the dog was abour 14, he began to have some kind or pain or discomfort & he started limping. If I ever knew what the diagnosis was, I've forgotten. but the cure was, you guessed it, castration. It took Dave about 3 weeks of soul-searching, self-torment, gnashing of teeth, tearing of hair, & griping, usually loudly, to everybody else about it, but Bruiser's obvious pain & the misery in his eyes finally got to Dave & he had the operation done. & it worked! Bruiser out-lived Dave; he was bereft at first, but it seemed to help him when he moved in with Alicia & her parents & could continue to do his job as a guardian. This post was edited by sylviatexas on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 16:12