#ctpr

centraltexaspigrescue: FACT FRIDAY!!! It's time to talk again about Breeder Specific Terms (those sneaky half-truths that breeders use to get you to buy their pigs)!

SIZE: "Same size as a medium dog/cocker spaniel/bulldog." "No taller than 14/16 inches." Pigs are very dense animals and breeders won't highlight this. Franklin weighs 110lbs, double the weight of a typical bulldog but his dimensions are roughly the same. A healthy adult mini pig will typically weigh 80-250lbs. Comparing dogs to pigs is like comparing apples to oranges.

DIET: "When kept to/fed my correct diet." "When given my special diet." These "diets" are starvation, not a special formula that only the breeder knows. There is NO such thing as a “micro/teacup” pig, they are starving pigs. They might stay smaller but they will have lasting impacts on their health and typically die quite young. No healthy adult pig is 35lbs, if you have a size limit a pig is not the right pet for you.

"ADOPTION": This pops up on a lot of breeder websites to make buyers feel good about buying their product. Any pig bred to be sold is a product and is in no way, shape or form an "adoption." It's just a trick to make you feel like you are saving a pig; a pig that was bred and born to make money for the breeder and provide them with an income. It's sugar coating the situation to entice buyers.

If you have a soft spot for pigs, or for animal rescues, please consider contributing to the campaign they’re running to help support the intake care for these rescued pigs. These animals had no one, were unloved and starved, and now they are in the care of some of the most caring, loving pig parents out there.

They’re trying to raise over $90k to cover the intake cost of all of these animals. Here’s a breakdown that’s also provided on the fundraiser’s page:

Initial Vetting, Supplements, and Vaccinations - Minimum $200/pig ($24,400 total estimated cost for 122** pigs)

Neuter of Male Pigs - Average $175/pig ($7,875 average estimated cost for 45 male pigs)

Spay of Female Pigs - Average $600/pig ($52,800 average estimated cost for 88 female pigs)

(The ** indicates that they initially took in 133 pigs but lost 11 of the special needs piglets due, unfortunately, to the horrible situation they were born into)