Rick & Wendy Rogers
20241 Brockman Mill Road
Fiddletown, CA  95629
209-296-2345
e-mail us!
FiddleSong Farm
FiddleSong Farm just would not be
the same without Lucy.
Potbelly pigs make interesting pets.  They are
pretty fun and easy to train, and have individual
personalities. They are clean and don't smell at
all.  They are funny and lovable, but they have
some very special needs that cannot be ignored.
Just like any family pet, when you adopt a pig
into the family, you are committing to provide
care and shelter, good feeding practices, and a
safe haven for the life of this animal.   Potbellies
can live up to fourteen years, and they are
NOT for everybody!
When we adopted Lucy, she was a darling little
squealer!  She weighed about 10 lbs, and quickly
learned to go potty in a litter box provided
especially for her. We made her a salad every
night to go with her special pig chow, and she
LOVED grapes!!!
I didn't have any idea what having a potbelly for
a pet would entail, so AFTER we brought her
home, I got online and started searching the
Internet for all of the helpful hints that I could
find.
Looking back, I wish that we had done a few
things differently, but all in all we did OK,
because Lucy has turned out great!
PLEASE!! If you are considering a pig for a
pet, find all the information that you can
FIRST!! Too many piggies end up at animal
shelters having been neglected or abandoned,
just because their people didn't know what they
were getting into.

Here are a few basic hints:

1.  ALWAYS spay or neuter your piggy!! (We
didn't do this, and BOY are we sorry!)
2. Don't let your pig eat too much.  A pig can
literally eat itself to death very quickly, so be
vigilant about keeping all food products safely
out of your piggy's reach.  Feed in moderation~
a fat pig is unhealthy.
3.  Too hot or too cold is not good!  Potbellies
are tropical animals, so protect them from
extreme temperatures.
4. Watch out for dogs.  Even your own dog
could be your pig's worst enemy. Our dog Jack
is a little jealous of Lucy, so we keep Lucy
separated from the dogs unless they are
supervised.
5.  NEVER REWARD BAD BEHAVIOR
WITH FOOD!  If your pig "snouts" the door
at pig dinner time and you feed her, she will
snout the door every day FOR THE REST
OF HER LIFE. Pigs have a memory like a steel
trap, and they have incredible problem solving
abilities, which leads us to~
6. A gardener with a pig better build her fence
"pig tight".  Lucy checks the garden gate
EVERY time that she walks by it, because one
day I left it unlatched.
7.  When your pig is naughty, TELL HIM!  
Your pig can tell by the tone of voice if you are
unhappy with him.  "LUCY, NO!" stops her in
her tracks, and she thinks about what she is
about to do.  Usually this is enough to change
her mind, unless there is something edible within
her line of sight, then it is:
CHARGE!!! EVERY PIG FOR
HERSELF!!

If you have questions, give us a call!  We would
love to help you :)
Lucy's picture made it to KCRA's
morning show "Picture of the Day"
Here is Lucy demonstrating
the proper pose to assume
when you are using body
language to communicate.  
This clearly says "HELLO!
My pool is empty..."
"AAAHHHH!!! This
feels GREAT!"
"NO NO, GOAT!  Bad GOAT!!  
AAAAHHHH!!
that you put food inside! Merry
Christmas, Lucy.