Whether it's a cat, dog or rabbit, most pets start out cute when they're young but that doesn't mean they'll stay that way forever. That's especially the case when it comes to the so-called "teacup pigs" with owners finding out the hard way that it's all a load of hogwash.
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00:00This is a haven for animals like few others and the home of more than 100 pigs.
00:09We are at Contented Pig Inn in Woodside, New South Wales.
00:13The Contented Pig Inn is essentially a refuge for pigs that need a home, whether they be
00:19pigs that have been neglected or abandoned.
00:24Or have just grown to a size much bigger than their owners thought possible.
00:27I think it's the biggest misconception though.
00:30People think a mini pig is going to be the size of Sylvester who is a ten week old piglet.
00:36And he's got four years of growing ahead of him.
00:39A mini pig or a miniature pig is pretty much an umbrella term.
00:43In my experience I've seen owners give me pigs or bring me pigs that are 100 to 150 kilograms
00:51and they were advertised to them as being a miniature pig.
00:54A miniature pig in reality in Australia is at least 70 kilos or more.
00:59Some pigs have been surrendered after growing into full size 300 kilogram hogs.
01:04The situation is made even worse when they're advertised as so called teacup pigs, a breed
01:10that doesn't actually exist.
01:11Teacup pigs is more of a myth.
01:14Pigs will always grow to be larger than that size.
01:17Some pigs are even being deliberately underfed to keep their size down before sale.
01:21So this is Belly. She came to us as a very malnourished and unwell pig. She was so skeletal. We couldn't touch her. She was in pain.
01:34After being put on a normal diet, Belly has grown into a healthy sow, but not without challenges.
01:40If somebody's going to adopt a pig, I would recommend doing a lot of research first-hand.
01:48Go visit sanctuaries, their behaviour. It can be very different. They aren't dogs.
01:54There are very different behaviours between animals.
01:57Get that right and they'll be happy as a pig in Woodside.