Until recently, small domestic pigs, which the owners walked around the city on a leash, caused genuine amazement among passers-by, but today there is nothing unusual in mini-pigs. Those who wish to have such a cute pet open up a wide variety of breeds. A special place among them is occupied by a mini-maialino, which is rightfully considered the smallest in the world.
Mini piggy
History of occurrence
Purposeful breeding of mini-pigs began in Europe in the XNUMXth century. The goals of such selection work differed in each country. Breeders in Germany sought to bring out an exclusively decorative variety. They were based on domestic pigs of the Vietnamese folded belly breed. The females of this breed line were crossed with small wild boars. The resulting breed was officially registered in the XNUMXth century.
In parallel, work was carried out on the “miniaturization” of pigs in the USSR, but small animals were bred by Soviet breeders in Siberia in order to facilitate work in laboratories. Working with a large adult pig is troublesome, it requires constant care, space, and a lot of feed. Therefore, local breeds in the course of selection were reduced to a weight of 50 kg. This result suited the breeders, and further reduction of pigs was not carried out. But, despite the original goals, the Siberian mini pig is often acquired as a pet.
Mini Mayalino pigs are bred in Italy. The creator of their pedigree line was the local breeder Stefano Morigni. Ornamental piglets were so small that they were registered as micro-pigs.
To date, breeders around the world continue to improve the characteristics of the mini-mayalino.
Features
The main feature of the mini-maialino breed and all mini-pigs in general is the small size of the animals. The mass of an adult pig of the Italian variety is only 10 kg with a height of 30 cm. This breed is rightfully considered the smallest in the world and is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
The main feature of mini-pigs is small size
Describing such pets, it is necessary to highlight the following features:
- The life expectancy of a piglet is 12-15 years.
- A smart animal is easy to train, remembering commands in the shortest possible time.
- The pig is clean, it can be quickly accustomed to the toilet.
- The pet has an even and friendly character. There is almost no noise from it. In addition, the mini pig easily finds mutual understanding with other pets and people.
- You can feed mini Mayalino with almost any food. Mumps is omnivorous and not prone to allergic reactions.
Attention! Such pigs are characterized by poor health, so they should be protected from sources of infection, cold and drafts.
Breeds
Mini Mayalino is far from the only breed of mini pigs. In the course of breeding work, it was possible to bring out several varieties of such animals at once, each of which has its own characteristics.
Bergštresser knirt
Bergshtresser knirt is translated from German as “karapuzki”. This type of ornamental piglets is the second largest in the world in its miniature size after the mini-maialino. The weight of an adult pig, as a rule, does not exceed 10 kg, while the weight of a boar is about 15 kg. This variety of pets was bred on the basis of Vietnamese pigs in Germany. Today it is the most popular in Europe.
Animals are distinguished by good-natured character, devotion and cleanliness. Colors can be black, red and variegated.
mini maialino
Mini Mayalino breed
An animal of this breed appeared in Italy. Initially, as in the case of Siberian miniature pigs, it was bred for laboratory research, and only then the breed turned into an exclusively decorative one. But, despite the wide popularity, the number of representatives of this variety of mini-pigs is limited. This is explained by the fact that animals reproduce extremely poorly, and young animals are prone to various diseases due to the weak resistance of the body.
Mini Mayalinos are distinguished by black or variegated colors, while the weight of a newborn baby usually does not exceed 0,5 kg.
Wiesenau
This breed line was also bred in Germany. It got its name in honor of one of the communes of the city of Brandenburg. Unlike the first two breeds, Wiesenau is distinguished by its greater mass and dimensions. The weight of an adult pig can reach 25 kg. Because of this, it is problematic to keep her in the apartment. Most often they are purchased for keeping in private homes.
Wiesenau pigs are distinguished by their black and white color, taut, strong physique. The body is shaped like a square.
This breed of mini-pigs gets along well with other pets and is calm in nature. The pig goes to the toilet exclusively in the allotted place, and with proper education, even left unattended, it will not dig lawns, lawns and other parts of the courtyard.
Wiesenau pigs
Göttingen mini pig
The Göttingen breed line can be conditionally attributed to the number of miniature pigs, since an adult individual reaches 80 or even 100 kg. The main feature of the animal is an irrepressible appetite and promiscuity in food. It eats everything it can reach.
Göttingen mini-pigs are mostly black in color, other colors are much less common. Also a distinctive feature of the breed is high fertility. For one farrowing, a pig brings at least 20 piglets.
Siberian miniature
Representatives of the Siberian variety of mini-pigs reach 50 kg or more. The breed is characterized as frost-resistant. It is accustomed to the harsh Siberian climate, easily tolerates cold, wind and precipitation. They keep such a pig in the yard, in which there is enough space and lawns for grazing.
Such piglets in domestic open spaces were actively bred not only for use in laboratory research, but also as an organ donor for humans.
Feeding
Almost any food is suitable for mini-pigs, but diet planning should still be taken seriously. This will allow you to meet the needs of the baby’s body in nutrients, minerals and vitamins, which will ensure good health and well-being.
It is advisable to make the diet varied. Pig food can include:
- milk, cottage cheese (preferably low-fat);
- porridge from various cereals;
- most fruits and vegetables, including root vegetables;
- meat (veal, chicken, liver);
- fish
When cooking cereals and other foods, spices should be completely excluded from the process. In addition, when feeding, it is important to comply with the indicated portions. Otherwise, the baby will quickly become overweight.
Feeding representatives of the breed
A good addition to the diet in the summer will be green grass. You can tear it to your pet yourself or take it out to pasture in parks and lawns. You also need to provide the mini-pigu with a sufficient amount of clean drinking water.
Attention! Smoked foods, dog and cat food, citrus fruits should not be allowed on the menu. Be sure to give food at the same time, in accordance with the established routine.
Maintenance and care
Like proper feeding, caring for small piglets has its own characteristics. The main ones include the following:
- The animal must be accustomed from the first day of life to a certain place, which the pig will consider its own. It is also necessary to immediately limit the pet if its behavior is not pleasant or interferes with the owner.
- During training and training, you should not make concessions to the piglet and neglect the process as a whole. If a smart pet feels the weakness of the owner, he will constantly use it and thereby oppose learning.
- It is mandatory to take the pig for a walk every day. Physical activity is extremely important for the health of the animal, especially for the baby.
- The pet should be bathed regularly. In this case, unpleasant odors will not come from it.
- Every six months you need to cut the pig’s hooves.
- All valuable items, furniture and clothing should be placed out of the reach of an active baby. Otherwise, he can gnaw, spoil or break them.
- A useful point would be to teach the mini-pig the simplest commands. This will allow him to be restrained and better controlled.
Be sure to teach the piglet to go to the tray from the first day, and it is better to put finely chopped paper or sawdust in the tray as a filler. Do not use cat litter. Often a pig confuses them with food and uses them for other purposes.
Immediately after buying a pet, it is important to take it to the veterinarian. He will carry out the vaccinations necessary for small piglets, assess the general condition of the animal and help to identify possible diseases in time.
Mini-pigs are distinguished by devotion to their owners, affectionate calm character and cute appearance. But it is worth noting that the maintenance of such a pet is a responsible matter that requires compliance with many important points. Therefore, before you start it, you should learn about these animals as much as possible.
