It really bothers me when people buy animals, just because they think its "cool" to have one and are just basically looking for attention and really don't care about the well being of the animal. Sad to say there are many people like that who will continue to buy from breeders. This whole mini/micro pig situation is just sad. Just the fact that Paris Hilton has one should say a lot. Apparently when she went shopping that week, they didn't have any accessories she liked, so she bought a pig.
There are many animal lovers who are fooled into thinking that the pigs will stay tiny and then when they grow to be a lot larger than they expected, they end up in Sanctuaries. I would like to put all the blame on the people who buy these pigs, but I don't think thats the case. I made the mistake, 12 years ago, of believing the Royal Dandies were tiny pigs. Until I had pigs, I was never in touch with other pig people so really didn't have any of the information that I do today. I saw something about them on the web, got excited about it and went ahead and contacted the breeder. Knowing what I do today, I am really angry with myself for doing that.
When I buy a new appliance for my home, I research it before I buy, yet I was stupid enough back then not to do that for a living being. I love my Royal Dandie and it didn't matter how big he grew, he's 12 now and about 120lbs and I love him as much, if not more, than I did when he was 10lbs. But it does matter to a lot of people. Many because they just don't have the space and many because they can't carry around such a large accessory.
I feel badly for the people who genuinely love their pigs but can't keep them. I have no sympathy whatsoever for those who see them as an accessory or a way to get attention.
Thankfully, today there are way more resources out there for people to get information. Back when I bought my Royal Dandie, doing a search basically only showed up pigs for sale. However, I'm not using that as an excuse for supporting a breeder who lied. I should have taken more time and contacted other pig people and got the entire story. I really hope that with all the resources out there today, people will take the time to learn as much as they can.
Showing posts with label Julianni. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julianni. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Julianni, Micro-Mini, Teacup
Things we hear so often are:
1. I just love pigs
2. I want a pig.
3. I want a small pig
4. I want one that will never get over 30 to 35 lbs.
Why is it that people claim to love the pig and want one for a pet but they don’t want a pig.
They don’t want an animal (pig) that will get dirty; eat their flowers; root up the yard; and they don’t want it to be a normal size. Answer is easy. They want to be in the craze but they really don’t love or want a pig.
So many breeders out there selling their lies and people are buying into them. One is the Julianni pig from Germany commonly called the painted miniature pig. Back in the early to mid 1990's several breeders bred them. But like the Royal White which was a cross between a Swiss Miniature and a potbelly, they grew to be about 300 lbs and people didn’t want them. So the breed died out. Then came the Julianni’s and low and behold they also grew to about 300 lbs. They were a mixture of reds and silvers. Some that started out red, would actually change to a silver color as it matured.
While living in Florida at the time, we were fortunate enough to rescue a couple from Marco Island from an old German man who had brought his breeding stock over from Germany but after awhile when he couldn’t make a lot of money decided to let us place them for him into homes and sanctuaries. To me, they were a very beautiful pig.
Then some breeders got the idea to mix them with the potbelly to get them smaller. That worked for awhile but soon, they too were considered to be to large for the average pig person to want in their homes. Then a breeder up in NY decided to experiment with them and soon produced some spotted Julianni pigs which were smaller. She made a good living selling breeding stock around the US. And so the craze went on. They just needed them smaller so breeder kept line breeding (actually INBREEDING) and marketing them as Julianni pigs. What a lie. They have a lot more potbelly in them then julianni. In fact I doubt that the DNA on them would show any of the original Julianni line in them at all. But, hey, anything to make a buck.
But genes don’t lie and most don’t stay small. Sanctuaries are busting at the seems with this craze for micro mini and Julianni and Teacup piggies. The ones that do remain small usually don’t have a long life span and many develop health issues by the time they mature.
Do these people buying and purchasing them really love the pet pig? Pig lovers love the pig no matter the size or color. They love the companionship they give and to snuggle with them and love on them. Size doesn’t enter the picture. It is time for breeders to STOP the nonsense and to be honest and quit spreading their lies about them.
Just this week we received a call where a man and girl bought on and was sold a special “pig food” made up of mostly bird seed and just a few pig pellets and told to feed it 1/4 cup once or twice a day. When they took it to the vet because it wasn’t thriving like it should, they showed the veterinarian the food. His response was “that is the reason. Throw it out and get miniature pig pellets for this pig.” Now it is running and playing and growing and is a very happy pig. And it is growing normally. Yet if they had not taken it to the veterinarian, it probably would have died from malnutrition. How sad that we stand by and allow breeders to peddle their garbage and lies just to make a buck. And at the expense of the naive person who hasn’t a clue about loving or raising a pig.
Time to get real and quit the nonsense. Time to get the word out. If you want a pig and size matters, then buy a guinea pig, not a Teacup or Julianni micro mini. They do grow up. Or at least most do. So before buying, do your homework. With the Internet, your education on pet pigs in unlimited. Just search for them and read a lot. Visit a sanctuary in your state. Don’t just take a breeders word. They only want your money and they sure don’t love the pet pig.
1. I just love pigs
2. I want a pig.
3. I want a small pig
4. I want one that will never get over 30 to 35 lbs.
Why is it that people claim to love the pig and want one for a pet but they don’t want a pig.
They don’t want an animal (pig) that will get dirty; eat their flowers; root up the yard; and they don’t want it to be a normal size. Answer is easy. They want to be in the craze but they really don’t love or want a pig.
So many breeders out there selling their lies and people are buying into them. One is the Julianni pig from Germany commonly called the painted miniature pig. Back in the early to mid 1990's several breeders bred them. But like the Royal White which was a cross between a Swiss Miniature and a potbelly, they grew to be about 300 lbs and people didn’t want them. So the breed died out. Then came the Julianni’s and low and behold they also grew to about 300 lbs. They were a mixture of reds and silvers. Some that started out red, would actually change to a silver color as it matured.
While living in Florida at the time, we were fortunate enough to rescue a couple from Marco Island from an old German man who had brought his breeding stock over from Germany but after awhile when he couldn’t make a lot of money decided to let us place them for him into homes and sanctuaries. To me, they were a very beautiful pig.
Then some breeders got the idea to mix them with the potbelly to get them smaller. That worked for awhile but soon, they too were considered to be to large for the average pig person to want in their homes. Then a breeder up in NY decided to experiment with them and soon produced some spotted Julianni pigs which were smaller. She made a good living selling breeding stock around the US. And so the craze went on. They just needed them smaller so breeder kept line breeding (actually INBREEDING) and marketing them as Julianni pigs. What a lie. They have a lot more potbelly in them then julianni. In fact I doubt that the DNA on them would show any of the original Julianni line in them at all. But, hey, anything to make a buck.
But genes don’t lie and most don’t stay small. Sanctuaries are busting at the seems with this craze for micro mini and Julianni and Teacup piggies. The ones that do remain small usually don’t have a long life span and many develop health issues by the time they mature.
Do these people buying and purchasing them really love the pet pig? Pig lovers love the pig no matter the size or color. They love the companionship they give and to snuggle with them and love on them. Size doesn’t enter the picture. It is time for breeders to STOP the nonsense and to be honest and quit spreading their lies about them.
Just this week we received a call where a man and girl bought on and was sold a special “pig food” made up of mostly bird seed and just a few pig pellets and told to feed it 1/4 cup once or twice a day. When they took it to the vet because it wasn’t thriving like it should, they showed the veterinarian the food. His response was “that is the reason. Throw it out and get miniature pig pellets for this pig.” Now it is running and playing and growing and is a very happy pig. And it is growing normally. Yet if they had not taken it to the veterinarian, it probably would have died from malnutrition. How sad that we stand by and allow breeders to peddle their garbage and lies just to make a buck. And at the expense of the naive person who hasn’t a clue about loving or raising a pig.
Time to get real and quit the nonsense. Time to get the word out. If you want a pig and size matters, then buy a guinea pig, not a Teacup or Julianni micro mini. They do grow up. Or at least most do. So before buying, do your homework. With the Internet, your education on pet pigs in unlimited. Just search for them and read a lot. Visit a sanctuary in your state. Don’t just take a breeders word. They only want your money and they sure don’t love the pet pig.
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