U.S. Pet Owners Going Hog Wild for Pint-Sized Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs

“Sparky” may be the trendy new house pet of the ‘90s.

He won’t bite the mail carrier or howl at the moon. He’s bigger than a cat but smaller than a Doberman.

He doesn’t shed, smell or claw the furniture, and prefers a tidy litter box to the living room rug. He’ll walk on a leash, swim, fetch or just sit and watch TV.

And the worst thing you can say about him? Well, he’s a pig. A Vietnamese potbellied pig.

These pygmy porkers have become popular pets in the last couple of years, despite hefty prices, ranging from about $1,500 for a neutered male to $35,000 for a pregnant female.

Pig owners boast that their pets learn quickly and have sunny dispositions. They don’t get really big--full-grown, they weigh between 20 and 150 pounds (as compared to hogs, which can weigh half a ton). But right now, just about the only way to acquire a Vietnamese potbelly is to get plugged into the nationwide breeders’ network.

That’s where Sparky’s owner, Kris Bryant, comes in.

Bryant breeds and sells Vietnamese potbellied pigs through her company, Paradise Pigs, and keeps her customers updated on pig care and feeding through a homey newsletter.

(From a recent issue: “It has been brought to my attention that some of you are unsure of how much to feed your piggies, and some are even letting them ‘pig out’ (pun intended).”)

Bryant is also about to launch Pet Pig Update, which she bills as “the first magazine devoted to miniature pet pigs!” And she was recently elected to the board of the newly formed North American Potbellied Pig Assn., with headquarters in Columbia, Mo.

As one of a handful of Vietnamese potbellied pig breeders, Bryant is particularly concerned about keeping the animals’ bloodlines pure while not inbreeding them. Virtually all the Vietnamese potbellies in the United States are descended from a group of 18 brought in through Canada in 1983 by Keith Connell.

There are several pig registries nationwide that certify how closely related the animals are to the original group. But Bryant says some breeders--anxious to cash in on the growing market--cross their Vietnamese potbellies with other strains. The resulting pigs are not as small or good-tempered or healthy as the real thing, she says.

Bryant got interested in the pint-sized pigs by accident; she had been trying to get a skunk to keep her cat company and applied for several exotic animal permits.

“Once I got all the permits, I was on mailing lists and I started getting ads for zebras and giraffes and things,” she said in a recent interview. “I just was watching the pigs in those trade magazines. And I really liked the idea because, well, pigs just make really great pets but they’re also a pet that anybody can have. Most of the pets that are unusual you can’t have unless you have a farm. The pigs you can have in an apartment.”

Bryant speaks from experience. Until recently, she had been breeding pigs in a two-bedroom condo in suburban Rockville, and at one point had 23 of them. But she and her husband, Jeb, are moving to Durango, Colo., where they will raise pigs and other exotic animals on a farm. Their breeding pigs are already there.

In the meantime, the Bryants and Sparky are sharing quarters with a ferret, a tabby cat, a tank of goldfish in the house and, oddly, a bathtub filled with more fish outside on the balcony.

During a visit, 4-month-old Sparky trundled around the living room and grunted softly before hopping on the couch to snuggle up. He weighs about 15 pounds and feels like a bristly, wiggly football with a warm, rubbery snout.

Bryant can’t say enough good about her pigs, but she confessed that they have two weaknesses: food and telephones.

Pigs will overeat, so Bryant recommends a strict diet of mini pig chow. They also like treats like peanuts, raisins and fruits.

As for the telephone, Bryant said: “They like to knock it off the hook and push the buttons. It’s cute but it’s annoying.”

Bryant has a U.S. Department of Agriculture permit to breed the pigs but she said no special permission was needed in Montgomery County to keep them as pets. However, some localities classify all pigs as livestock, so it’s important for would-be owners to make sure that they can keep pigs as pets.