The smartest person in England has bred a new kind of pet pig, one that fits in the palm of your hand! Chris Murray's Pennywell Miniature pigs recently gave birth to eight piglets at his farm in Devon. According to this article on abcnews.com, Murray wanted a kind of pig "that children can enjoy giving...a cuddle." Hmm....creepy.
This is where the meat for those tiny little sandwiches they serve at tea time comes from...
Anyhoo, Murray is trying to sell them in pairs so they always have a companion and claims that they are easy to house train. He just sold a couple to some British celebrity that we've never heard of at about $150 US (1.5 UK Pounds) a pop.
The little porkers can live up to 14 years
How long until Paris Hilton has one of her own? Tiny pigs...that's hot.
Special thanks to Mark "the Stork" Devito for bringing this to our attention.
More mini pig pics below the fold...
Comments
Don't let my Labrador Retriever know about these little pork snax...she'll be pestering me for "fresh Snausages on the hoof".
The While You Are Gone CD would pale in comparison.
Posted by: Barn Owl | March 3, 2008 8:45 PM
Cute. I didn't see anything that said how big they were when full-grown though.
Posted by: Tara C. Smith | March 3, 2008 8:50 PM
I want a pair!
Posted by: Holly | March 3, 2008 10:23 PM
No, this too unreal to be real. I never thought a pig could be cute, but these baby mini pigs are kitten and puppy level cute. Even the little snouts are cute.
Posted by: Mark Powell | March 4, 2008 2:15 AM
The minipigs were not originally bred as pets - they are very valuable lab test animals, actually. For some physiology models pigs are very close to humans - more so than monkeys. Except that normal pigs grow too big to be handled in the vivarium.
My mom was working at Academy of Science headquarters in Prague. They had a mishap in 80s, at the Institute of Virology: The scientists there did not want a good meat to go to waste. They held secret BBQs, using the mini-porkers from the control group. It was a great internal tradition - And one day someone managed to spread a very contagious infection into the control group. It was not discovered until the whole research group came down with a vicious porcine virosis, all aparently after the BBQ (I am not sure what happened to these unfortunate folks but most likely they had to be put down :)
Posted by: milkshake | March 4, 2008 3:10 AM
$150 is about 75 pounds. I know the dollar is weak, but I'm sure 150 bucks is worth more than a newspaper and packet of chewing gum.
Posted by: V Profane | March 4, 2008 8:29 AM
You clearly are not familiar with the most recent dollar fluctuations and current facetious exchange rate.
Posted by: Andrew | March 4, 2008 10:34 AM
I'm torn between thinking they're cute, and thinking they look like Elf or Vulcan fetuses.
Posted by: Barn Owl | March 4, 2008 3:12 PM
My poor guinea pig will be furious. I prefer my pets covered in fur though. Pigskin weirds me out.
Posted by: Robot Cartoons | March 4, 2008 3:25 PM
mini-warthogs would be cool... mini-giraffes would be even better
Posted by: Andrew | March 4, 2008 3:41 PM
Hmmm, I bought a pot-bellied pig in 1994. I was assured she would never ever exceed 40lbs fully grown. She's now a trim 110lbs. Some are 300+. Don't ever believe what the breeders tell you, it's in their interest to LIE!!!!
They were "the pets of the future" then. I guess everything that's old becomes new again. Pigs are smarter than any cat of dog (and probably some people as well). They get into trouble that would never occur to a dog. They can be affectionate and are social critters. They have their own, well pig-headed nature. They keep at something for hours until they figure it out, particualrly if there's a potential for food involved. They are intelligent sensitive creatures with long memories and become very attached to their people.
I applaud the breeder for selling them in pairs, selling them alone is cruel.
Posted by: Sonny | March 4, 2008 4:30 PM
Andrew, Benny... My birthday's coming up ;)
Posted by: Sheril R. Kirshenbaum | March 4, 2008 5:03 PM
must. have. mini. piggy.
Posted by: km | March 4, 2008 5:40 PM
I was just informed by a friend of mine (who immediately called the English farm upon reading our post) that there is currently a two year waiting list to purchase a mini pig. We need a way to produce them faster. Now I know that puppy farms are evil places, but in this case, a mini pig factory might be appropriate...I'm just saying.
Posted by: Benny | March 4, 2008 5:57 PM
I'll take 50 pairs please. I'll harness them all and have them pull me around on a chariot. That would be sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Posted by: tincture | March 4, 2008 6:09 PM
I had something to say, but as comments are moderated for spam, forget it.
Posted by: imp | March 4, 2008 6:17 PM
Pigletta would be a good name. Po Boy (as in the swamich) would be a good name for a boy pig. Maybe I could train them to hop in and run around in a hogey bun?
Pat
Posted by: pat k. | March 4, 2008 6:33 PM
I can't wait to eat that mini pig...
Posted by: Benny | March 4, 2008 6:37 PM
wonder what kind of health problems these genetically engineered creatures (and their owners) will face.
Posted by: firck | March 4, 2008 7:33 PM
In support of my hypothesis, which is mine, that is to say it belongs to me, that "Miniature pigs = Elf fetuses", I present Exhibit A, Hugo Weaving as Elrond of Rivendell:
OINK! Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo OINK!
Posted by: Barn Owl | March 4, 2008 7:41 PM
I keep hoping someone will develop a perma-kitten.
Posted by: Monado | March 4, 2008 8:27 PM
Monado said:
Yes. Perma-kitten, -puppy, -joey, -baby elephant, etc, would be the best thing ever.
Posted by: tincture | March 5, 2008 3:49 AM
Hmmm
Plate sized pig. Yum.
Posted by: Dr Duck | March 5, 2008 6:54 AM
I'm not sure we should be genetically modifying animals -- screwing with nature on a DNA-level-- so to speak. Having said that, damn, they're cute.
Posted by: Todd | March 5, 2008 9:30 AM
These pigs haven't been genetically engineered -- their natural DNA has been screwed with as humans have done for many thousands of years, via selective breeding.
Posted by: Tulse | March 5, 2008 11:21 AM
Demand will rise shortly after the release of the latest cute pig movie, which is due out sometime soon. For the record, I like the cute pig movies. The commenter who mentioned the details in pig behavior got it right though. They are too smart/destructive to be housepets. That'll do pig.
Enjoy.
Posted by: Tim Fuller | March 5, 2008 11:36 AM
Cute, yes.
But I don't really understand the desire for perma puppies/kittens/baby animals. Yes, they are endearing, cute, entertaining, but surely even more interesting and joyful is watching them grow up to be adults of their species. I like kittens, but if they never grew up, we would miss out on all the marvels of cats.
Posted by: Bee | March 5, 2008 11:44 AM
Companion animals are already neotenous relative to their ancestral species (adult dogs have many of the characteristics of juvenile wolves, and the same is true for adults cats and their wild precursors). So in a sense we already have "perma-puppies" and "perma-kittens".
Posted by: Tulse | March 5, 2008 12:05 PM
"Perma-kittens" were mentioned in a science-fiction short story once and I'm amused to see it almost coming true. We now have miniature horses and pigs as well as "toy" dogs like Yorkies that sell for thousands of dollars. Other than that, I agree with Bee:
The point in the story of permanently small animals was that it's wasteful to feed a full-sized one. If we had a true sense or proportion we'd get rid of our pets and send the money and food to starving children. Along with the corn used to fatten meat animals and that used to make ethanol for fuel (another price-support scam).
Posted by: Monado, FCD | March 5, 2008 3:05 PM
I would love to have a pair, my grand-daughter wants to enter them at the fair.
too cute!
Posted by: Lisa Entrekin | March 5, 2008 3:40 PM
Awesome! Though I still prefer kittens.
Posted by: brtkrbzhnv | March 5, 2008 8:38 PM
"Perma-kitten, -puppy, -joey, -baby elephant, etc, would be the best thing ever."
Welcome to Neoteny Overload! No, waitaminnit, that website already exists, but it's called Cute Overload. Which is going to get this link via email as soon as I finish typing here.
Posted by: themadlolscientist | March 6, 2008 1:14 AM
I'll stick with my feathered friends, thanks.
Posted by: Tlazolteotl | March 6, 2008 4:30 PM
BEWARE! My mom got one a while ago and the males are impossible to potty train! Also, they are not completely domesticated and many can be very difficult to catch and hold once they are older.
Posted by: OMM0910 | March 7, 2008 12:37 PM
Speaking as someone who worked on a pig farm for 5 years, I suspect the pigs in the pictures are all newborns. They look that way for about a week, and look like Babe for maybe a month or two. Also, many domestic pigs will continue to grow bigger, not just fatter, as long as they have sufficient food. You can only limit their size by limiting their food. Also, pigs are independent. If you can enjoy watching them grow up and do their own thing, go for it, but don't expect them to act like Labradors in piglet suits.
Posted by: Suidae | March 7, 2008 5:12 PM
> mini-giraffes would be even better
Alpacas look a bit like mini-giraffes, and make great pets.
Posted by: Jason | March 8, 2008 7:32 AM
Jen would like a tiny pig. To keep in her pocket.
Also, tincture, you stole my idea!
I wouldn't be averse to a mini-giraffe either. Something that gets to be about 5'2 would be just about right.
Posted by: Jenbug | March 8, 2008 11:27 AM
A small dog is great because you can take it everywhere. In the USA, I smuggle my 3lb Yorkie in. She's very well-trained (uses a litterbox if I'm not home to let her out in the yard) and if I put her in my lap and cover her with a shawl, she'll sit there for hours.
Europe is much saner about dogs. In fact, I not only take my dog to France, where she's welcomed in cafes and fine restaurants, I took her to the Human Behavior & Evolution Society Conference in Berlin. She was perfectly behaved, as usual, although she has never heard applause before, and it scared her. So, after Dawkins gave the keynote address, and everyone clapped, you could hear a Yorkshire terrier barking. It was very cute.
Posted by: Amy Alkon | March 8, 2008 2:19 PM
I keep hoping someone will develop a perma-kitten.
There are such things as "teacup cats", (small enough to sit on a hand or shoulder). IIRC, they're not recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association, specifically because the CFA was horrified by the breeding hazards stemming from the 100-1 size variation in dog breeds.
Posted by: David Harmon | March 8, 2008 6:04 PM
There is already a mini pig.
They are called Pygmy hogs, a spiecies of pig from N India, sie of hare, tuskless and docile.
They are cute.
They breed well in captivity.
They are one of the worlds rarest mammals, though, believed to be less than 200 left.
Posted by: Tengu | March 9, 2008 2:05 PM
Oh, how qyoooooot! Not.
They look like a freakin' nightmare. Just what we need, more formerly-healthy animals turned into toys for stupid people.
The guy who's creating them is a major creep. The people who buy them are not animal lovers.
Posted by: Hank Fox | March 9, 2008 2:07 PM
Why do you assume they're not healthy? Do you assume dogs and cats are unhealthy because we've bred them to be conveniently-sized pets?
Posted by: Gretchen | March 9, 2008 2:26 PM
where can I get one?
Posted by: gena longoria | March 11, 2008 2:04 AM
I own a chinese mini pig and I keep her inside. The breeder said she can get up to about 20 lbs. But my question is can they jump? She used to jump up on the couch but she doesn't anymore. Does anyone know?
Posted by: jill | March 20, 2008 1:48 PM
They r sooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jessica | April 7, 2008 6:09 PM
where can i ge one on these pigs from ??
Posted by: Zoe | April 9, 2008 3:50 PM
Although i am tempted to get one for everyone i know, there is something slightly odd about the whole thing...........
Posted by: jo | May 5, 2008 7:11 AM
Dr Duck, you disgust me. Do animals lives have any less value than ours????? I don't think so!!! As a vegetarian, I say, These piglets were NOT meant to be slaughtered!!! There were meant to run and play! What was the world come to???
Posted by: Abigail | May 11, 2008 2:44 PM
Milkshake,
They got what they deserved for abusing poor helpless animals!!
Posted by: Vicky | May 11, 2008 2:47 PM