Photo Credit: @hippothepiggy
Mini pigs are very social animals and love to create relationships with others. Although the animals they socialize with the best are other pigs, they can still get along great with other animals.
So how well do mini pigs get along with other pets? Mini pigs get along great with most animals, but it can be risky having them together with large predator animals such as dogs. This is because large predator animals might not be so tolerable of pig’s aggressive herding behavior.
I have seen mini pigs get along with pretty much every farm animal and pet, but all pigs are different and will have their own personalities. Continue reading below to see which animals a mini pig will get along with and which don’t.
Table of Contents
Which animals do mini pigs get along well with?
- Cats
- Other pigs
- Rabbits
- Horses
- Guinea Pigs
- Chickens
- Sheep
- Goats
- Monkeys
- Lizard
- Turtles
- Birds
Although your mini pig will get along well with these pets, your pig will most likely still test them with their aggressive herding behavior. You never know how this will go down, so I would recommend always be watching when these animals are together. Also, you should separate them when you leave them home alone.
Which animals are risky to have with mini pigs?
- Dogs
- Pretty much every large predator animals
Mini pigs and dogs
Mini pigs and dogs can get along very well, but that is not always the case. It’s always a risk when mixing the two inside a household. I have seen many stories of pigs who have been severely injured and even killed by dogs.
The reason why it is risky is that mini pigs are prey animals and dogs are predators. Your pig will annoy your dog with their aggressive herding behaviors and when that happens, you don’t know how your dog will react.
The number one rule you need to follow if you have both dogs and mini pigs is to never leave them alone together.
It is not impossible to have both, I have seen many mini pigs and dogs get along just fine. My friend has both a mini pig and dog who get along very well as you can see in the image below, but she never leaves them alone together. She doesn’t want to even risk the possibility of a fight happening.
If you do plan on having mini pigs and dogs together, check out this article I wrote about it by clicking here. The article will teach you all you need to know.
Mini pigs and cats
Mini pigs usually get along very well with cats, but very inactive or old cats may ignore your pig. Your cat will be much more tolerable of your pig’s aggressive herding behaviors than dogs will. This means there probably won’t be any ugly fights between the two of them.
The one thing I’ve noticed that cats and mini pigs have in common is their love to be lazy. Both of them will love napping with each other. Although mini pigs are generally more active, they still love their sleep.
Mini pigs and rabbits
Mini pigs usually get along very well with rabbits. The one thing I would say though is if your rabbit is very young and small, I would keep them separated most of the time. I have seen a pig bite a chunk out of a rabbit because the rabbit could not get away on time when the pig got aggressive.
Mini pigs and horses
Mini pigs get along well with horses, but generally, they will ignore each other. One problem that you might face is horses eat a lot of grass and pigs tend to root up grass. Along with that, your pig will root many holes that your horse may trip in.
Mini pigs and chicken
Mini pigs and chickens make great companions. This article here shows all of the benefits of having the two together.
One thing that I noticed was a good tip is that a pig will protect your chickens from predator animals if you keep the two together all the time. Although pigs are prey animals themselves, they are big enough that there aren’t many predator animals that will attack them.
Also, you will only have to fence in one area for both your pig and chickens to stay. This will save a lot of money.
Mini pigs and guinea pigs
Mostly these two pets will be living separate from each other, but it is safe for them to be together. Because guinea pigs are so small, it will discourage your pig from any aggressive behavior. This is because your pig already knows they are the dominant one in the herd.
But just like any pet that you bring in with a mini pig, there’s always the chance of something bad happening, so I would advise you to always watch when the two are together.
How to introduce your pig to another animal
You want to make this a slow process. Especially if the pig is young, they will be very nervous about meeting other animals.
Hold your mini pig and let them just get a feel for your other animal. If your pig cannot or doesn’t like to be held, use some kind of barrier instead. Do this for around 2 to 3 days, and once they seem to be getting comfortable with each other, let them meet face to face.
Usually, they will just sniff each other at first. After every day, you will see their relationship grow until they are best friends.
What if your pig doesn’t like your other animals?
If your pig seems to not want to socialize with your other animals, they may just need time. Pigs need to have social interactions with others to be happy so usually it is just a case of your pig being very nervous.
There’s no way to force it. You just are going to have to wait, but I’m sure that they will eventually get along just fine.