If your reading this, you’ve probably seen many adorable tiny pigs such as the one in the image above. Let me just tell you that no healthy pig will stay that small forever! Many breeders have used terms such as teacup and micro pigs to try to manipulate you to think that they will stay really tiny, but those are not real breeds and the average size of an adult mini pig is actually 90 pounds and 18 inches tall (around the size of a large dog). Some even grow to 150 pounds or more. Click here to see examples of how big mini pigs get.
So which breed is the smallest pig breed? Technically the smallest pig breed is a Juliana pig as they weigh only 35 to 55 pounds and are 10 to 16 inches tall when fully grown (around the size of a medium-sized dog), but there are actually very few purebreds left in the world and they are not available to get as pets (data is from the Cincinnati Zoo).
Many breeders may say they are selling Juliana pigs, but they are never pure Juliana pigs (Usually a mixed breed with a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig). No healthy pig you buy from a breeder or adopt will be 35 to 55 pounds when fully grown.
What is the smallest pig breed that you can have as a pet?
As I stated before, teacup and micro pigs are not real breeds, but there are some breeds of pigs that will stay significantly smaller than farm pigs. The smallest pig breed that you can have as a pet is a Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig. Pretty much every pig labeled as a mini pig is a mixed breed of mostly a Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig and some other breed. A healthy Vietnamese pot-bellied pig will grow between 70-150 pounds (usually they are slightly heavier than a German Shepheard but shorter).
Most of the time a mini pig and a pot-bellied pig are the same thing, as a mini pig is just a category of pig breeds which the most popular being a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. So when you adopt or purchase a mini pig (even one labeled as a Juliana pig), it’s usually a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig or some mix-breed that involves mostly Vietnamese pot-bellied in them.
Why are some breeders labeling their pigs as Juliana pigs if you cannot get them as pets?
There is a registry for Juliana pigs that pretty much allows any pig that looks like a Juliana pig and has somewhat smaller parents to be registered as one. Some breeders may use this registry to sell you pigs that they call Juliana pigs. Although they are registered as a Juliana pig, it would be extremely rare that any are purebred. They will still reach the same size as a normal mini pig, the only difference is that they will just look similar to a Juliana pig because they probably have some Juliana in their DNA.
If you want to find out more about this, check out this article here.
Why are some breeders promising they sell pigs that will stay tiny forever?
Some breeders may even promise you that their pigs won’t grow over 50 pounds. Although it is possible, a healthy pig will rarely be that small. Sometimes breeders may purposely do harmful things to their pigs in order to keep them small. The reason they do this is that the smaller the pig is and will be, the more money they can charge you.
Beware of harmful things breeders will do to their pigs to keep them small
Some sketchy breeders malnourish and inbreed their pigs so they won’t grow as large as they should. These pigs will usually always have health problems, usually starting as early as age 1. Many pigs who have these heartbreaking methods done to them only live to around the age of 5, but most healthy mini pigs will live till they are around 18 years old.
Along with the short lifespan, the health problems these mini pigs will face will cost you lots of money towards veterinarian bills. This is why I always recommend adopting a mini pig instead of purchasing one from a breeder. Rescue shelters would never try these awful methods, so it’s always a safer choice (plus it’s cheaper). Many rescue shelters even have piglets for sale as well.
Always make sure to read feeding instructions from the food bag or from a trustworthy source (breeders are not trustworthy). Check out my article about feeding your mini pig by clicking here. The reason you would want to do this is that some breeders will purposely give you false feeding instructions to underfeed your pig so they do not grow to be very large.
How long does it take a pig to grow fully?
This is different in all pigs, but most mini pigs (including pot-bellied pigs) will continue growing until they are 3 to 5 years old. By the time they are a one-year-old, expect them to be around 30 to 50 pounds (well past the piglet stage).
Will Juliana pigs ever be available as pets?
it is possible that Juliana pigs will become available as pets, but it is very unlikely. There are very few purebreds left in the world today, so if it would happen, it would be a very long time from now. For now, there are pigs that have some Juliana in their breed, but these pigs won’t be any smaller than a normal mini pig or pot-bellied pig.
Here are some examples of Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs and their size
- 3 years old
- weighs 130 pounds
- 24 inches tall
Hippo lives with a fully grown pit bull terrier. As you can see, he is a decent amount larger, and a pit bull is a pretty large dog.
- 10 years old
- 110 pounds
- 22 inches tall
Duke is a rescue pig and has been living with my friend’s rescue shelter in Arkansas most of his life. Always remember, if you get a pig, they will be alive for over 15 years, so make sure you can take care of them for a very long time.
- 1 and a half years old
- weighs 90 pounds
- 23 inches tall
- 45 inches long
