I’m often asked which make better pets, males or females. For a while, most of our clients wanted male babies. Lately more people have wanted females. I know some breeders are cautious because they think people want females because they want to breed. However, finding a breeding male is difficult. Most breeders own their own male. We sell all of our males neutered at 3 weeks old because they make better pets, so the possibility of breeding them doesn’t exist. More about neutering males in another article.

There is a lot of talk about needing to spay females because they have poor temperaments when they are in season. It is true that during their “teen age” period, about 7-10 months =/- they may have a change in temperament when they come in season. That usually ends by the time they mature. Sally, for example, is an unspayed female and we never know when she is in season unless she is around a male. Until Covid, she made regular visits to schools, nursing homes, wineries, festivals and other places and we have never had an incident. They do not bleed and it only lasts about 3 days a month. It is important that during the teen age months you don’t over react. It your pig gets cranky or even a little aggressive, put her outside or in a crate until her period is over. Keep track of the days. If it is hormone related it will follow a pattern and she will outgrow it in a few months. If it isn’t following a pattern, you need to take a good look at what is causing the undesirable behavior and address it.

Most vet research for pigs has been for commercial pigs. They are certainly related to mini/micro pigs, but their environment is completely different. For example, spaying is not something a commercial pig farm would be interested in doing any more than a cattle breeder.  Females who don’t breed are sold for meat. There are very few pet cows, or pet hogs. But mini/micro pigs fall into the pet category and there is interest in spaying. Unfortunately, there has not been much work on the administration of anesthesia in pigs and it is not well established in type or dose. Therefore, it is somewhat risky to spay the females and there is a danger of losing her during the operation. It is not nearly as safe as spaying a dog for example and it can be expensive. There is also a lot of disagreement about the age that is best for spaying. Some vets will spay at a month, while others want to wait until they are 3-6 months old. Some vets wouldn’t spay a female over a year old. This makes the proposition difficult to evaluate. The American Mini Pig registry requires spaying of females before they are sold. This drives the price up needlessly and requires them to be spayed at an age our vet feels is far too young.

Males can be neutered at 3 weeks and should be neutered before they are sold. The older they get the more difficult it is. An un-neutered male by six months old will become amorous to anything he can find, a log, a sofa arm, your leg, a small child….  They also have a strong muck smell that is far better left in the barnyard. Be sure if you purchase a male pig it is neutered before it comes home. There are some problems with neutering discussed in another article, that can be a problem and it is often $150-$200 for the surgery. Like spaying, you have to find a vet with experience who cares for mini pigs.

Some people prefer male dogs, others prefer female dogs. Some breeders price females higher. It’s a matter of perception. Some riders like mares, some like geldings and a few only like stallions. Many of these opinions are based on personal experience. I really couldn’t say which sex is a “better” pet.