Pigs are extraordinary animals; they are fast, smart, and great eaters. But sometimes, they will develop a behavior that might make things difficult for us to interact with them. Let me explain.
If you constantly deal with pigs, you will notice that some of them might try to bite your hands or your fingers. This type of behavior can be dangerous, especially if you have kids around; in this article, I explain the reason why pigs do this and how to fix it.
Do pigs bite? When pigs have aggressive behavior, they can definitely bite, but they will also do it out of thin air. This behavior will usually develop during a young age, and the reason for this is that they associate your hands or fingers with food.
As soon as you see your pigs biting, you should try to hold their snout, and if your pigs are grown, you can take it to another level, try holding their snout and giving them a push.
They will associate biting your hands with having to deal with a negative consequence.
Doing this won’t hurt your pigs, but it will teach them an important lesson. And this is the right thing to do, especially if you’re dealing with a pet pig.
Why Do Pigs Try to Bite You?
As you know, pigs don’t have good sight, so when you constantly feed them with your hands, they will start to associate your hands with food.
They might see your hands and think there might be food there, so they will try to bite.
This is why it’s important not to let your children feed the pigs with their hands, especially a grown pig.
Any treats you are trying to feed, just put them on the ground next to them, and they will surely eat them.
But it will also be a good idea to train your pigs, so they learn to feed from your hands without biting you.
And this is done as I previously explained, correcting them as soon as they bite you. I will still suggest not letting your kids feed the pigs from their hands but training them will add an extra safety precaution.
This should be done, especially if you have pet pigs, as you will spend a lot of time with them.
What Happens If Pigs Bite You?
It depends on the type of bite, small pigs can bite you, and it will hurt, but it usually is not something critical.
Bigger size pigs can produce deeper injuries in which case you will need to check yourself with the doctor.
And it is important to check yourself with the doctor after a pig has wounded you since they can pass bacterial infections which are caused by the bite.
Can Pigs Bite Your Fingers Off?
Yes, if a pig has aggressive behavior it can definitely bite your fingers off; this is why it’s recommended that kids don’t feed the pigs directly from their hands.
It is best to put the food on the floor for the pig to pick up.
But if you have a pet pig that doesn’t have aggressive behavior nor the intention to bite you, then there’s nothing to worry about.
Do Pet Pigs Bite?
Yes, a pet pig can bite if he’s trying to get food from your hands or if the pet pig has some type of aggressive behavior.
It’s important to correct this, especially since this is your pet, and you’re spending lots of time with him.
Can Pigs Bite through Bones?
Yes, the bite of pig can be quite strong, so they can definitely bite through bones. Such an injury will require you to go to the hospital and get the help you need.
They will also check for infection and provide you with the necessary treatments.
Why Do Pigs Bite Each Other?
Pigs can establish social ranks, so when you introduce a new pig into a group, there may be some aggression between them, so yes, lots of biting.
This type of behavior can take several days until the hierarchy is established.
How to Stop a Pig from Biting?
You will have to show them that there are consequences for trying to bite you.
There are many techniques you can use; one of them is holding their snout and giving them a push. This way, you will show them who the boss is.
Another method is to isolate the pig immediately after he manifests this type of behavior.
How to Prevent Tail Biting in Pigs?
You have to start with the basics, which is to make sure the pigs are healthy, with lots of food, water, ventilation, proper temperature, and stocking density.
The lack of this basic necessity will stress the pigs, and they will become aggressive.
You can also isolate any particular pig that is developing this behavior and train him not to do it.
And the problem usually originates in what I previously mentioned.
Conclusion: Do Pigs Bite?
Yes, pigs can get into the habit of biting people’s fingers; this behavior occurs because pigs will assume your hands have some type of food. This behavior needs to be corrected, especially if you have kids interacting with the pigs.
One of the methods that are used to correct this type of behavior is holding the snout of the pig. If it’s a piggle, for a grown pig you can hold the snout and give him a push. They don’t like this, so they will start to associate biting your hands with having to deal with you holding their snout.
Now, this type of training can take time, so it’s important to be consistent when it comes to correcting this behavior or any other.
But you’re basically teaching them to respect you, so you need to be strict and consistent.
It’s also important to consider if your pigs have some type of aggressive behavior, which in this case is not that they just want to take the food from your hands, but there could be a deeper problem. Take the time to observe how your pig behaves with other pigs and humans.
Having an aggressive pig can be quite dangerous, so it’s important to correct it, especially if you have small children or other pets.