Pet Owners Squealing Over Mini Piggies

Oct. 18, 2009— -- Miniature pigs, micro pigs, mini piggies or teacups. However you want to say it, these itty-bitties are the latest pet craze to hit Britain.

The micro pink cuties no longer are just your county fair blue-ribbon prize winners. Micro pigs have taken wannabe pet owners by storm.

Move over Chihuahuas and Yorkies, these teacup-size oinkers have become competition to the already popular toy puppies.

Only three pounds at birth, micro pigs will reach 25 to 55 pounds by adult maturity -- a similar weight to adult pugs.

Mini piglets are barely three inches tall and are tiny enough to fit snugly in a tote around town. But as adults they will mature to reach between 10 to 15 inches, much like a small beagle.

"They make excellent pets and are easily housebroken," according to Tanglewood Farm, a miniature pig farm in Canton, Ga. "They are not finicky eaters, don't bark and rarely shed. Their tremendous intelligence and amiable nature are quickly making them a strong contender as America's favorite house pet."

With the H1N1 virus on the spread, swine are getting a bad name. But breeders say a person cannot catch the H1N1 virus from pigs. In fact, these tiny friends have hair rather than fur, making them less troublesome to allergy sufferers than many dog breeds, according to the Los Angeles Times.