Things You'll Need
Shallow litter box
Pine shavings or newspaper
Unless your pig is confined to your house for long periods of time, it should go outside to potty. This is not always possible, because many pig owners work away from their homes all day. Also, many pigs like to go potty most often at night, when you aren’t awake to take your pig outside. Therefore, using a combination of outdoor and indoor potty training is the best strategy. You’ll be pleased to know that with the right technique, you can potty train your pig in as little as one to five days.
Purchase a shallow litter box that is large enough for you pig to turn around in. Cat litter boxes are usually too deep for pigs to climb into and out of, so try using a plastic sweater box or a pan used for draining water heaters.
Fill the litter pan with pine shavings or line it with newspaper. Never use clumping cat litter, because your pig might eat it. Also, don’t use cedar shavings, because the oils are harmful to your pig.
Place the litter pan in a small, confined and private area in your house. Don’t place the litter next to where the pig sleeps, because pigs won’t go potty near their bed. While potty training, keep your pig confined to the area where its litter is located.
Leave at least one pile of feces in the litter pan. Do not clean the litter too often while potty training your pig. The scent of the feces will remind your pig where it’s supposed to go.
Walk your pig over to the litter box every two hours at the same times each day. Alternate litter pan trips with outdoor potty trips. Praise your pig every time it uses the litter, but don’t reward with food. This will only confuse your pig and alter its natural behaviors.
Confine your pig to the litter area and don’t allow it to roam throughout the house until it is at least six months old. Younger pigs do not yet have complete control over their bodily functions, so they need to stay close to the litter at all times until they’re completely potty trained.
Tips
Although you don’t want to place the litter pan near your pig’s food, you can place it close to the animal’s water bowl. Pigs tend to urinate while they drink water, so place the water dish next to the pan so that the pig has to stand in the litter in order to drink from the water bowl.
If your pig starts to have accidents again after successfully potty training, go through the potty training process from the beginning and confine the pig to the small area.
Warnings
Don’t hit or yell at your pig if it had an accident in the house. Pigs are very intelligent and, like most animals and humans, don’t respond well to negative reinforcement.
References
Writer Bio
Sarah Terry brings over 10 years of experience writing novels, business-to-business newsletters and a plethora of how-to articles. Terry has written articles and publications for a wide range of markets and subject matters, including Medicine & Health, Eli Financial, Dartnell Publications and Eli Journals.
