Ready to welcome your new pet pig to your farm? Or, you saw a savage swine in the bushes rummaging around, which got you curious?
If this is the case, fun facts about pigs might interest you.
If you invest in someone, be it your money or your love, it is wise to know everything about it.
Want to expand your knowledge even more about pigs? Our previous blog post on fun facts about pigs offers a comprehensive look into this subject.
This blog will focus on answering how long a pig can live.
Let’s get started!
How Long Can a Pig Live?
Let’s come straight to our question at hand. The lifespans of Pigs vary since they come in varied species. A domestic Pig can live up to 15 to 20 years, while a feral pig can live up to just 6-8 years.
Fun Fact: As per the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest living Pig is a Pet Pig aged 23 Years and 221 days in North America. The Pig is named Baby Jane and is supposed to have received extraordinary pet care from the family.
Different breeds and species of pigs have different lifespans, so to have a general overview, let’s discuss some of the prominent kinds and the time they take to roam around this earth.
1. The Duroc Pig
The Duroc Pigs are the domesticated pig breeds, probably the oldest in the world and prominent in the US. They are excellent pets since they have small, round, and cuddly bodies.
Considering it has a pet lifestyle and is prone to selective breeding, they are expected to live around for 10 to 15 years with proper care and sanitation.
2. The Veitnamese Pot Bellied Pig
They live longer than expected. Their estimated lifespan is 20 years. As per general records, the longest-living Vietnamese potbellied pig was named Earnestine, aged about 23 years in 2014.
Vietnamese potbellied pigs receive an exceptionally good lifestyle from their owners, like frequent vaccination, proper nutrition, and diets; therefore, they tend to live longer than the other breeds.
3. Livestock Pigs
Regardless of the breed, livestock pigs don’t have a long lifespan. Such pigs are raised to produce meats.
The male pigs live for hardly six months to twenty-four months. This is because, at this age, they are ready to produce enough meat with the expected quality of tenderness. At this age, their meat hits the market weight of 250 pounds.
Some of the best-producing pig breeds are:
- Berkshire Pigs
- Chester White Pigs
- Hampshire Pigs
However, the female livestock pigs live longer for reproduction purposes. They tend to live for around two years, and the pregnant ones receive extra care. They are bred as long as they produce litter, and once they grow out of their capacity, they are also used as a meat product.
4. Wild Pigs
Wild pigs are the offspring and descendants of wild boars hailing from Eurasia. Spanish Voyagers carried These wild boars from Eurasia to the Atlantic in the 1500s. These wild pigs are genetically hybridized and crossed with domestic pigs. This new species is then named ‘Feral pigs.’
These wild or Feral Pigs can live up to 20 years, but given that they live in the wild, predation and other natural factors affect their lifespans, and they tend to live only for four to eight years at a maximum.
What Determines the Life of a Pig?
Like any other creature, the lifespan of a pig depends on various natural and caring factors. A creature tends to live a short life in the forest, but if the same creature is put in the care of a Zoo, it tends to live longer.
The same is the case with Pigs. Though their lifespans are directly dependent on their species, other factors play a crucial role in determining the lifespan of a Pig. They are:
- Health Issues
- Predators
- Genetics
- Hunters
- Their living habitat
How Do You Extend the Lifespan of a Pig?
Age is a natural factor, and one cannot meddle with it. However, certain practices may aid in extending the lifespan of your Pig or at least give them a healthy lifestyle as long as they live. They are:
- Monthly Vet Visits
- Proper and Regular Vaccination
- Careful Training of the Pigs
- Maintaining Hygiene and Sanitation
- Proper Diet (which must include at least 25-30% Veggies like Carrots, Peppers, etc)
- Regulating a Proper Lifecycle and tending to your Pig’s breeding needs.
Wrapping Up!
Pigs can be cute companions and, if not, delicious meals for sure, but to get what you intend, you must do what is proper: maintaining and investing in your Pig. And so, when the time comes, your Pig can finally give you what you are looking for.
Taking care of a Pig comes with a little price and affection. Given that these animals are highly intelligent and receptive, they can be your best friends for a long time if properly cared for.
Read, research, and understand your pig’s needs, the time you intend to invest in your animal, its optimal care needs, and its longevity, and make a decision that suits you and your piglet.
