Pumpkin Feast, Mini Pig Fall Healthy Treat & Enrichment

 

 

Pumpkin Feast

Mini Pig Fall Treat & Enrichment  

 

Mini pigs love pumpkins! Fresh pumpkin, frozen pumpkin, canned pumpkin, pumpkin soup, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin everything! You can’t go wrong with fall pumpkins. 

 

A few basics. 

 

The entire pumpkin is edible. The skin, the flesh, the stringy guts, and the seeds. The pigs will typically leave the stalk behind. If pigs eat a large amount of seeds their stool may temporarily turn a bright green color. There is no cause for alarm, it’s simply a reflection of the green seeds they digested. Pigs have also been known to grow their own pumpkin plants (poop-kins) from the seeds they ate! All parts of the pumpkin have great health and nutritional benefits. Feast often & enjoy! 

 

Serving size and portion control is up to the parents. Overindulgence of any food can cause stomach upset and potentially vomiting. If your pig is accustomed to chowing on pumpkins, you may feel comfortable offering the whole pumpkin and allowing your pig to work on it slowly. If your pig is new to pumpkins, you may choose to offer your pig a small piece of pumpkin to start, working up to larger amounts. 

 

Any type of pumpkin, any shape, any color, any size is fine. The only pumpkin to avoid is the moldy pumpkin. When the kids are carving a Jack O Lantern, give your pig the cut out pieces and seeds. Unfortunately, once a pumpkin is cut into, it tends to decay fairly quickly. Once this starts, the entire pumpkin should be composted out of the pig’s reach. 

 

Pumpkin can be served any way. Grab the AMPA Mini Pig Cookbook for lots of treat recipe ideas!  Pumpkin can be served raw, cooked, stewed, mashed, frozen, mixed with coconut oil or yogurt, sliced onto a salad, or anything else you can think of! Pigs certainly aren’t picky when it comes to pumpkin. They just dive in head first. 

 

If you have a surplus of pumpkins, it can be frozen to preserve. For the best consistency, cook the pumpkin, puree, and then freeze in ziplock bags until use. If you don’t want to bother with cooking, you can slice the pumpkins down to size. Place chunks and/or seeds and guts into ziplock bags and freeze. These make excellent summer treats! When the pumpkin flesh is frozen and then thawed, it has an oddly tough texture due to the high water content. However, the pigs think it’s just fine and delicious!

 

Pumpkins are an excellent enrichment opportunity. Offer the pumpkin whole and let your piggy roll it around the yard and get a workout breaking it open. Give it a hard smash onto the ground to give him a head start or cut a hole in the top, if you choose. Cut the pumpkin in half or quarter and hang a large chunk from a tree with  a rope at eye level or slightly higher. The pig will enjoy chasing it around trying to nab a bite! Chop pumpkin into bitesized chunks and scatter them in the yard. Hide pieces around the house for your pig to search out. Drop chunks in the kiddie pool. Any activity that requires your pig to use mental or physical effort is enriching their quality of life! 

pumpkin feast

 Too Many Pumpkins? We’ve never heard of such a thing! The Great Pumpkin Massacre is a fun theme from the American Mini Pig Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to promote donating pumpkins to your local pig rescue or sanctuary. Pigs LOVE pumpkins, the entire pumpkin. After Halloween, many places will give away or sell for very low cost their entire load of pumpkins. Check malls, churches, community events or festivals, roadside pumpkin stands, pumpkin picking farms, grocery stores, or reach out to friends on Facebook to donate their uncut pumpkin displays. Straw bales are a great donation, too! Whether it’s 1 pumpkin or 300 pumpkins, your local pig rescue or sanctuary would be thrilled to have fresh healthy food treats for their porcine pals. Try to avoid pumpkins that have been cut into, because they tend to mold and decay very quickly. We wouldn’t want anyone getting sick. Use this Rescue & Sanctuary Map to find pigs in need near you!

 

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 Order your AMPA Cookbook 

on the American Mini Pig Store 

The AMPA Cookbook is filled with 53 pages of creative and delicious recipes featuring Sukoshi Buta & Friends from Pigxel Art . Feed your pig a healthier diet, and have fun while doing it! Recipes include one ingredient treats, no-bake treats, cookies, birthday cakes, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a natural diet guide, a fodder/sprouting guide, bug repellants, first aid, skin care, urine cleanup, and more! Add on the accessory bundle for extra fun. 

 

Mini Pig Owner’s Guide

Transitioning and Caring for Your Mini Pig

 The perfect starter guide for new pig parents or pig parents to be. Written by mini pig breeders, advocates, and a well known mini pig veterinarian. This 80+ page guide book features articles and information concerning the health, welfare, behavior, and training of pet pigs. Contains handy reference information such as the Emergency Medical Care, Healthy Foods List, Toxic Foods List, Deworming, and Dippity Pig. Articles to help you along in your journey of becoming a pig parent include socialization, obedience training, potty training, and leash training. Start off on the right hoof with the official AMPA Mini Pig Owners Guide Book.A perfect gift for anyone considering a pet pig, wanting to learn more about pigs as pets, new pig parents, or experienced pig parents that appreciate having references in time of need.

 

Order Your Copy Today! 

mini pig owners guide, mini pig book, ampa book

 

 

Visit our website to learn more about mini pigs, find a registered mini pig breeder, become a member of the AMPA and register your mini pig in the official mini pig registry!

 

www.AmericanMiniPigAssociation.com 

 

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