Yaroslavl woman keeps a minipig (video)

Pets are our most loyal friends. They see us off when we leave home and greet us when we return. Pets give their love and devotion, becoming full-fledged members of the family. Some people choose dogs, others cats, and some are happy to live with a more unusual animal. For example, our heroine, Oksana, brought a minipig into her home.

In this piece, we explain whether it is hard to live with such a pet and what care it requires.

«Have you lost your mind?»

Oksana Koshkina welcomed a new household member five months ago. She named the minipig Keksik. The Yaroslavl resident had always dreamed of a pig but could not bring herself to take such a responsible step for 10 years.

— «At some point I looked through listings just out of curiosity. I found a seller and got in touch, but then I got scared they might palm off an ordinary pig, so I changed my mind. However, the seller sent a photo of Keksik, and I immediately fell in love,» the young woman recalls.

Oksana decided in a single day that she wanted to pick up the piglet. The seller was in St. Petersburg, but the distance did not scare her. The day after deciding, she was already on her way for Keksik. The seller let the six-month-old piglet go for 15,000 rubles ($155 at current rates).

No one but Oksana’s boyfriend knew she was planning to get such an unusual pet.

Oksana and Keksik now live together in an apartment. The Yaroslavl resident notes that with the new tenant, the amount of cleaning has increased significantly.

— «Sometimes I have to mop the floor several times a day. We had to do some repairs because Keksik took a liking to gnawing the wallpaper. Otherwise it’s fine, about as much work as with a puppy or a kitten,» the heroine said.

Care and feeding

According to Oksana, a minipig does not require special care. Keksik is not a fan of bathing and only climbs into the tub if apples are floating there.

— «He doesn’t need frequent washing; he doesn’t smell at all. A dog smells much stronger,» the Yaroslavl resident explained.

Keksik is trained to use a pee pad, like small-breed dogs. There were no difficulties with this, the owner says — he learned in a single day.

The piglet adores apples and sausage but mostly eats grains and vegetables. Oksana smiles and admits the pet is «a bit too omnivorous».

Temperament and skills

By Oksana’s account, Keksik has a willful temperament.

— «On the one hand, he’s a real tyrant: he grumbles all evening if I’ve been gone a long time, won’t let me talk on the phone, and yells until I pay attention to him. He’s also very jealous — if I go up to my boyfriend for a hug, Keks quickly appears and taps my leg with his snout,» Oksana laughed.

On the other hand, the Yaroslavl resident explains, the piglet is very affectionate. When the owner is getting ready to leave the house, Keksik understands, starts to cry, and presses against her legs so she won’t go.

Oksana also admits she is sometimes unnerved by how smart and quick-witted the piglet is. If Keksik is hungry, he goes to the fridge, opens it, and takes out food himself.

— «Sometimes it even scares me. We joke with my boyfriend that one day we’ll come home and Keksik will be standing there making pancakes for us,» said the Yaroslavl resident.

The pet can follow simple commands: spin in place, give kisses, and respond to the word «no». The command «sit» is hard for him because his little hooves don’t let him settle comfortably.

Walks

Oksana takes her pet outside on a harness. She usually walks with Keksik in Bragino (a district of Yaroslavl, Russia) because in the city center he attracts a lot of attention.

— «In the center we can’t get through — people bombard us with questions: “Is he real?”, “Why did you get him?” and the like. And everyone wants to touch him,» the young woman explained.

The piglet reacts calmly to other animals. However, according to Oksana, after a deep, bass grunt everyone scatters.

Earlier, we also told the story of Anastasia Loginova, who lives with a serval.