Pigs
Keeping pigs as pets
Pigs are intelligent and social creatures and are sometimes kept as pets. You must consider ACT's welfare legislation before you keep a pig as a pet.
Under the ACT’s animal welfare legislation, pigs must be kept in accommodation that allows the pig to:
- turn around, stand up and lie down without difficulty
- have a clean, comfortable and adequately drained place where it can lie down
- maintain a comfortable temperature
- have outdoor access.
You must have a Property Identification Code (PIC) if you have a pet pig, even if they're in an urban location.
Don't be surprised if your 'miniature' piglet grows into a large adult pig. There are no genuine miniature pig varieties in Australia. This is because it's prohibited to import recognised miniature pig breeds such as the Pot-bellied Pig and Kunekune.
Adult pigs can be difficult to manage, especially in residential settings. If they’re not managed properly, it may lead to nuisance complaints from neighbours.
Before keeping a pig as a pet, learn more about what you need to properly care for a pig on the RSPCA Knowledge Base.
Feeding pigs
What you can feed pigs
A pig’s a proper diet may include:
- milk, milk products and milk by-products of Australian origin or legally imported into Australia for stockfeed use
- eggs
- dry meal made from meat
- blood or bone processed by commercial hot rendering and purchased from a reputable produce store or feed merchant
- bakery food substances that don't contain, or have not had contact with, meat or meat products
- fruits and vegetables
- cereals.
If in doubt, only feed pigs quality-assured, commercially available pig feed.
What you can't feed pigs
It's illegal to feed pigs "swill feed". Swill feed is waste food fed to pigs, often as a slurry. This type of feed contains meat, or a product that has encountered meat or meat products.
Swill feed includes:
- processed foods such as pies, sausage rolls, bacon and cheese rolls, pizza, salami and other delicatessen meats or table scraps
- household, commercial or industrial waste including restaurant food and discarded cooking oils
- anything that has been in contact with prohibited pig feed via collection, storage or transport in contaminated containers, such as meat trays and take-away food containers.
Swill feed is illegal as it increases the risk of introduced exotic animal disease. You can not feed any prohibited pig feed to your pigs, whether they are kept as pets or for consumption. You must also ensure your pigs don't have accidental access to prohibited pig feed.
Leftover food that can't be given to pigs as feed should be discarded carefully so that pigs cannot eat it accidentally.
If you suspect pigs are being fed prohibited pig feed, contact Access Canberra.
Recording pig movements
All pigs, including pets, must be identified before they're moved.
Pigs moving between properties with different Property Identification Codes (PICs) must be recorded on the PigPass database within 2 days of arriving at the new property. This includes:
- pet pigs
- pigs being given away
- pigs traded on online selling platforms such as Gumtree.
You must register with PigPass to access a PigPass National Vendor Declaration (NVD) and to record the movement of pigs on the PigPass database.