Pig rescues and sanctuaries across the country have a need for a pet pig foster families willing to temporarily house and care for homeless pigs.  Foster homes are needed for many different reasons, including overcrowded rescues, for special needs (including medical), for pet pigs too young for adoption, and for pigs with little to no socialization.

 Potbellied pigs do better in foster homes.  They are less stressed than in rescues.  Their foster family can more easily evaluate their true behavior.  They often receive help to improve physical, emotional or behavior issues.  They can be socialized to a wide range of home situations involving children.  Potbellied pigs who’ve been abused can learn to trust people again.  What you can expect if you foster a potbellied pig will depend to a great extent on the circumstances the potbellied pig has lived in up to the point they enter your home.  Some require a minimum of time and energy, while others will need a lot of time and attention to help them improve their chances for adoption.

The easiest, fastest way to get connected to a potbellied pig fostering program is to contact your local rescue group. 

If you’re interested in making a real hands on difference in the lives of homeless potbellied pigs, there are many ways to help, depending on your time, resources, and talents. The need for potbellied pig foster parents varies by location.

Rescue organizations also often have extensive networks of foster families willing to temporarily house a potbellied pig awaiting a new forever home.  Fostering sets off a positive domino effect. 

Fostering is better for Potbellied Pigs

Living in a home with a family better prepares pigs for adoption than rescue living.  It’s also much less stressful for the pig.  Fostering pigs are much less to develop anxiety related behavior problems than pigs who spend time in a rescue environment. 

Foster families are better able to asses a pig’s true behavior because they can observe them extensively in a home environment.  Brief visits with an anxious rescue pig are often not adequate to learn the pig’s true nature. 

Fostering in a home in which there are children can provide a potbellied pig the chance to be socialized to a wider range of family configurations.  This opens up their possibilities for adoption to a greater number of families. 

If a potbellied pig has been rescued from an abusive situation, the foster family can build a bridge from the past where humans were scary, to a hopeful future full of people who are caring and loving. 

What to expect if you decide to foster

This will depend a great deal on the circumstances of the potbellied pig’s life up to the point they enter your home.  General rules apply, of course.  Piglets need more attention than most adult pigs.  Adult potbellied pigs require more time and energy.  A healthy potbellied pig will need appropriate nutrition, a few toys, lots of gentle hands on training.   Both situations will be rewarding for the foster families who help these pet pigs.  But if you have the time and resources to turn a homeless potbellied pig into a balanced, most socialized potbellied pig, not only will you feel tremendous gratification you will also likely save the life of that pet pig by dramatically improving the likelihood that will be adopted into a loving forever home. 

Most expenses you are expected to cover can be deducted.