1. What do you look for in a piggy? Do you prefer the ones that are running all over the place or the shy ones?
I look for whatever pig grabs me. It's like picking a friend or mate, it's just their personality (and of course, a bit of their looks...
). I think it's all a matter of personal preference, there's not one type that's "better" than the other.
2. For those who have had females and males.. do you see a difference in character between the two?
I've always found that boys seem to be a bit more vibrant, they seem a little more outgoing and more goofy. That's just my personal preference and experience, though.
3. Do you prefer a younger one (months vs.)than an older one(years)? I ask this because I would think that the younger ones would be easier to tame vs the older ones who hardly got any affection. Opinions please?
I think it's just that the younger ones are tiny and cute, and that's really the only benefit of getting a younger one. Whether you get a pig at 3 months or 3 years doesn't matter, you never know how long either have so I think age in regards to life span isn't an important subject. I adopted a 3 year old boar with a shady past and he was very timid to get, but after only a couple weeks, he's coming up for attention, he loves to cuddle (even in the beginning), and he's the goofiest thing. He runs, and popcorns and is just a ball to watch. I was worried that an older pig might be harder to tame, but I think they're fairly even with a young pig that barely, if ever been handled.
5. Does the shelter give you a cage of some sort to bring home your piggies in? Or should we have a cage for the ride home?
I'm not sure if they do, as I brought mine, but it's wise to have your own carrier anyway. Vet trips, road trips, even temporary holding - a carrier's worth the very small investment.
6. Long distance shelters/rescues... whats the furthest (miles?) you have traveled to pick up your piggie from a shelter.
We only traveled an hour to pick up Doc, though I would go further if necessary. If you're patient, though, there will be more pigs available in your area if there's not one or two you like now. There's also most certainly nothing wrong with traveling a few hours or more to pick up a pig. There's also the "piggy train" where you can contact different pig loving people, friends or family to pick up your pig(s) and travel a distance, hand off the pig to the next person and so on.
