Two miniature pigs named Arnie and Sylvester are the latest residents to join Folly Farm.
The 15 week old miniature pigs arrived from Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons 7 weeks ago, and are now settled in their new home in Cwtch Corner in the Jolly Barn.
Arnie and Sylvester have been in training over the last few weeks to prepare for meet and greets around the farm. They will come out during the afternoon to greet our visitors, who will be able to meet and stroke the pigs.
Our farm manager Jane Hill, who’s worked at Folly Farm for 15 years, said:
“Arnie and Sylvester are doing really well and they’re very settled in their new home. They’re getting quite brave now and have started going out for walks around the farm. They get on really well with each other, even though they’re originally from different litters. They play with each other in their pen, and they’re both very clever – Arnie’s learnt to sit on his back legs. But he’s got very cheeky now and comes to sit in front of you to ask for treats before they’ve even been offered. Sylvester is a bit more shy, but he likes to gather up all the fresh straw in their pen into a corner to make a den and they like to bury themselves in it.”
The miniature pigs will grow to around 14-20 inches high, or about the same size as a springer spaniel, and will weigh between 20kg-30kg when fully grown.
Jane, who worked as an equine nurse before joining us at Folly Farm, says they both have very healthy appetites.
“Given the chance, pigs would feed non-stop, so we must keep an eye on what they eat. Arnie is definitely the greedy one, and Sylvester’s favourite food is carrots. They have a little treat ball that’s filled with nuts, and they have to roll it around to shake some of the nuts out so they can have a treat. Arnie is very good at this because he likes his food so much, but they’re both very quick learners. They’re both getting more confident the more they go out, and people always do a double-take when they see them being walked on their harnesses. Everyone always thinks that they’re dogs at first, then they realise that they’re actually miniature pigs and they can’t believe it.”
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