Taz and Socks trot off to a brand new home

Taz and Socks, two six-year-old crossbreed pigs, were being looked after by a loving family in Haywards Heath until recently.

But due to a change in the family’s circumstances, their owners needed to find a new home for them and contacted the RSPCA.

The charity appealed for help and says it now looks as if the castrated male porkers will soon be on their way to another abode for the specialist care they need, plus plenty of good food and piggy TLC.

RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley said Taz and Socks would ideally suit an open farm or similar where they could be handled regularly or even used during educational trips.

Insp Woodley said: “Although there is really no such thing as a ‘micro’ pig, these two are not going to grow much more and are only about knee high now.”

Among their other endearing features, Taz and Socks are sociable animals and very happy around children while they enjoy nothing more than a squelchy, muddy bath.

Until they can moved to their new home they are being cared for outdoors in a pen with an enclosure. An appeal for rehoming as soon as possible was made before winter and sub-zero temperatures really set in.

Inspector Woodley added that pigs require lots of land and specialist facilities and were not the right ‘pet’ for everyone.

As well as loving mud, mud glorious mud they also have an average life span of between five and 10 years, although some could live up to 25 years.

Inspector Woodley said: “Anyone thinking of keeping pigs should consider if they have the time, resources, commitment, knowledge and facilities to care for them.”

More information on keeping pigs is available on the RSPCA website at http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/farmanimals/pigs

The RSPCA says it is only able to help animals like Taz and Sox thanks to donations from members of the public.

You can donate £3 now by texting HERO to 60155 (texts cost £3 + one standard network rate message).

‘Micro’ pigs are the result of selective breeding and are much smaller than adult pigs of normal sized breeds.