Green Pig

Hubert is a jealous pig. I've noted that if he and I are alone, he grunts little. If I start talking with someone else in the family, Hubert will start to "complain" by grunting loudly. I seems he requires the undivided attention or loyalty of his most immediate "family" member [perhaps the one who feeds him]. I like to think that he is just "joining in" the conversation.

Hubert has a love for company. Yesterday, I invited some neighborhood girls to pet Hubert. They enjoyed him as they would have enjoyed a puppy. Today, Hubert remembered the petting and took off for the front of the house where we had first encountered the girls (he never goes there unless I lead him there). After a bit of waiting where no one showed up, Hubert returned to the back of the house but not before trying to taste the mortar that I had just used to repair some cracks. Luckily for me, he listens to me when I call out, "HUBERT." Interestingly, Hubert always listens to me when I speak to him; but if I should physically try to move him, he complains loudly before finally acquiescing.

If I have time, I'll try to record his many grunts to see if I can garner any meaning.

I promised to talk about Hubert's excrement (aren't blogs great?). As I told you earlier, Hubert plops down some real doozies. But they are great for seeding grass. I mix the poop with water, soil, and seeds. I then spread it around bald spots. If I keep it watered, seeds sprout in 3 days.

By the way, pig manure stops smelling within seconds of landing on the ground. Within minutes, it can be scooped up without any of it sticking to the tools (I use a hoe and shovel). I maintain a compost heap of sorts. When the turds come in, I cut them up with a straight hoe so that they decompose more efficiently. I'll mix them with soil which I water and turn over every two days or so.

This blog is about Hubert, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, but I'd like to tell you that I found the flies interesting. I've noted two different species, the common house fly and a red, elongated fly. If the red flies are on the turd, the house flies stay away and vice-versa. The flies stay on the turd only for a few minutes. When the turd dries out the flies take off but they will return if you re-wet the manure.

As concerns Hubert's lovability factor, let me tell you about my 15 year-old daughter. She had acted like she didn't like Hubert because of the way he treated our Pit Bull mix terrier, Abbey. My daughter and I argued good-naturedly about Hubert and she, at times, had me convinced that she didn't care that much for Hubert. Today, however, I caught her hugging Hubert as he lay on the ground; it almost seemed as if she were apologizing to him for "being mean to him." No one who knows him can hate him.

However, the following caveat applies: If you are doing any yard work, Hubert must, if it's not a hot sunny day, be in the thick of things. He will come over to you when you are working and ask if you are foraging. Because foraging in the yard is the only activity he understands; what else would you be doing there? He will come over and sniff around and stay there until he figures out that there is nothing to be gained by lingering. If he determines that you offer nothing to eat, he will head for the nearest shade.

These pigs do not sweat and must be near a heat sink at all times. The purpose of the mud bath is to cool their bellies down. He is so consistent with his shade requirements that I think he might explode if left in the Sun.

Yesterday I discovered that Hubert would rather drink from a leaking hose then drink from his stainless steel bowl that is filled with the same water. Go figure!