How to Care for an Abandoned Piglet

There are numerous reasons why a piglet may be without a mother; regardless of the reason you may be able to take care of the orphan and help it survive. Taking care of an abandoned piglet can be tricky and it requires patience. They need to be fed carefully to prevent aspiration of the lungs. The older the orphan piglet, the greater the chance it will survive.

Things You'll Need

  • Flat Pan
  • Eyedropper
  • Heating Pad or Safety Heat Lamp
  • Playpen or Pet Carrier
  • Sheets
  • Soy or Goat Milk
  • Gerber's Rice Baby Cereal
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide a clean, dry and warm place for the piglet. House the piglet in either a playpen or a small animal carrier. Add a heating pad or a safety heat lamp to the area for warmth. The piglet should be kept at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Drape sheets over the playpen to prevent any drafts.

    • 2

      Feed the piglet using a small flat pan (if the piglet refuses the pan, try using an eyedropper instead). Feed the piglet goat's milk or soy milk and warm the milk as you would warm milk for a child. Dip the piglet's nose into the pan so it can see and taste the milk and start consuming it. The piglet will fight you at first until it realizes the pan is full of food. Feed a week-old piglet every three to four hours.

    • 3

      After three days, start adding Gerber's rice cereal to the milk. Add more and more cereal to the milk each day so that after two weeks it has become more of a paste than a liquid.