When Wilbur came to join the petting zoo fall of 2017, we just couldn’t get over how cute he was…but just like any cute critter…there are down sides. Wilbur is like any mini pig and we had to use ear plugs while getting him used to being held because he was…well…loud!
Wilbur loves food – especially mini marshmallows. We are quickly coming to understand the terms: hog, pig sty, and squealer in a much more literal sense! One morning, while sitting with Silas (who wasn’t feeling well) Marta observed Wilbur and his buddies (Hamlet and Runt), root around in their nice plush bed until they had broken the zipper, pulled out the insert, and shredded the foam pillow all over their pen. They then proceeded to dunk the foam in their water and push each other around in it. Can you say PIG STY?
Wilbur has terrible manners and chews his food very noisily and most certainly with his mouth wide open! If you get past the fact that Mini Pigs are noisy, destructive, greedy, and that you are going to pick up after them just like a toddler, they are quite entertaining. Wilbur’s antics and personality will leave you chuckling for quite some time! What child wouldn’t be amused by a mini pig in a petting zoo at their birthday party?! After all, the Cowboy Critter staff cleans everything up after each petting zoo, so your only job is to laugh along!
Pigs are sensitive to both the heat and the cold because they don’t have much hair, and they aren’t capable of sweating. Right now, Wilbur lives in the basement were it is warm, but in the spring time, he will go back outside so that he has more room to run and play. When the days start getting hot in the summer, we will dig a pit and fill it with water so that, yes, Wilbur can wallow in the mud to cool down. Don’t worry, we wash the animals before we bring them to petting zoos!
Most farm animals get along really well. Silas and Wilbur seem to like each other well enough, but the pony ride horses are still terrified of Wilbur. Horses can be chickens at times, and it is hilarious to see a 800lb animal scared of a very brave and very pink Wilbur! Once the horses spend a little more time around Wilbur in the spring, they will get used to his smell and calm down a bit, but at the moment, the interaction is quite amusing!
Wilbur will be traveling with our petting zoo this year, and his brothers Hamlet and Runt may also be available upon special request. If you are interested in having Wilbur in your petting zoo, please don’t hesitate to book! We expect that Wilbur will be in high demand because he really is just that CUTE.
