Betsy was one of the eight pigs who came to OMI when Spring Farm Sanctuary downsized their operations in 2022. Betsy and her littermates were thrown over a fence as youngsters–discarded like trash for someone else to manage. Betsy was very fortunate to end up in a safe sanctuary home. She is a small little potbelly who has lived most of her life amongst big pigs. While we have good success with little pigs and big pigs living together, we have to watch Betsy’s weight carefully to make sure she doesn’t get more food than she needs. Potbellied pigs are extremely vulnerable to arthritis and joint trouble because of the way they are shaped, and extra weight is a very serious issue for them. We work hard to balance allowing our residents to have a great quality of life while also making sure they make safe choices. Overweight pigs are one of the most common medical issues we see, and we have helped many reclaim their life with a healthy diet and weight loss.
Betsy lives in our GenPop herd of pigs, and her friends are a mixture of breeds: Yorkshires, Herefords, Ferals and a few little potbellies, too! The area we call the Washington/Minnesota neighborhood is our most diverse representation of sizes and breeds on the whole property. It includes Jolene from Washington, Asher from Tennessee, sweet little potbellies like Mister Lee and Betsy, Ferals like Falkor and KuneKunes like Bubo! They’re the most beautiful representation of how different sizes and breeds can live in perfect harmony.
