If you live anywhere in Jersey City and have a pair of eyes, chances are that you’ve come across (and did a double-take at) Gaston Le Pig.  I took to the Heights this week to get the scoop on this unconventional, albeit completely awesome and adorable, pet piggy. Gaston’s family, Paul, Bridget, and his brother Alexander, was lovely to talk with—they put on a pot of tea and the family sat down with me to answer all of the questions that have been plaguing this little piggy’s fans!

  

ER: Did your family always want a pig? How long have you been in Jersey City, and how’d you get your name?

GLP: I’m from Ohio. My parents found me on a website called When Pigs Fly. I’m 6 months old and have been in Jersey City since the end of June. I was so shy and timid at first, and my feet were really soft from always having been inside. My dad had always wanted a pig, and my mom is allergic to dogs, so after joking around about it for a while they started looking more seriously into the idea. And here I am! They wanted to name me something that would make me sound like a little butler, and Gaston was kind of perfect. I have a bowtie.

ER: How big will you get?

GLP: It’s hard to tell how big miniature pigs are going to be; it’s not a perfect science. The largest pig that my breeder ever had was 65 lbs. It will take a long time before we know—I won’t be fully grown until I’m 5. I should only get about 12-13” high and 22” long, maybe around 45 lbs. I think I’m around 10 lbs. right now. [Oink] 

 

 

ER: What do you like to do in Jersey City?

GLP: I love to sunbathe in the yard! My hair was really white when I first arrived, but now I’m starting to have some brown spots from all of the sun. I have to wear sunblock when I go outside so that I don’t get burnt, especially on the tips of my ears. That’s one reason why pigs are always rolling in mud—we’re not dirty, we just like to protect our skin.

Bridget: He’s making it sound easier than it is. I have to use the spray sunscreen and chase him all around the house to make sure that he’s fully covered. He’s pretty fast. He knows how to sit, and I’m working on teaching him how to spin (with food as a motivator). He also loves to eat, which includes the rosebushes in our yard. He’s like a free gardener, though he’s only tall enough to trim the bottom.

Paul: We take him out to events all of the time. We went to the Harvest Festival in Van Vorst Park a few weeks ago, and he was at the All About Downtown Street Fair in September. He’s also a regular at the pizzeria on the corner, which welcomes him with open arms since he always tries to clean up (that is, eat) all of the flour on the floor. He also loves to lie next to our wood burning stove in the kitchen since he loves to be warm. We had to put up a “fence” under it to keep him from going under it, though—he’ll cook himself!

 

ER: What does a miniature pig eat?

GLP: I eat a LOT of veggies and fruit. I also eat Mazuri Mini Pig Feed. I can’t eat dog or cat food because it has meat in it, and I’m a vegetarian. For a treat, I eat Cheerios or puffed rice cereal, or (my favorite) dehydrated sweet potatoes. I actually am only supposed to eat a quarter cup of food per day to keep my trim figure, though I’ll be moving up to half a cup when I get just a little bigger (yay!). Anything over that for my size is considered overfeeding, and I’d get fat like other pigs that you may have seen. I wouldn’t stop eating if I had unlimited food in front of me, though. I just can’t help myself.

 

 

ER: Where do you sleep? Do you snore?

GLP: I sleep in my bed inside my kennel. I put myself to bed consistently around 9-10 PM every day—I need my beauty sleep. I usually sleep like a baby throughout the night. I have a teddy bear that I cuddle with when I sleep. I don’t snore!

Paul: He doesn’t snore, but he makes a lot of little noises, especially if you touch him when he’s sleeping. (“Eeeeehhhhh!”)

ER: You go for walks on a leash, right?

GLP: Yes, my parents walk me at least twice per day. Lately I’ve been getting cold when we go outside, so I wear my sweater. I like to take my time on walks and enjoy the beautiful Jersey City scenery, so I walk pretty slow. I can be pretty stubborn and refuse to move (and cry) if I don’t want to go a certain way. Unless I’m being tempted with food—then I run!

Bridget: He’s pretty good once he gets on the leash, but it’s so hard to get the harness on him. We used to have one that went over his head, but it kept getting stuck when we tried to take it off. We got a different one and he’s getting a little more used to it, but he doesn’t like people grabbing him so it’s tough. He always thinks that something is trying to attack him. You can pet him if you let him see and sniff your hand first, but if you go directly over his back he freaks out a little. We have a morning routine where we basically con him into getting into the harness for a walk. Food is always the answer.

 

ER: What kind of trouble do you get into?

GLP: None!

Alexander: None!

Bridget: Ha! Gaston and Alexander are always getting into trouble together, and follow each other around all day long. We now have to be here when Gaston goes out into the yard, because he tends to run away. He got out yesterday, actually, and was in our neighbor’s yard. Luckily everyone knows the pig is ours! He pushes the fence up and burrows under it. We now have stakes all around holding it down. There was also a stretch of a few weeks when we noticed that he wasn’t in the same room as us, which was weird for him since he normally doesn’t leave us. Eventually, we caught him next to our wine rack. It took us a minute to realize it, but one of the recorked bottles of wine was leaking a little—and he had been trying to drink it! Apparently, pigs like Moscato.

 

ER: Do you get along with other animals?

GLP: My parents always have friends over with dogs, and my grandparents have a dog. We get along just fine. They are always curious about me and like to follow me and sniff my butt (it’s weird), but I just carry on as usual and continue looking around for food. There was this one time that a dog stayed over for a few days and didn’t seem to like me since I was different, so I followed him around just to mess with him. I do get more interested in dogs when it’s bedtime, though. I like to snuggle up next to them and cuddle while we sleep—canines are warm, and I love to be warm!

 

ER: Can you do any tricks?

GLP: I already knew how to use a litter box when my parents got me, and I’m slowly learning how to go outside instead. I’ve only had a few accidents, and one of them was in the humans’ bathroom. I consider that a trick! We went on a road trip recently to Asheville, North Carolina, and I got to see waterfalls in one of the giant parks there. There were a lot of rocks, and every time I came across a big one my parents would say “Jump,” I’d hop over it because I really did not want to touch the cold water. Now when my parents take me on car rides and they tell me to jump, I know that I’m going up into the seat so I prepare myself for takeoff.

Paul: One hurdle that we’ve mostly gotten over is going up and down the steps. Going up wasn’t ever too much of a problem, but going down was scary for him. He’s a little top heavy. Now when he goes down the steps, he turns around looking for food as a reward. We used to have a ramp going into the backyard and we taught him to go down the ramp, but he’s gotten more comfortable. If he comes across a set of new steps to tackle, he paces back and forth for a while until he gets the courage to go down them. It’s better to wait for him to get brave than to pick him up. The sound of his cries is awful. He’s also extremely smart, which makes it difficult to train him sometimes because he knows he doesn’t really need to listen to us and will get food no matter what.

Bridget: I sometimes leave treats under overturned bowls when we go out for a while, and he knows to keep working to flip them over until he gets to them. We also have a cardboard box of plastic balls that we throw treats into, and Gaston burrows himself into the box and roots around until he gets to every single one. Alexander doesn’t like it because he gets the job of cleaning up all of the balls!

 

Of course, we couldn’t end the interview without venturing outdoors to see Gaston strut his stuff on the streets of JC! Paul loaded him into the car (cue a round of squealing protests), and we headed on over to the Riverview Farmer’s Market for some music, food, and friends. As you might expect, absolutely everyone wants to meet and greet Gaston!

Can someone else in town get a miniature pig so that Gaston can have a friend? Pretty please? Follow Gaston Le Pig on Instagram (@gastonlepig) to follow his antics and adventures across Jersey City!

– Erin