4 ms·

Never Buy a Teacup Pig (2014)

31 points by shawndumas 11y ago

lbenes 11y ago
SO I can't help but wonder, why can't we breed real Teacup Pigs? We can breed real Teacup dogs, tiny cats, hell we can even breed tame foxes and even Miniature cattle[1] If there really is such a big market, any many pig owners love their pets, why doesn't someone actually selectively breed for tiny adults? [1] http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm
- atomheart 11y ago
  "We can breed" Yes, by inbreeding dogs, starving the puppies, and other disgusting methods. You torture animals to create a cute little toy that will have lots of health issues. Just google around, you'll find many articles on the subject...
- scott_s 11y ago
  Two thoughts: 1. I'm not sure we've tried. Maybe it's possible, but we've never tried. 2. If we have tried, and it hasn't worked, it's possible there's not enough genetic diversity in pigs. Dogs have an enormous amount of genetic diversity, which is part of why we've been able to get breeds that look like entirely different species. There are many breeds of cats, but I haven't seen any that are as radically different as, say, a chihuahua and a mastiff. We bred tame foxes, but they weren't radically different from wild foxes. (The different physical traits, I think, were their ears were floppy, and some retained juvenile markings into adulthood - similar to dogs.)
  - pubby 11y ago
    We're really close, actually. The Chinese have bred pigs that weigh ~30 pounds when mature.
MrBuddyCasino 11y ago
CRISPR has you covered: "scientists warn that they may be a distraction from more serious research" - understandable, they're really cute - I'd be distracted, too. http://www.nature.com/news/gene-edited-micropigs-to-be-sold-as-pets-at-chinese-institute-1.18448 http://www.nature.com/news/gene-edited-micropigs-to-be-sold-...
werber 11y ago
>many unscrupulous breeders actively tell new owners to drastically underfeed their new pigs in order to keep them pint-sized. Are there different animal cruelty laws for pigs than dogs?
- MiguelHudnandez 11y ago
  Considering you can't buy dog meat at the grocery store, there are certainly exceptions carved out for "livestock" animals versus pets. As far as I can tell, those exemptions are by species and not by "purpose." The ASPCA indicates that most states specifically exempt specific species from cruelty laws. https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/farm-animal-cruelty/legal-protections-farm-animals https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/farm-animal-cruelty/lega... Googling a bit, I found California Penal Code 597.3, which contains one example of specific exemption in a live-animal retail scenario. "Provide that no animal will be dismembered, flayed, cut open, or have its skin, scales, feathers, or shell removed while the animal is still alive." In a subsection, any poultry species is specifically exempted. I am not a lawyer and I am having trouble focusing between legalese and descriptions of cruel acts, so I am going to stop hunting for examples.
- wtbob 11y ago
  It's illegal to slaughter dogs in many places, whereas it's perfectly legal to slaughter pigs.
late2part 11y ago
Is cloud computing a teacup pig?
- delinka 11y ago
  "Microservices" They grow up into complex systems that no one was expecting. /s
zhte415 11y ago
I emphasise sincerity. For the pigs in this case, slaughter them. I mean this, as friends that do this: Have a pig for around 9 months to a year (they do grow fast, I understand most pork sold is from 3-9 month old pigs) living and kicking around on the farm. Well fed, well raised. And appreciate the meat, and not as a commodity.
ChuckMcM 11y ago
One of my neighbors bought one, I saw her out walking with it and asked her what she was going to do with it when it was 200 lbs. She didn't believe it would get that big, but it did. I never did find out what happened to it. Given the popularity it seems there would be a "market" for a small breed of pig. But if small ponies is any example it would not be a good deal for the animal.
kazinator 11y ago
Awesome term, with wide applicability in computing! - teacup text editor - teacup web browser - teacup programming language - teacup kernel ...
- michaelcampbell 11y ago
  > - teacup text editor My .emacs file started teacup size. It's 25+ years old now, and 200# heavier, but I still love it.
wtbob 11y ago
If it weren't for the ridiculous prices, I'd think that this could be a good way to get some meat for the table. But those prices are insane.
- kaybe 11y ago
  If they're just selling normal piglets under false name, you should be able to get them far cheaper when sold as such.

31 points by shawndumas 11y ago

SO I can't help but wonder, why can't we breed real Teacup Pigs? We can breed real Teacup dogs, tiny cats, hell we can even breed tame foxes and even Miniature cattle[1] If there really is such a big market, any many pig owners love their pets, why doesn't someone actually selectively breed for tiny adults? [1] http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm

atomheart 11y ago
"We can breed" Yes, by inbreeding dogs, starving the puppies, and other disgusting methods. You torture animals to create a cute little toy that will have lots of health issues. Just google around, you'll find many articles on the subject...
scott_s 11y ago
Two thoughts: 1. I'm not sure we've tried. Maybe it's possible, but we've never tried. 2. If we have tried, and it hasn't worked, it's possible there's not enough genetic diversity in pigs. Dogs have an enormous amount of genetic diversity, which is part of why we've been able to get breeds that look like entirely different species. There are many breeds of cats, but I haven't seen any that are as radically different as, say, a chihuahua and a mastiff. We bred tame foxes, but they weren't radically different from wild foxes. (The different physical traits, I think, were their ears were floppy, and some retained juvenile markings into adulthood - similar to dogs.)
- pubby 11y ago
  We're really close, actually. The Chinese have bred pigs that weigh ~30 pounds when mature.

MrBuddyCasino 11y ago

CRISPR has you covered: "scientists warn that they may be a distraction from more serious research" - understandable, they're really cute - I'd be distracted, too. http://www.nature.com/news/gene-edited-micropigs-to-be-sold-as-pets-at-chinese-institute-1.18448 http://www.nature.com/news/gene-edited-micropigs-to-be-sold-...

werber 11y ago

>many unscrupulous breeders actively tell new owners to drastically underfeed their new pigs in order to keep them pint-sized. Are there different animal cruelty laws for pigs than dogs?

MiguelHudnandez 11y ago
Considering you can't buy dog meat at the grocery store, there are certainly exceptions carved out for "livestock" animals versus pets. As far as I can tell, those exemptions are by species and not by "purpose." The ASPCA indicates that most states specifically exempt specific species from cruelty laws. https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/farm-animal-cruelty/legal-protections-farm-animals https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/farm-animal-cruelty/lega... Googling a bit, I found California Penal Code 597.3, which contains one example of specific exemption in a live-animal retail scenario. "Provide that no animal will be dismembered, flayed, cut open, or have its skin, scales, feathers, or shell removed while the animal is still alive." In a subsection, any poultry species is specifically exempted. I am not a lawyer and I am having trouble focusing between legalese and descriptions of cruel acts, so I am going to stop hunting for examples.
wtbob 11y ago
It's illegal to slaughter dogs in many places, whereas it's perfectly legal to slaughter pigs.

late2part 11y ago

Is cloud computing a teacup pig?

delinka 11y ago
"Microservices" They grow up into complex systems that no one was expecting. /s

zhte415 11y ago

I emphasise sincerity. For the pigs in this case, slaughter them. I mean this, as friends that do this: Have a pig for around 9 months to a year (they do grow fast, I understand most pork sold is from 3-9 month old pigs) living and kicking around on the farm. Well fed, well raised. And appreciate the meat, and not as a commodity.

ChuckMcM 11y ago

One of my neighbors bought one, I saw her out walking with it and asked her what she was going to do with it when it was 200 lbs. She didn't believe it would get that big, but it did. I never did find out what happened to it. Given the popularity it seems there would be a "market" for a small breed of pig. But if small ponies is any example it would not be a good deal for the animal.

kazinator 11y ago

Awesome term, with wide applicability in computing! - teacup text editor - teacup web browser - teacup programming language - teacup kernel ...

michaelcampbell 11y ago
> - teacup text editor My .emacs file started teacup size. It's 25+ years old now, and 200# heavier, but I still love it.

wtbob 11y ago

If it weren't for the ridiculous prices, I'd think that this could be a good way to get some meat for the table. But those prices are insane.

kaybe 11y ago
If they're just selling normal piglets under false name, you should be able to get them far cheaper when sold as such.