Here you will find Scams and Dishonest sales Techniques & how to avoid them
If you have come across scams in your search for the perfect little pig and would like for it to be added to our page....and help prevent a scam from happening to other piggy lovers out there. Then please email me the information, I would be happy to add it to my page. (All posts will remain anonymous.)
A Few Things You Should watch for & do.
Do NOT buy from anyone who is not happy to answer your questions.
Do NOT buy from anyone who cant send up to date pics
Do NOT buy from anyone who can NOT provide vet records
Do NOT buy from anyone who can NOT give you more then 5 references (and you call and speak with all of them)
Do NOT buy from anyone who will NOT allow you to come to their farm
Do NOT buy from anyone who does not provide contracts that protect you and the piglet.
Do NOT buy from anyone until you do a Google search of their website or farm name as well as their first and last name and check with the BBB
Do NOT buy from anyone selling ro shipping piglets under 8 weeks of age, with out a USDA health certificate and without a micro chip (all legal requirements by the US Department of agriculture)
A Few Things You Should watch for & do.
Do NOT buy from anyone who is not happy to answer your questions.
Do NOT buy from anyone who cant send up to date pics
Do NOT buy from anyone who can NOT provide vet records
Do NOT buy from anyone who can NOT give you more then 5 references (and you call and speak with all of them)
Do NOT buy from anyone who will NOT allow you to come to their farm
Do NOT buy from anyone who does not provide contracts that protect you and the piglet.
Do NOT buy from anyone until you do a Google search of their website or farm name as well as their first and last name and check with the BBB
Do NOT buy from anyone selling ro shipping piglets under 8 weeks of age, with out a USDA health certificate and without a micro chip (all legal requirements by the US Department of agriculture)
People are Wholesaling pigs and passing them off as their own. BEWARE!
SCAM SITUATION
This is insane to me but I myself here at Petite Porkers receive no less them one call a month were some one wants to sell me a litter of piglets. They always say "Oh you can make so much money off of them, I sell them to you for a cpl hundred each and you sell them at your prices...." Well Im totally offended by this not only is it dishonest and unethical but I have been breeding my pigs for over 35 years I know their parents way back to their great great great great...you get the idea. I know my pigs health their personality, temperaments and I handle them from birth. I cant sell pigs I have no idea about and then to top it off say they are my own!!!
However MANY breeders are, a breeder in Florida said she is shipping out piglets by the crate load to breeders up north and in Cali. Some well known breeders who have pigs that are on TV. No one is advertising that they are buying and selling wholesale (of course) and that is Where it becomes a scam. If a breeder posts and tells you this litter is from such and such mom and dad and they will be only such and such size and they are like this and like that and...... They are lying to ppl they have no honest clue of the piglets age, estimated size, personality, temperament or health. Its like buying from a pet store and if that's were you want to purchase your pets then so be it, but everyone should know the truth.
This is getting so odd....
I also received an anonymous phone call saying that a well known breeder who is selling pigs for high dollar off her website with one phone number listed there and also has a separate phone number & email with NO website and is saying she is located in the next state and sells piglets at a cheaper price from the second phone number. She is basically pretending to be an entirely different person to help herself sell her piglets she is purchasing wholesale. This same breeder was suppose to have once been running a puppy mill (that was busted a few times) but has now gotten a bunch of pigs.
HOW TO AVOID THIS KIND OF SCAM
This is a very difficult situation, its hard to know or find out who is who and who is and is not doing this. I suggest you ask the breeder strait out if they are buying piglets else where "Are you wholesaling?!" and see what they have to say. As always ask for references not just 2 or 3 get a dozen and call and speak with them. If you can go to the farm then by all means do so and if they just don't allow ppl to their farm, then there is a problem with that. The ppl I have spoken to that are wholesalers do not want to answer questions, because they don't know the answers My last piece of advise would be to ask for pictures....picture of the piglets from when they were born pics with the mother and pics up to now. If they didn't have the piglet when it was born then they wont have pics of it to show you. Good luck and God bless everyone working for a truly tiny healthy well adjusted pet pig, it is truly getting crazy out there. I just want the best for these poor animals and the ppl who are looking to adopt them. :(
This is insane to me but I myself here at Petite Porkers receive no less them one call a month were some one wants to sell me a litter of piglets. They always say "Oh you can make so much money off of them, I sell them to you for a cpl hundred each and you sell them at your prices...." Well Im totally offended by this not only is it dishonest and unethical but I have been breeding my pigs for over 35 years I know their parents way back to their great great great great...you get the idea. I know my pigs health their personality, temperaments and I handle them from birth. I cant sell pigs I have no idea about and then to top it off say they are my own!!!
However MANY breeders are, a breeder in Florida said she is shipping out piglets by the crate load to breeders up north and in Cali. Some well known breeders who have pigs that are on TV. No one is advertising that they are buying and selling wholesale (of course) and that is Where it becomes a scam. If a breeder posts and tells you this litter is from such and such mom and dad and they will be only such and such size and they are like this and like that and...... They are lying to ppl they have no honest clue of the piglets age, estimated size, personality, temperament or health. Its like buying from a pet store and if that's were you want to purchase your pets then so be it, but everyone should know the truth.
This is getting so odd....
I also received an anonymous phone call saying that a well known breeder who is selling pigs for high dollar off her website with one phone number listed there and also has a separate phone number & email with NO website and is saying she is located in the next state and sells piglets at a cheaper price from the second phone number. She is basically pretending to be an entirely different person to help herself sell her piglets she is purchasing wholesale. This same breeder was suppose to have once been running a puppy mill (that was busted a few times) but has now gotten a bunch of pigs.
HOW TO AVOID THIS KIND OF SCAM
This is a very difficult situation, its hard to know or find out who is who and who is and is not doing this. I suggest you ask the breeder strait out if they are buying piglets else where "Are you wholesaling?!" and see what they have to say. As always ask for references not just 2 or 3 get a dozen and call and speak with them. If you can go to the farm then by all means do so and if they just don't allow ppl to their farm, then there is a problem with that. The ppl I have spoken to that are wholesalers do not want to answer questions, because they don't know the answers My last piece of advise would be to ask for pictures....picture of the piglets from when they were born pics with the mother and pics up to now. If they didn't have the piglet when it was born then they wont have pics of it to show you. Good luck and God bless everyone working for a truly tiny healthy well adjusted pet pig, it is truly getting crazy out there. I just want the best for these poor animals and the ppl who are looking to adopt them. :(
IT SHOULD BE YOUR CHOICE!
DO you want a piglet bred and raised like this?!?
OR LIKE THIS?
Starved, underfed and malnurished pigs, All to keep them small for sales. CRUEL!!
SCAM SITUATION
Yes there are ppl out there with holding feed/Starving and even confining pigs and piglets to small crates. All with the intention of stunting their growth so that they stay smaller. This is not only inhumane and cruel to do to any living creature, this is also a major scam and health risk. The least issue you could have with this is that once the piglet is fed a healthy proper diet it will rapidly gain weight and then show exactly how LARGE it will be.
However this is not always the case, it has been reported that several large popular breeders are doing this and that piglets purchased later had to be rushed to the vet with pneumonia and after ex-rays were taken it was found that the piglets skeleton was deformed. This is not only happened to one individual but several are reporting this with their piglets a few have had to be humanly euthanize and others are still going threw medical treatment to try and save them. All due from Malnutrition and being kept confined in small crates.
TO AVOID THIS KIND OF SCAM
First off is Knowledge ! Do your research when looking at a pig you should never be able to see its ribs, back bone, pelvic girth or femur such as you can see in this pic of the piglet above. This piglet is a good example of what to look for and to avoid it a well under fed and malnourished pig, it does have a fat sack under the chin and that is because it is a potbelly and that is their conformation, that does not change the fact that you can see the pigs bones. And if you can look at the pic closer you can see how the fat sack under the chin hangs just like when and over weight person looses weight and has extra skin. VERY SAD for this lil pig. Ask for references and call and speak with them not just one or two but you should speak with a dozen ppl at least to hear their opinion of the breeder. As well as the health and size of the pigs they received. Ask for a vet reference and also Google the first and last name of the breeder as well as their website name and farm name and see if complaints come up against them.
(the above photo was edited by me, however I ONLY changed the back ground and removed a collar that was on the piglet, so that the pic would not be so obvious of were it came from since the breeder still has it in their adds. If anyone thinks that I photo-shopped this pic)
Yes there are ppl out there with holding feed/Starving and even confining pigs and piglets to small crates. All with the intention of stunting their growth so that they stay smaller. This is not only inhumane and cruel to do to any living creature, this is also a major scam and health risk. The least issue you could have with this is that once the piglet is fed a healthy proper diet it will rapidly gain weight and then show exactly how LARGE it will be.
However this is not always the case, it has been reported that several large popular breeders are doing this and that piglets purchased later had to be rushed to the vet with pneumonia and after ex-rays were taken it was found that the piglets skeleton was deformed. This is not only happened to one individual but several are reporting this with their piglets a few have had to be humanly euthanize and others are still going threw medical treatment to try and save them. All due from Malnutrition and being kept confined in small crates.
TO AVOID THIS KIND OF SCAM
First off is Knowledge ! Do your research when looking at a pig you should never be able to see its ribs, back bone, pelvic girth or femur such as you can see in this pic of the piglet above. This piglet is a good example of what to look for and to avoid it a well under fed and malnourished pig, it does have a fat sack under the chin and that is because it is a potbelly and that is their conformation, that does not change the fact that you can see the pigs bones. And if you can look at the pic closer you can see how the fat sack under the chin hangs just like when and over weight person looses weight and has extra skin. VERY SAD for this lil pig. Ask for references and call and speak with them not just one or two but you should speak with a dozen ppl at least to hear their opinion of the breeder. As well as the health and size of the pigs they received. Ask for a vet reference and also Google the first and last name of the breeder as well as their website name and farm name and see if complaints come up against them.
(the above photo was edited by me, however I ONLY changed the back ground and removed a collar that was on the piglet, so that the pic would not be so obvious of were it came from since the breeder still has it in their adds. If anyone thinks that I photo-shopped this pic)
I have replied to several posts, that I found on several free classified sites with cute lil piglets for sale... I was shocked by how many were actually scams
SCAM SITUATION
Below is the actual email I was sent after replying to a post for a piglet being sold, and the post said they were located in TEXAS.
I also received the exact same response when inquiring about another posted piglet for sale on a totally different site. The only difference in the two emails was when they say they only have two piglets Romeo and Diamond (below) well the second email said Rose and Philip. ((SCAM)) people like this are criminals. Also let me point out the price was really low for the piglets but in their email they say they are including shipping for $250???? it cost more then $250 just to ship to or from Africa and then there is also a quarantine and vet check that would have to be done. It sounds great, It sounds to good to be true and that's exactly what it is.
FROM:Lynch Brian TO:Maggie Message flagged Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:53 PM Message body
Hello,I am glad you find interest in adopting my Teacup Piglets. I hope any of my Teacup Pig you want to adopt will be going to a loving home where he or she will be showered with care and affection?, Well...i have only two Teacup Piglets available for adoption right now,which their name are Romeo and Diamond, They are health guarantee, but presently I'm on business trip to West Africa. I bid for a portion of petroleum land sometimes ago in West Africa and fortunately I won, so I have to move quickly down to Africa to have my company set up. I came over here with Piglets because there is nobody to take good care of them in the state than me and i have realise in Nigeria that these Piglets are not meant to stay in Nigeria due to the harsh weather in Nigeria which my babies are not used to. so please i am in hurry to adopt them out for those who need them . Romeo is a lovely Teacup Pig baby boy while Diamond is a lovely Teacup Pig baby girl, if you really need any one of them i am ready to give them out to you and i will need just only $250.00 from you for shipping cost and handling for shipping a Pig to you but if you can be able to adopt both of them i will need just only $450.00 from you for shipping cost and handling for shipping two of them to you and they will be delievered to your nearest airport in the next 2days delivery. Right now they are 10 weeks old. They are so animated and they will keep you entertained for hours. Each one has their own distinct personality.Loving and very affectionate personalites are standard with each of the pig.They are very affectionate and like to give kisses.They have the run of the kitchen at different times and they are put down for naps just like babies. They do need to rest at various times of the day because they are still infant Piglets, they are well socialized with kids and cats, please if you know you cant take a good care of this Piglets just forget about the offer, Once again i will only give this Piglets out to a Good Home that can give lots of love and attention to them, it is really hard for me to let these Piglets out of me but i will give them out just because i dont want them to die due to the harsh weather in Nigeria which they are not used to, money is not the issue here i just want a good home for my Piglets, I need who is going to take a very proper cares of them. If you are interested let me know so email me your full name and address, zip code , state , your phone number, city,nearest airport to you, so i can forward it down to the shipping agent for the shipping arrangment to commence as soon as possible and i want you to promise me that you will take a very good care of my Piglets for me because that is all that really matters to me. i will await to hear from you.Thanks
TO AVOID THIS KINDA SCAM
If it sounds to good to be true it most likely is. So beware you may think your saving money when actually your just giving it away. Also if the post says they are located in one area and they reply that they are in another beware and lastly if they are out of the US when posting and they are in the US rest assured its a Scam. Shipping a piglet with in the use costs about $300-400 bucks so if a seller is offering you a piglet with shipping for less then what shipping even costs this IS a SCAM. Don't just move there email to your spam or trash.... please think of others and return to the site you originally saw the post on and flag/report them as the Scam they are.
Below is the actual email I was sent after replying to a post for a piglet being sold, and the post said they were located in TEXAS.
I also received the exact same response when inquiring about another posted piglet for sale on a totally different site. The only difference in the two emails was when they say they only have two piglets Romeo and Diamond (below) well the second email said Rose and Philip. ((SCAM)) people like this are criminals. Also let me point out the price was really low for the piglets but in their email they say they are including shipping for $250???? it cost more then $250 just to ship to or from Africa and then there is also a quarantine and vet check that would have to be done. It sounds great, It sounds to good to be true and that's exactly what it is.
FROM:Lynch Brian TO:Maggie Message flagged Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:53 PM Message body
Hello,I am glad you find interest in adopting my Teacup Piglets. I hope any of my Teacup Pig you want to adopt will be going to a loving home where he or she will be showered with care and affection?, Well...i have only two Teacup Piglets available for adoption right now,which their name are Romeo and Diamond, They are health guarantee, but presently I'm on business trip to West Africa. I bid for a portion of petroleum land sometimes ago in West Africa and fortunately I won, so I have to move quickly down to Africa to have my company set up. I came over here with Piglets because there is nobody to take good care of them in the state than me and i have realise in Nigeria that these Piglets are not meant to stay in Nigeria due to the harsh weather in Nigeria which my babies are not used to. so please i am in hurry to adopt them out for those who need them . Romeo is a lovely Teacup Pig baby boy while Diamond is a lovely Teacup Pig baby girl, if you really need any one of them i am ready to give them out to you and i will need just only $250.00 from you for shipping cost and handling for shipping a Pig to you but if you can be able to adopt both of them i will need just only $450.00 from you for shipping cost and handling for shipping two of them to you and they will be delievered to your nearest airport in the next 2days delivery. Right now they are 10 weeks old. They are so animated and they will keep you entertained for hours. Each one has their own distinct personality.Loving and very affectionate personalites are standard with each of the pig.They are very affectionate and like to give kisses.They have the run of the kitchen at different times and they are put down for naps just like babies. They do need to rest at various times of the day because they are still infant Piglets, they are well socialized with kids and cats, please if you know you cant take a good care of this Piglets just forget about the offer, Once again i will only give this Piglets out to a Good Home that can give lots of love and attention to them, it is really hard for me to let these Piglets out of me but i will give them out just because i dont want them to die due to the harsh weather in Nigeria which they are not used to, money is not the issue here i just want a good home for my Piglets, I need who is going to take a very proper cares of them. If you are interested let me know so email me your full name and address, zip code , state , your phone number, city,nearest airport to you, so i can forward it down to the shipping agent for the shipping arrangment to commence as soon as possible and i want you to promise me that you will take a very good care of my Piglets for me because that is all that really matters to me. i will await to hear from you.Thanks
TO AVOID THIS KINDA SCAM
If it sounds to good to be true it most likely is. So beware you may think your saving money when actually your just giving it away. Also if the post says they are located in one area and they reply that they are in another beware and lastly if they are out of the US when posting and they are in the US rest assured its a Scam. Shipping a piglet with in the use costs about $300-400 bucks so if a seller is offering you a piglet with shipping for less then what shipping even costs this IS a SCAM. Don't just move there email to your spam or trash.... please think of others and return to the site you originally saw the post on and flag/report them as the Scam they are.
Beware Bad Breeders are everywhere
DISHONESTY & POOR CARE SCAM SITUATION;
I personally have a customer who was local here in Houston TX....she purchased a little piglet from me and told me a terrible story of her past experience with getting a little pig the year before. Her and her husband explained to me that they purchased a small piglet from a breeder a few hour drive from Houston. The piglet was a young spayed female, shortly after they came home with her she became extremely ill they rushed her to a vet and found out she had a massive infection due to a botched spay. They explained to me her incision was red swollen and looked bad but the infection was also internal after several months and several $thousand she had to be put to sleep to end her suffering. What a terrible story.
This story came from a local Texas breeder who prefers to remain anonymous.
"We bought a pig from a lady that she stated was a full juliana, which she wasn't cause she didn't have spots. But I didn't know about them always having spots at the time. Well in about a weeks time she started to act really really sick. I kept telling the breeder and she kinda would just blow me off or act like it wasn't a big deal. After about 16 days of having her she had died...I asked if she had a guarantee. She stated oh ya a two week guarantee. She had lied about it being juliani and she sold us a sick pig."
I asked the anonymous breeder what was wrong with the pig and they said
"They thought she was hypoglycemic. But it turns out it was something neurological. I think she was inbred. She must of had about twenty seizures. The vets couldn't really pin point what it was"
WAY TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF SCAM;
When purchasing any type of pet, first you should always check references....as well as all breeders who care about their animals will have vet records on hand and will require a health guarantee/purchase agreement/contract to be signed before you even take your new pet home. This contract is to protect not only a thoughtful breeder, their customers but also the animals involved.
And lastly if you go to look at or pick up a new pet and it looks or acts ill; runny nose, weepy eyes, lethargic, not playing with the other babies and inattentive to the presence of visitors checking it out. Then do NOT get the baby animal (this could be a piglet, puppy, bunny, chick, lamb, calf, foal et cetera.) If it looks or act sick then leave it there, even if you feel sorry for the animal by taking home a sick animal you will be risking the health of the animals you already have, and with some disease even your family.
I personally have a customer who was local here in Houston TX....she purchased a little piglet from me and told me a terrible story of her past experience with getting a little pig the year before. Her and her husband explained to me that they purchased a small piglet from a breeder a few hour drive from Houston. The piglet was a young spayed female, shortly after they came home with her she became extremely ill they rushed her to a vet and found out she had a massive infection due to a botched spay. They explained to me her incision was red swollen and looked bad but the infection was also internal after several months and several $thousand she had to be put to sleep to end her suffering. What a terrible story.
This story came from a local Texas breeder who prefers to remain anonymous.
"We bought a pig from a lady that she stated was a full juliana, which she wasn't cause she didn't have spots. But I didn't know about them always having spots at the time. Well in about a weeks time she started to act really really sick. I kept telling the breeder and she kinda would just blow me off or act like it wasn't a big deal. After about 16 days of having her she had died...I asked if she had a guarantee. She stated oh ya a two week guarantee. She had lied about it being juliani and she sold us a sick pig."
I asked the anonymous breeder what was wrong with the pig and they said
"They thought she was hypoglycemic. But it turns out it was something neurological. I think she was inbred. She must of had about twenty seizures. The vets couldn't really pin point what it was"
WAY TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF SCAM;
When purchasing any type of pet, first you should always check references....as well as all breeders who care about their animals will have vet records on hand and will require a health guarantee/purchase agreement/contract to be signed before you even take your new pet home. This contract is to protect not only a thoughtful breeder, their customers but also the animals involved.
And lastly if you go to look at or pick up a new pet and it looks or acts ill; runny nose, weepy eyes, lethargic, not playing with the other babies and inattentive to the presence of visitors checking it out. Then do NOT get the baby animal (this could be a piglet, puppy, bunny, chick, lamb, calf, foal et cetera.) If it looks or act sick then leave it there, even if you feel sorry for the animal by taking home a sick animal you will be risking the health of the animals you already have, and with some disease even your family.
Scammers Stealling Pictures & text from honest breeders
SCAM SITUATION PLAGIARIZER
Well I have personally come across several adds on Craigslist titled "Tiny Micro Nano Pigs" ??? This is the way I title allot of my adds (but I do not advertise on Craigslist) after opening the add I see my pictures of my pigs and piglets. Not only that its the text from my adds as well.
I have also had several people email me to tell me they had spoken to individuals selling piglets with adds posted. And they wanted to let me know cause they are the same pics that i have on my website.
First I would like to thank everyone who has brought these Fraudulent adds to my attention. THANKS!!
I want to explain that this is a common thing allot of scammers have NO pigs at all or their pigs are huge. So they copy images from Honest breeders websites and post. They also copy text for several reasons allot of scammers are not in the US and don't speak English very well, so they use the text from a Breeders post or website.
I know I have said it so many times but it is so true..... There are ONLY a handful of breeders in the US that actually have pigs 20lbs or smaller and there is only one other known breeder other then me who has pigs 10lbs or less. So if there are 50 different people advertising Teacup Micro Nano piglets on the web that will be 10lbs, even 20lbs or less (you do the math) 90-95% of them are scams.
WAYS TO AVOID THESE SCAMS;
If the add has pics that are totally different just one of each, for example the last one I saw that was using my pics had (one) of two of my piglets eating a banana then another (one) pic of the professional pics taken at the nieman marcus photo shoot and then (one) pic of one of my piglets outside. IF you look at my adds they have several pics of the same seen, the piglet just posed differently. That is a sign they are stolen pics also and the add you are looking at is a scam. Also if you see professional looking pics and they are selling piglets for $300 or they say the piglets will be 10-20lbs and are only asking a few hundred dollars then its a scam.
Another way to verify is if they truly have piglets that small they have to be truly dedicated breeders and they should have a website or at-least they should be able to answer tons of questions, they should have references, they should have tons of pics/videos and they should have allot more adds posted then just one. I once had a customer ask me to right down their name on a piece of paper and take a pic of it with the piglet they were wanting... I thought that was a great way to help out of state customers feel comfortable that they were getting the right piglet and that I had that piglet myself right here with me. And an honest breeder with nothing to hide would have no problem taking that pic for you
On many free classified site you can verify your self as a seller with a credit card, home address and phone number once the site verifies your info then it is marked on all your adds that you are verified. Look for all this on the adds and lastly if you can not check references, call the breeder and speak with them on the phone if they don't have a contract, a health guarantee and if it looks to good to be true then it is A SCAM.
Well I have personally come across several adds on Craigslist titled "Tiny Micro Nano Pigs" ??? This is the way I title allot of my adds (but I do not advertise on Craigslist) after opening the add I see my pictures of my pigs and piglets. Not only that its the text from my adds as well.
I have also had several people email me to tell me they had spoken to individuals selling piglets with adds posted. And they wanted to let me know cause they are the same pics that i have on my website.
First I would like to thank everyone who has brought these Fraudulent adds to my attention. THANKS!!
I want to explain that this is a common thing allot of scammers have NO pigs at all or their pigs are huge. So they copy images from Honest breeders websites and post. They also copy text for several reasons allot of scammers are not in the US and don't speak English very well, so they use the text from a Breeders post or website.
I know I have said it so many times but it is so true..... There are ONLY a handful of breeders in the US that actually have pigs 20lbs or smaller and there is only one other known breeder other then me who has pigs 10lbs or less. So if there are 50 different people advertising Teacup Micro Nano piglets on the web that will be 10lbs, even 20lbs or less (you do the math) 90-95% of them are scams.
WAYS TO AVOID THESE SCAMS;
If the add has pics that are totally different just one of each, for example the last one I saw that was using my pics had (one) of two of my piglets eating a banana then another (one) pic of the professional pics taken at the nieman marcus photo shoot and then (one) pic of one of my piglets outside. IF you look at my adds they have several pics of the same seen, the piglet just posed differently. That is a sign they are stolen pics also and the add you are looking at is a scam. Also if you see professional looking pics and they are selling piglets for $300 or they say the piglets will be 10-20lbs and are only asking a few hundred dollars then its a scam.
Another way to verify is if they truly have piglets that small they have to be truly dedicated breeders and they should have a website or at-least they should be able to answer tons of questions, they should have references, they should have tons of pics/videos and they should have allot more adds posted then just one. I once had a customer ask me to right down their name on a piece of paper and take a pic of it with the piglet they were wanting... I thought that was a great way to help out of state customers feel comfortable that they were getting the right piglet and that I had that piglet myself right here with me. And an honest breeder with nothing to hide would have no problem taking that pic for you
On many free classified site you can verify your self as a seller with a credit card, home address and phone number once the site verifies your info then it is marked on all your adds that you are verified. Look for all this on the adds and lastly if you can not check references, call the breeder and speak with them on the phone if they don't have a contract, a health guarantee and if it looks to good to be true then it is A SCAM.
Trick photography....Pictures taken just to deceive you.
I see it a lot and if it was not for the fact that I'm some what of a photographer myself. I may have fallen victim to these types of scams as well. The one I see a lot of is ppl taking pictures of their pigs with an object in the foreground and the pig/piglet way in the background so that the pig/piglet appears smaller then it truly is. I took and posted a pic below to give you an idea of what I mean and what it looks like, most of the ones I do see appear to not have as much space between the pig and the object as mine but that is just the angle they shot the pic at. What can I say Scammers are better at taking trick photos then I am.
Photo Scam, The pic Below is the actual photo a FB friend posted.
She posted it and said this is a current pic of the piggy Im getting!! At first glance I thought Aww s/he is a pretty color and then it hit me. This is Christmas time and those lovely White Dutch Clover that are in the pic do not bloom till April-March. I contacted the women who was buying the piglet and told her about my concerns. A week later sadly to say she messaged me back and told me I was correct and that the breeder would no longer answer her calls or respond to her emails and also after all this she then did the Google search on them and found out even know they are the first website to come up when you search for Teacup pigs and their website states they are certified and all. They have 5 complaints with the better business bureau from ppl who sent them money and they never got a their piglet and also from one person who says they got a different piglet then the one they paid for 3 months after they paid.
It very sad that all this is going on and I can say it enough ask for references, call and speak with the references, ask fro a newspaper or a piece of paper with your name written on it placed in a current pic with the piglet. Also GOOGLE the breeders name, google their website name and their farm name if they have one you can even google search their phone number and address and read and see what if any complaints come up.
It very sad that all this is going on and I can say it enough ask for references, call and speak with the references, ask fro a newspaper or a piece of paper with your name written on it placed in a current pic with the piglet. Also GOOGLE the breeders name, google their website name and their farm name if they have one you can even google search their phone number and address and read and see what if any complaints come up.
Here are two scam/unknowlegeable/unethical situations that a new pet pig breeder ran into.
Both situations arised because I was looking for tiny pigs to start breeding out here in California.
In June I contacted a breeder and she sold me a pregnant female, who's estimated weight was 20 pounds at 1 year and a she was bred to a 12 pound male ( I still have the original email) along with a mature 20 pound male, to rebreed back to the female. Her instructions were to feed them chicken scratch and fresh veggies ( I have that email too) When the pigs arrived, I picked them up and brought them home, spent several thousands of dollars making the perfect set up for them, I consulted with my vet who said absolutely do not feed chicken scratch, use special pig pellets, so we switched over and feed according to the manufacturers directions, which was 1/4 cup am and pm. along with their veggies, if I let them out to graze we cut back on their feed and didn't give alot of fruit, just once a week as instruction. In October I decided to breed them and before I did that I sprinkled food onto my livestock scale in the barn and had them walk onto the scale to weigh them. I had to do a double take, the female was 32.6 pounds and the male was 40 pounds! Neither of them are fat, and they are in the pen with other pigs that ,I bought from various breeders throughout the Country, fed the same feeds and exercised the same amounts, the other pigs are still small, but these two in particular are much larger than promised. In his opinion, these were not mature pigs, but young stock, mis represented.
Situation 2:
I contacted a breeder in Florida that promised to have the smallest pigs available, his ad said $1200, when I called the first thing he asked is what I was looking for and what my budget was. I hadn't set a budget but told him I was looking for a small male to decrease the size of my females. He continued to ask my budget, but I didn't really have a budget, so he told me he had an 8 month old boar, who was 11 pounds. I asked for pictures and sent me pictures that were suppose to be taken that day. I looked over the pictures closely and could tell that by the lack of body hair it was not an 8 month old pig, but much younger. I forwarded the picture to many other breeders, including Maggie @ Petite Porkers, who also noted that the young male in the pictures had no testicles, which after being with mature males for a few months already, I knew she was right. Later that evening, I went back through this mans ads and found all the pictures he said he took that day, but in older ads, as old as 3 months old! He was trying to sell me a "mature breeder" for $3500, when I called him out on the fact that the pictures were old and the male appeared to be much younger, he never returned any calls.
WAYS TO AVOID THESE TYPES OF SCAMS. I Maggie have spoke with this breeder on several occasions regarding the first situation, I am happy to say that the breeder who was feeding chicken feed to her pigs is NO longer doing that and is now feeding them proper healthy foods. However This is something I see a lot of in new breeders who have purchased their breeding stock from another new breeder and they are doing what was told for them to do, that does not mean it is right and I mark this up totally to unknowledgeable breeders. Of course some may know what they are doing it incorrect but others have no clue because they trusted the person they bought their pigs from and they are only repeating what they were told. Feeding Chicken feed should have been one give away and reason to avoid purchasing from them. If a breeder is under feeding and recommending you do the same or if they are not feeding a proper diet to their pigs then do not purchase from them. Some breeders do this to keep their pigs small when actually they are starved.
Another way this situation could have been avoided is if the pigs had come with contracts. CONTRACTS!!! I cant say it enough Contracts contracts contracts and also vet records special in an older pig they should have vaccination and health records for the pig. if you are going to purchase any pet it needs to come with contracts/health guarantee for the sale as well as the animals health these need to be signed by both parties and you need to keep these same as you would car titles and children's birth certificates they are VERY IMPORTANT and would have solved this particular situation before it even arises (if the pigs had come with contracts and vet records/health certificate).
As for the pictures and the way the man spoke to the customer. I can only say "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" we all know this saying and you should have it in your head when go to buy a meal, a car, a shirt , everything even a pet. If the seller is Not happy to answer all your questions then something is WRONG and you should not buy from them. If you ask for pictures they should send you multiple pictures that are consecutive not one pic of the pig on the couch and one of the pig in the yard and one of the pig in a bath... That is a dead give away the pics were NOT just taken. If you are worried about the truthfulness of a person regarding photos then ask them to write your name on a piece of paper and put it next to the piglet and take a few pics and send them to you. Easy as that now you know they have the pig and you know the pics were just taken and also the current size of the pig.
I was just asked to send current pics of a piglet, I posted them below so you can see what I mean by consecutive. He moved a cpl feet, he moved he turned you can tell they were all taken at the same time and consecutively.
Lying about a pig/piglets age, this way the pig/piglet looks smaller
SCAM SITUATION; I got a piglet form a women in ******* she said the piglet was 2 months old and weaned. She instructed me to feed it whole wheat bread soaked in whole milk. I was a new pet owner and didnt think much of it but my piglet came down with terrible runs after having it for 2 days. I had to rush the piglet to the vet and she almost died. I have since learned that she was only a week or two old and also that bread and whole milk are not appropriate to feed a baby pig.
How to Avoid this scam; If you were to get a health certificate from a vet with the piglet then you would not have this problem. But then I have also seen unscrupulous breeders lie to a vet and get health certificates for piglets with the incorrect age on them. I think all the above at the top of the page apply here research, check references, google their company, ask for pictures and ask a lot of questions special about how the piglet is fed. Below are pics of piglets teeth so you know what to look for in the age of a piglet. Please read the caption with each picture to better understand what to look for.
How to Avoid this scam; If you were to get a health certificate from a vet with the piglet then you would not have this problem. But then I have also seen unscrupulous breeders lie to a vet and get health certificates for piglets with the incorrect age on them. I think all the above at the top of the page apply here research, check references, google their company, ask for pictures and ask a lot of questions special about how the piglet is fed. Below are pics of piglets teeth so you know what to look for in the age of a piglet. Please read the caption with each picture to better understand what to look for.
Be Smart, Be Safe, Avoid Scams.
