they do fine living outside in the winter as long as they have shelter. mine have their choice of 2 barns but in the winter, they usually all snuggle up together in 1. they have thick straw bedding as well as lots of blankets to push around to their liking. about the only thing i do differently in the winter is that i give them each a bowl of warm hawaiian punch (diluted with water). if they don't drink enough, they will get constipated and this helps keep things moving.
they are probably the easiest animals i have ever had as far as day-to-day care. they need good food (i get pellets made for pot bellied pigs), plenty of water, regular dewormings, foot trims as needed (probably the most stressful thing for them as pigs HATE to be restrained but i only have do that once a year), and in the summer, they need water and/or mud to lay in.
think long and hard before you decide to get a pig. they can live upwards of 20 years so you will be making a very long-time commitment. unlike a lot of other animals, pigs don't do all that well when they are bounced around from home to home. they are extremely sensitive (believe it or not!), they bond very closely to their humans and being uprooted as adults is extremely hard on them. there are numerous pig sanctuaries around the country that, once a pig is surrendered to them, they are kept there for life. if you find an adult pig that needs a home and you want to give it one, be prepared for several weeks of "i'm NOT coming near you and YOU are not coming near ME!!!" when i got lilly, she was almost 3 years old. she would not let me near her for a couple of weeks, i would have to put her food down a distance away from the others and just walk away. only when i was far enough away for her comfort would she eat. after a couple of weeks, she would let me get closer but if i got TOO close, she would charge me. that lasted for another few weeks before she totally accepted me. much, of course, depends on the pig. harley was just under a year old when i got him and from day one, he was a social butterfly. he is definitely the exception to the rule as he doesn't know a stranger. if you are willing to scratch his ears, rub his belly or hand feed him cookies, he's all about that, whether you are the next door neighbor or jack the ripper! LOL
and if you find yourself with a pig you need to re-home, good luck! i have been trying for the last 2 weeks to find a home or foster for ONE little bitty 12 week old pig and i have had absolutely NO luck!
