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Beware: Craigslist sellers duping pet pig buyers

Posted at 4:58 PM, Feb 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-17 18:16:57-05

If you fallen down YouTube's rabbit hole of cute animal videos you've probably seen these, teacup pigs. Despite their name, they don't always stay that size.

"The pig was advertised as a mini on Craigslist," said Barbara Poe with the Great Plains SPCA. "He was small at the time and then he grew."

To 50 pounds in less than seven months, forcing the owner to surrender to Oliver to the Great Plains SPCA.

Meet Oliver, who was adopted 24 hours after his owner surrendered him for Great Plains SPCA.

"He's the right size for a potbelly, but he's not the miniature," said Poe. "Getting an animal off Craigslist in some situations may not be the best idea because they aren't giving you all you need to know to make a good decision."

READ: 6 Reasons Teacup Pigs May Not Be A Pet for You

That's something Ann Varner knows all too well.

"She's a teacup," said Varner of her pet pig Marlee. "I was told she would be 25 pounds. Breeders will tell you that they will stay small, and they will not."

When Marlee ballooned to a lean 100 pounds over five years, Varner knew the breeder had misled her.

Instead of getting rid of Marlee, Varner found an apartment to accommodate them both.  

Marlee grew to a whopping 100 pounds — 75 more than breeders said she would be.

WATCH: See How Varner Changed Laws to Make Pet Pigs Legal in Kansas City

"Education is the utmost important thing," said Varner. "If you are going to buy a refrigerator or a washing machine, you would be reading reviews about it and doing a lot of research before you bought it. It's the same thing with a pet. You need to know what you are getting into. You need to understand that pigs especially can be 60 pounds or 300 pounds and you don't know what you are getting until they are five years old."

It's a cautionary "tail" for potential pig parents, so that the last thing you get with your pet pig is a pig in a poke.

If getting a mini pig is something you want to do, Varner recommends beginning your research at Mini Pig Info.

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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.

You can also follow her on Twitter.

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