Do Pigs Need a Companion? What the Rules Say and Why It Matters

Almost everyone who asks about pet pigs asks whether one is enough. The short answer is yes: pigs are social herd animals and do better with pig company, and welfare rules in some countries expect it. That choice also changes the space, feed and cost you need to plan for, which is why it's worth settling before you buy.

Pigs are social animals

Smithsonian Magazine's reporting on the pet-pig trade notes that pigs don't have thousands of years of domestication as pets behind them and become lonely without other pigs. The RSPCA is direct: “you should allow for at least two pigs that get on well to live together”, because pigs are social herd animals (RSPCA, caring for pet pigs). Defra's guidance on caring for pigs quotes the rule that pigs must be able to see other pigs, covered below.

What the English rules say

Schedule 8 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 — the same schedule that sets the legal minimum floor areas in our pig calculator — requires that pigs be able to see other pigs, except where a pig is isolated for veterinary reasons, or in the week before the expected farrowing time and during farrowing. It also requires that all pigs have permanent access to a sufficient quantity of material such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost or peat to root and explore.

A caveat worth being honest about: Schedule 8 is written for farmed pigs, and whether a particular pet pig falls under it depends on how it is kept. But it is the clearest statement in law of what is considered acceptable for a pig, and the general duty to meet an animal's needs — including being housed with or apart from other animals as appropriate to the species — applies to any pet. For a pig, appropriate means with company.

What a second pig does to space and cost

It changes less than you might expect, at first. Published space allowances are a per-head share of a group pen, so for one to three pigs the calculators apply a minimum-pen estimate to stop the pen being smaller than the animal. Schedule 8 also says a pen for an individual pig must have an internal area not less than the square of the pig's length, with no internal side shorter than 75% of that length — so very long, narrow pens don't qualify. At 50 kg the legal minimum works out at 0.90 m² for one pig and for two, and 1.2 m² for three. Try your own numbers in the UK or US pig pen size calculator.

Feed and vet care, by contrast, scale directly with headcount. Two pigs eat twice as much as one, so budget with our plan my setup tool using the number you actually intend to keep, and check the registration and legal rules — which apply from your first pig, however many you keep.

Introducing pigs to each other

Every Pig Rescue Service advises giving all new pigs a week or two to settle in before putting them into the same space as another pig. It suggests letting them get to know one another through the fence first, then moving to supervised meetings with a pig board, and gradually lengthening them from hours to full days and nights. It says some fighting is expected while a hierarchy is established: separate pigs if they are fighting a lot, allow cool-down periods, and continue swapping feed and bedding. It advises avoiding introductions when females aren't in heat, says having males castrated beforehand can make a huge difference to male-to-male introductions, and says to introduce a new pig to an established herd one on one with each member (Every Pig Rescue Service, introductions). It covers male-male, female-female and male-female introductions, but we found no source on which mix of sexes suits a pair best.

Before you get two

Keeping a group is a commitment too. Pigs grow, and two adult pigs need the space and feed of two adult pigs — see our guide to what teacup pigs actually grow to. Ask your vet about neutering, and about the right pairing for your pigs.

Sources: Every Pig Rescue Service, “Introductions for pet pigs”; Defra, “Caring for pigs” (quoting Schedule 8, Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007, paragraphs 5, 6 and 15); Smithsonian Magazine, “Bad News, Pet Lovers: Teacup Pigs Are a Hoax” (2017). Floor-area figures are from our own calculator. Sources checked: September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

Common questions

Can a pig live alone?

Pigs are social and become lonely without other pigs. In England, Schedule 8 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations requires pigs to be able to see other pigs, except when isolated for veterinary reasons or around farrowing. A single pig kept with no contact with other pigs is hard to reconcile with that, so plan to keep at least two. The RSPCA says the same: allow for at least two pigs that get on well.

Do two pigs need twice the space of one?

Not at small numbers. Published space allowances are a per-head share of a group pen, so for one to three pigs our calculators apply a minimum-pen estimate. At 50 kg the legal minimum works out at 0.90 m² for one pig and for two, and 1.2 m² for three, so the second pig adds little floor area at first.

What do pigs need besides company?

Under Schedule 8, all pigs must have permanent access to enough material such as straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost or peat to satisfy their need to root and explore.