
Never Buy a Teacup Pig (2014) - shawndumas
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/never-buy-teacup-pig/
======
MrBuddyCasino
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-...](http://www.nature.com/news/gene-edited-micropigs-to-be-sold-as-pets-
at-chinese-institute-1.18448)

------
zhte415
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.

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ChuckMcM
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.

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kazinator
Awesome term, with wide applicability in computing!

\- teacup text editor

\- teacup web browser

\- teacup programming language

\- teacup kernel

...

~~~
michaelcampbell
> \- teacup text editor

My .emacs file started teacup size. It's 25+ years old now, and 200# heavier,
but I still love it.

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lbenes
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)

~~~
scott_s
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
We're really close, actually. The Chinese have bred pigs that weigh ~30 pounds
when mature.

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

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werber
>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
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/lega...](https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/farm-animal-
cruelty/legal-protections-farm-animals)

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.

------
late2part
Is cloud computing a teacup pig?

~~~
delinka
"Microservices"

They grow up into complex systems that no one was expecting.

/s

