A. Pet pigs, who often live indoors and are bathed regularly, are as clean as dogs or cats. Wild pigs or pigs who live on farms are obviously dirtier, but with good reason.

Pigs in the wild and on farms often give themselves mud baths—much like rhinos, elephants and horses. There are several reasons this mud bath in beneficial to pigs. The mud helps rub off and suffocate small parasites, and, as it dries, builds a protective barrier that repels flies. Mud is a sunscreen, especially helpful to fair-skinned pigs. When their mud coat is wet, it cools the pig in hot weather; when the mud is dried, it insulates against wind.

Wild pigs, who live in family groups, will designate a separate area of their encampment as a "bathroom," often very far from where they sleep. This obvious preference for clean living is one reason pet pigs are so easily housetrained. Pigs are intelligent and compassionate—and clean—animals. If you have the space and time to dedicate to a pig, they make wonderful pets.