Aussies are going nuts for miniature pigs. Source: Facebook

Priscilla is one of many four-legged Instagram stars gaining thousands of fans online via the #pigsofinstagram hashtag. The adorable Florida-based pig is more popular than Karl Stefanovic, supermodels Jess Hart, Lara Stone and author Zoe Foster Blake. Her account, @prissy_pig, has 350,000 followers and chronicles her daily adventures, along with little brother Poppelton.

Priscilla and Poppelton’s owner Melissa Nicholson started her Instagram account just over a year ago and says she has been blown away by how much people love pigs.

“[Pigs] are so smart and really affectionate. They love to cuddle and snuggle,” she told news.com.au. “Also, they have their own little personalities. Both of mine are so different. I have wanted one since I was in college.”

Priscilla and Poppelton take a bath together. Source: Facebook

Pig breeders and animal rights organisations say they have seen a significant increase in inquiries about pet miniature pigs. Often referred to as teacup or micro pigs, miniature pigs only grow to around 50cm long and live for around 12-15 years. They are super intelligent, can be house trained and contrary to popular belief, are quite clean.

Australian council regulations on pet pigs are varied, but most allow them for ‘companion’ purposes if you’ve got enough land.

Celebrities have also jumped on board - Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus regularly flood Instagram with happy snaps of their pet pigs, Princess Piglette and Bubba Sue.

Victorian pig breeder Alyce Cromption has been running her business, The Little Pig Pen, for six years.

She owns two boars and six sows, who breed a litter with up to nine piglets every six to eight weeks. Ms Crompton charges $650 for a male piglet and $700 for a female (it costs more to desex females). The piglets come vaccinated, desexed, wormed and vet checked, with a harness, lead and a bag of feed.

Miniature pigs stay this small size their whole lives. Source: Facebook

Ms Crompton says she has been inundated with request for pigs in the lead up to Christmas.

“I’m booked out until April,” she said. “They’re going off at the moment. People were emailing me four weeks out from Christmas asking for a pig, thinking they’re getting in early.” And some customers are super picky. “Some people only want specific colours or sexes. I’ve had some people waiting for over a year for a certain colour. It comes in phases — sometimes they like white, sometimes ginger, sometimes pink”.

Porky, Oinky, Crackle and Peppa are her customer’s most popular names.

“I hadn’t heard of Peppa Pig up until recently and I had no idea why everyone wanted to call their pig Peppa. I was like, ‘Man, ANOTHER person wants to call their pig Peppa!’”.

Ms Crompton says she doesn’t sell pigs to customers with small houses even if their council does permit them, “because they are still pigs and pigs like to be pigs. They’re not really suited to your little house block.”

Breeders and animal rights organisations say the popularity of mini pigs is on the rise. Source: Facebook

Animal rights activists are divided over the ethics of keeping pigs as pets. The RSPCA endorses the practice, but has specific guidelines for potential owners, which include housing, food and drink, health needs and pig behaviour.

But Animal Liberation CEO, Lynda Stoner, says keeping a pig as a pet is “abhorrent”.

“Don’t just buy these animals on a whim. Pigs love to forage and they’re hugely intelligent animals - more intelligent than dogs - and they need stimulation and social interaction. The thought of having a pig in a small backyard is abhorrent.

“It makes me sick to know there are people out there breeding pet pigs. When you think about the number of animals that are slaughtered every year because their owners give them up. The vet bills rise and they just can’t be bothered.

“There’s nothing cuter than a baby pig. They are adorable. I can see why people would rush to grab them. But they need to be properly looked after. Our office gets calls all the time saying, ‘I can’t keep my pet pig anymore’, because the novelty wears off. It’s a fashion accessory and they get bored with them and then it falls to organisations like ours to find a home for them.”

What do you think about keeping pigs as pets? Tweet us @newscomauhq | @beck_sullivan