Herbivorous Acres (HA) is a nonprofit farm sanctuary protecting animals from cruelty, abuse, and neglect. They provide a safe place for animals to live out their lives with well-deserved peace and dignity. They are currently located on property in Scandia.

They currently have two pigs, a rooster, and 4 goats and 5 ducks with more rescues to come down the road. Fox and Zeus are the pigs. We want you to have this chance to get to know them and their special friendship.

Fox is 5 years old and was rescued back in 2017 after jumping off a slaughter truck when he was only 8 weeks old and weighed 10 lbs.

He came to HA after a kind woman and her husband in St. Paul took him in after he was found all alone on the side of a highway in Iowa. They gave him a wonderful start and contacted HA to continue his care.

HA reports: “When we went to meet him for the first time, his little snout was smaller than the avocado we fed him. He is a very happy pig and now weighs a whopping 800 lbs! We are honored to provide him with his forever home and he is living his best life!”

Pigs like Fox usually don’t get to live past 6 months because they are bred for consumption and are genetically altered to get really big, really fast. HB makes sure that his diet is balanced so he can stay comfortable and healthy.

His favorite things are naps, snacks, and pets. Fox will eat almost anything you give him, but really loves watermelon and pumpkins! He loves rooting around in the dirt, lives in his mud pool during the summer, and is a very good boy. Fox is very chatty and he lets them know if his meals are even a minute late!

Zeus came to HA rescue in 2017 shortly before Fox and was their very first rescue! He is a 10 year old potbelly pig and is still Fox’s “big” brother. Fox was about ¼ of the size of Zeus when HA took him in and he now towers over Zeus. They snuggle together every night and love being around each other. HA shared: “It’s a joy watching their bond grow stronger every day.”

Zeus is still very opinionated and only likes belly rubs on his terms! He is a wonderful “big” brother to Fox and his favorite snacks are tomatoes and apples. They know it’s really hot out when he goes for a dip in Fox’s pool. He likes getting brushed, and even sits for snacks. Zeus has flourished now that he is outdoors and has room to roam.

Zeus was surrendered from a house in St. Paul where he was becoming too big and “cantankerous”. HA gets a lot of calls regarding potbellied pigs. “People often think that teacup or mini-pigs are a breed, and believe us when we tell you- there is no such thing as a mini pig!” The previous owner was told by the breeder that Zeus wouldn’t get bigger than 15 lbs. He is now around 100lbs, and without a proper diet, could get much bigger! This misconception often leads to people not being able to provide adequate settings and they get surrendered very frequently. 

HA told us: “His previous owner wasn’t sure how much he would be willing to do on the farm, but he continues to surprise us as he soaks in farm life. The best feeling in the world is when Zeus lays down for a good belly rub and falls asleep right next to you. We are lucky to be providing him a forever home! “

More information on Herbivorous Acres

Dennis is their resident rooster and Olivia, Lucky, Bunny and Barney make up their goat family. Olivia is the mom to Lucky and Bunny is the mom to Barney, which is quite special that HA can keep them together for the rest of their lives.

HA explains their unusual operations: “Our setup is a little different than most sanctuaries out there, seeing as how this is a private property that is owned by others. While we are working on having occasional events down the road, we will not be holding your typical “farm sanctuary tours” and “volunteer work days” on a regular basis. Here is the thing: the bare bones of our mission is to save farm animals…. With the opportunity given to us in Scandia, we can finally start to grow our herd and take in rescues, which we know everyone can get behind!”

Their Executive Director Marie DuCharme has relocated to the area in order to be close to the farm in order to ensure this next step goes smoothly for Herbivorous Acres.

Marie DuCharme, Chair and Aubry Walch, Vice-Chair worked hard to get Herbivorous Acres Incorporated in 2016 and approved as a 501C3 that year.