The Surprising Cleanliness Of Pigs

Pigs are naturally clean animals that prefer tidy environments, despite the muddy conditions found in a sty. They create mud pits because they lack sweat glands and need the wet earth to regulate their body temperature.

Because pigs cannot cool themselves down through sweating, they rely on mud to prevent overheating. Their rooting behavior and voracious appetites eventually strip their enclosures of vegetation, which exposes the bare dirt. While these muddy spots look messy to us, they are actually vital cooling stations for the pigs. They are quite intelligent creatures that carefully avoid fouling their own sleeping areas whenever they have enough space.