Meet Valentino: Our Newly Rehomed Pig Is a Total Ham

Hold onto your hats, there's a new boss of the pig pen. Meet Valentino: eight months old, newly rehomed, and as of this week the biggest pig at Hidden Camp. When he trots into the paddock the ground doesn't exactly shake, but it definitely notices. He came from a loving home that had too many male pigs, so he has joined our mob.

A total ham

Point a camera anywhere near Valentino and his snout is in the lens before you can say cheese. Every photo we took this week is roughly 60% nose. He's not camera-shy, he's camera-hungry. He's the biggest ham on the farm, and he knows it.

Why Valentino?

Look at him. Tall, spotty, smouldering, a bit of mud on the chin. He was always going to be named after a heartthrob. He's not the strong, silent type though. He's the strong, snorty type.

He's settled in like he's owned the place for years. Give him a mud wallow, a scratch behind the ears and a snack, and you'll get a grunt of approval that could rattle a ute window.

Ladies, form an orderly queue

Our girls have noticed the new fella, and Valentino has definitely noticed them noticing. We're hoping that, in time, he'll be the proud dad of a litter of mini Valentinos, which would make him the most eligible bachelor in Glenwood and the first boar on the farm with his own fan club. Piglet photos will absolutely be shared. We'll keep you posted.

The Valentino fact file

• Age: 8 months, and all boy

• Size: the biggest pig at Hidden Camp. Hogs the shade, the trough and the spotlight.

• Favourite hobby: mud. Second favourite hobby: more mud.

• Favourite food: whatever you're holding

• Least favourite thing: the end of a back scratch

• Relationship status: it's complicated (it isn't, he's very keen)

Pig jokes, as promised

What do you call a pig that does karate? A pork chop. (Valentino says that one's a bit close to home.)

What's Valentino's favourite ballet? Swine Lake.

Why did the pig get the lead in the school play? He was a natural ham.

How does Valentino write home? With his pig pen. Short letters, mostly mud.

Why can't you tell a pig a secret? Because it'll squeal.

What do you call a pig with no manners? A road hog. Valentino has never once let anyone else go first at the trough.

Has Marvin approved?

Not yet. Marvin, our grand old rescue horse and official campsite inspector, is still to file his report on the new arrival. We expect it to say "large, spotty, needs to share the carrots". We'll let you know.

Sponsor Valentino

Valentino is now on the sponsor list. Pig sponsorships start at $8 a month and come with a certificate with his photo on it and an email whenever he gets a new diary entry. Just pick "Valentino" when you check out. They make a pretty good gift too. Sponsor Valentino here.

Not after anything monthly? A one-off treat or a chip-in to the Rescue Fund helps us say yes to the next animal who needs a home, just like we did for Valentino. Treats and the Rescue Fund are here.

Need to rehome a pig (or a goat, horse, rooster or pretty well any farm animal) yourself? We take them in for free, and they stay for life. Here's how rehoming works, or read our guide to rehoming a pig in Queensland.