4 sows. Eldest being very aggressive today.

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Mon59

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Hi I have new collection of 4 sows,

1 is approx 12 weeks
1 is 9 weeks
2 sisters. I very small And picked on. is knocked off the smallest treat like tiny bit of cabbage.

rhey have always been kept together.

the eldest being very aggressive and hormonal today. Won’t leave any of the others alone . Several near fights with the middle one this afternoon.
I got her out and she was very docile on my lap.

calmed down after lots of hay but seems to be getting worse?

i expect this has been covered many times but I can’t keep distracting them all day !

is there any other advice ?.
 
Hi, could your older sow be in season? Is she chasing and trying to mount the others?
If they are hormonal they can really squabble!
You could try removing any hidies that only have one entrance/ exit as this could allow for a piggie to get cornered.
Just out of interest, how big is your cage/ hutch?
 
I would consider having her checked by a vet if this lasts longer than a couple of days, she may be suffering a hormonal issue such as ovarian cysts. Almost all my sows that have had a very sudden change such as this has been due to cysts.
 
6x2 with 3 houses and two tubes .

I don’t put the houses against the sides and 2 doors in each.

bit fed up to be honest .. I got them so they had company and I had Single Guinea pigs when I was very young .. in a very small cage..
 
Will consider vet . Thanks.

thought getting babies would make vet years away. Apart from emergencies.
 
Can you describe exactly what she is doing? And is it the 12 week old that’s being aggressive? How are the others reacting?

Have a read of the guide below and see where she is sitting with regards her behaviour.
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
 
Crawling around . Low down. Even when on her own at the other end. Seeks out the others to annoy.
the sad thing was when she was on my lap the others seemed happier.
 
Sorry I may have misunderstood, if the aggressive one is one of the babies it may be fear aggression, I find this resolves with time and access to older piggies to learn appropriate behaviour from if possible, but sometimes some personalities just don't get along. With any luck, shes just having a strong season and it passes soon!
 
How does she annoy them? Is she sniffing their bottom, chasing them, trying to mount them? Is she rumble strutting?
 
Otherwise I would say no mobility issues or obvious injury. Does laps at high speed in the morning.

examined her today . Bottom and fur ok. They have just been treated .
 
You say you’ve got four sows - one of them is 12 weeks, one is 9 weeks….how old are the other two?

To clarify, It’s the 12 week old who is behaving like this?

How long have you actually had them?
A move to a new home will cause them to reestablish their relationship which will take around two weeks. During this time you will see dominance behaviours
They will also come into season around every two weeks so if she just showing dominance behaviours then that would be completely normal.

Theyve been treated for what?
 
Definitely rumble strutting . Loads of clean hay but knocks them off even hay.

quite a bully !
 
Had them 4 weeks now.

the eldest has always been a bit of a bully . I thought it was elder dominance but it’s more than that today .

appreciate the posts.
 
Rumblestrutting is not bullying, its a normal dominance behaviour.
Bullying is a sustained behaviour where you will see the bullied piggy become withdrawn and possibly lose weight through never being allowed to eat. Bullying is bond breaking, dominance is not.

The 12 week old could be having a strong season which will result in a more intense dominance behaviour. This isn’t bullying and should calm down in a few days.

Could you please answer all our questions so we have the full picture

if one is 12 weeks and one is 9 weeks, how old are the other two?

How many hay piles do you have?

What have they been treated for?
 
Also shoving the Amazon box with her shoulder .

all in all ..not very attractive behaviour but I am trying to be patient And understanding.
 
Mon59 said:
Also shoving the Amazon box with her shoulder .

all in all ..not very attractive behaviour but I am trying to be patient And understanding.
Click to expand...

This all sounds really rather normal from a young piggy who may be having a strong season
 
That sounds like normal behaviour - both dominance and possibly in season. They can become a bit more fruity when they are in season. I would let them work it out unless you see that it is really putting them all on tenterhooks.

Is she the top pig? And how old is she? Also, did you get all four together or did you have two and then introduce two more? Sorry for all the questions but it does help to give us a clearer picture 😌
 
Ok.

4 large piles and two boxes. And two tubes.

the youngest 2 around 8 weeks.they are sisters . One smooth who is doing very well.

and a teddy not so well.

the strange thing is the eldest seems most fond of the teddy . Tolerates her quite well.

the trouble is mainly between the eldest and next in age. If she doesn’t back off there will be a fight .

don’t have much weight data.
 
No always together according to the breeder. I do believe her because she showed to me in together And then I picked them up a week later.

happy to let things settle but what if the eldest is ALWAYs so aggressive? Can’t put up with that.

the youngest obviously introduced as they were weaned .
 
So you’ve got the eldest (and likely the most dominant sow ) and the next one down likely trying to sort out their hierarchy.

If if is just rumbling from the top sow, then that is a very mild dominance behaviour which on its own is not likely to lead to a fight.
If the second piggy down in the hierarchy is fighting back and trying to challenge for dominance then that may mean they are not compatible and cannot form a hierarchy. This would mean they require permanent separation.

its so important you do not confuse aggression with dominance. Dominance is very normal. Proper aggression is likely going to be bond breaking.
You will probably see dominance behaviours every two weeks when they come into season.
 
Interested in distraction or temporary separation techniques.

I can watch them 24/7.
 
Mon59 said:
Interested in distraction or temporary separation techniques.

I can watch them 24/7.
Click to expand...

There aren’t any - it’s a normal behaviour which they will need to go through - ensure lots of enrichment and multiple hay piles in the cage but otherwise there isn’t much you can do for a normal behaviour

Do not separate them unless there is a full on bond breaking fight. If you separate them for normal dominance behaviours then all that will do is cause them to be more dominant when you put them back together as they try to reestablish themselves
 
The behaviour you describe sounds quite normal and I wouldn't necessarily be worried myself 🙂 I would say the same as others in terms of what you're seeing play out.

Remember that it's very easy to (incorrectly) view animal behaviour through a human lens. A dog's growl, for example, can seem quite threatening to us but can actually be a dog using their words to ask another to leave them alone - potentially quite within the bounds of polite doggo behaviour. The "you're the boss" squealing piggies make is another that sounds harsh to us but is generally perfectly fine.

Bashing a box around a cage is also normal, rambunctious, playful behaviour and well within normal bounds for piggies. I don't think I've ever put a cardboard box in a guinea pig cage and had it stay in the same place. It is a toy and enrichment and someplace to sleep once you've worn yourself out redecorating! One of mine likes to tip them over, bury herself underneath it, and then "drive" it round the cage - makes an awful mess :))
 
i understand. Dominance to a certain extent.

but Seeking out the others from 5 foot away when she has loads of hay herself ?
 
Over assertiveness can be because they are unsure of themselves And over-react. Either way, this does sound like a normal behaviour. If she calms down in a few days/week then you will know it is was a strong season.
Dont forget, she is just about coming into her teens and while sow teens tends to be more mild than boar teens, they still have hormone spikes
 
It is normal. As I said before, they can be more fruity when they are in season. My sub girl who was pretty relaxed used to rumble strut and even chase and mount her friend! I was worried it wasn’t normal once because it was quite…persistent. But she was just having a strong season.

The younger May also be trying her luck to take over and top sow just wants to be clear who is the leader.

Try not to put ‘human emotions’ on their behaviour. They sound fine and happy. Please make sure you weigh them weekly. That’s one way to keep an eye on their health.
 
Thank you.

I not being human emotion wise. if there is a hierarchy then fine.

but I wanted some practical steps if things continue ?

if the eldest continues to knock off plentiful food,
takes an interest in disturbing resting mates.
provokes at every opportunity.

I need some ideas.
 
Mon59 said:
Thank you.

I not being human emotion wise. if there is a hierarchy then fine.

but I wanted some practical steps if things continue ?

if the eldest continues to knock off plentiful food,
takes an interest in disturbing resting mates.
provokes at every opportunity.

I need some ideas.
Click to expand...

If and while it remains within normal bounds, you don’t need to do anything. There are no steps that need to be taken.

If it becomes clear that she is actually moving into bullying behaviour and the others are suffering because of her sustained and actual bullying (not dominance) behaviours, then the only thing to do is to move her into a cage on her own. You can then try to work out which piggy she may get on best with and then split them up into two separate pairs so no piggy remains on their own long term
 
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