a sow that doesn't like other sows?

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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is this common, or just a few that don't?

maisie came into the rescue with a group of males. she had one baby whilst she was there (a little boy) and after he went to his new home, maisie lived alone for four months until we adopted her.

we were told she hates other sows but how likely is this?

i've just texted the lady from the rescue to ask, but she was adament maisie hated other sows.

i just have my eye on two more sows and would love to bond them into a group with maisie and chesney, but obviously i would never want to upset maisie. she loves chesney and follows him round and they have got into a good routine together so i am unsure how she would react to new sows joining. ches would be fine obviously! he loves his ladies!

also, would there ever be one left out in a group? i'd hate for her to get left out.
 
I had a sow come in with a younger sow and it was clear from her behviour she was food defensive and when the older sow decided to pierce the younger ones ear pow-pow they were immediately split (they had both previously lived in a large group). Baggy was then paired with Beefy and they get on very well indeed (the younger piggy was adopted by a lovely couple after she had recovered and got on very well with her new cage mate) and like you I woundered if the stabilising influence of a neutered boar would enable Baggy to live in a group. So I introduced two more sows (all our own neutered boys have 3 wives) they were fine in a six foot run all day then into the hutch where they were fine for a couple of hours but then Baggy really voiced her displeasure by trying to give one of the sows a hair cut on the rear end (if she had been a short haired piggy there would have been a bite inflicted).

If your sow is happy with her husband I would leave them as a pair rather than rock the boat. If the rescue you got her from says she hates sows I would believe them, a sow who is not communal would not be easy to home so they would not give her this label lightly and have probably seen evidence to support the fact. IF you introduced more sow you could end up with fighting and at worst that Maisie would become agressive towards everyone upsetting the balance between her and Ches.

Hope this helps
 
Unfortunately, it does happen!

I had this this spring, when I tried to adopt another female and wasn't given relevant information until we had made a long trip to pick her up (basically, she'd been living with a rabbit until very shortly and hadn't been tested out on other guinea pigs to back up the claim that she was "suitable to be rehomed with a group of sows or a neutered boar"). She lit into my Dizzy like mad and whenever she came eye to eye with Llewelyn, we had an almighty sable rattling show on! Needless to say, I never let them get together! (And the rescue lady in her ignorance had the gall to rake me down for "not sticking it out"!)

If Maisie is happy with Chesney, leave her be! You might well end up with Maisie on her own and having to find her a new boyfriend again... and a lot of unnecessary upset along the way!
 
Vikki said:
I had a sow come in with a younger sow and it was clear from her behviour she was food defensive and when the older sow decided to pierce the younger ones ear pow-pow they were immediately split (they had both previously lived in a large group). Baggy was then paired with Beefy and they get on very well indeed (the younger piggy was adopted by a lovely couple after she had recovered and got on very well with her new cage mate) and like you I woundered if the stabilising influence of a neutered boar would enable Baggy to live in a group. So I introduced two more sows (all our own neutered boys have 3 wives) they were fine in a six foot run all day then into the hutch where they were fine for a couple of hours but then Baggy really voiced her displeasure by trying to give one of the sows a hair cut on the rear end (if she had been a short haired piggy there would have been a bite inflicted).

If your sow is happy with her husband I would leave them as a pair rather than rock the boat. If the rescue you got her from says she hates sows I would believe them, a sow who is not communal would not be easy to home so they would not give her this label lightly and have probably seen evidence to support the fact. IF you introduced more sow you could end up with fighting and at worst that Maisie would become agressive towards everyone upsetting the balance between her and Ches.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

yes, that has helped alot. thank you.

maisie was very nervous when she arrived and has taken a while to settle in, although is fantastic now. she adores chesney.

i will leave them as a couple then! would never want to upset her. she's my only little girly!

she has done so well to settle and she is the sweetest little thing. when i say kiss kiss she points her nose up at me for kisses! i know other peoples pigs do, but i never thought she would be that happy and settled! so proud of her!
 
Sounds like Maisey has come along way with you :) glad you are forming a good bond with her,
forgot to mention our other stroppy sows, a pair called Gandalf and Freda they love each other (both girls) but if you try to put them with other ladies they litterally jump on their heads!
Boars get such a bad press but stroppy sows are just as common here.rolleyes
 
right, spoke to the rescue and maisie came in with four boars. they tried her with quite a few other sows and she went for all of them. she was pregnant and they were hoping she would have a daughter/s who she could then live with, however, maisie had only the one baby and he was a little boar. (apparantly a gorgeous little crested)

so she had to live alone for her time at the rescue, until we adopted her as a wife for chesney.

no wonder she doesn't take any nonsense from chesney, after living with four other boars. i bet she got a bit harrassed the poor thing. lucky she now has chesney who is a gentleman of a pig! :)
 
A pity she didn't have a daughter - that would have been the only way to get her to accept a sow...

On the other hand, she has got Chesney now all to herself and is happy with him, and you.

Rescue piggies come with their own baggage, which makes them so unique.
 
My sow Cowpat beat up every pig here and at Vikki's, but is now living happily in a group of 5 with a neutered boar. Whether it's because she's grown up or because of Paddington, she's much less rude these day. It is possible your sow could be too, but unless you have space to have the new pigs separate if it doesn't work out, like the others said, I wouldn't rock the boat!

Sophie
x
 
Have you got room to adopt the other two sows leaving Maise and chesney to live by themselves.
 
no, i only have room if they are a group unfortunately. unless the two new ones went in the bedroom, but then they would be away from the lounge where we all are and i don't spend much time upstairs and it wouldn't be fair.

the space i have for ches and maisie now isn't big enough to split in two, but it would have been ok as a group space as i could of extended it a little bit.

ah well... really fell in love with the two sows. but maisie has to be priority. :)
 
i meant to ask - you know if there were other sows living near ches and maisie, or side by side even, would that also cause maisie to be upset? and would that make ches harrass maisie more? just wondered.
 
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