Barbering, Why Do They Do It?

[MerryPip]

My two youngest piggies seem to have started pulling each others hair out. Sometimes they just seem to be doing it to annoy each other sometimes in a more aggressive way.

Why do they do this and why start now (aged 2.5)? Never had them do it before and no clue how to stop them!

 

[Wiebke]

Why piggies barber is not quite clear; there seem to be different contexts. One is power barbering, which seems to have dominance component, but sometimes it is the underpiggy that can turn a longhair piggy into a shorthair one within a few days.

Sometimes, piggies barber themselves - my Cariad does this, for instance, and sometimes her group mate Ceri - in their case, I think it is due to the (bad) place they came from; a breeder who fed the absolute minimum. They were very nervous and took a long time to settle down.

Have you checked whether there could be a skin problem (including dry skin)?

 

[MerryPip]

Skin is looking ok. I am pretty sure half the time they are just doing to get a reaction out of each other. Angus is being a little more forceful just now but I think he may have a UTI so is feeling a little uncomfortable and out of sorts so that may have something to do with it

They have never really had much dominance behaviour until recently. They seem to be a little backwards At nearly 3 they are now rumbling at each other and chasing but nothing more. Up until now they have never really bothered, just the odd rumble side by side in tandem rather than at each other. It's funny to see them having more in the way of interaction as long as the hair pulling doesn't get silly! They've both been at it, Hamish pulling it out of Angus' bum a hair at a time or Angus getting a good mouth ful of Hamish and pulling but not really pulling any out! They are mad!

I will just keep an eye on it I think....

 

[MerryPip]

@Wiebke, Interestingly enough my boys have been much calmer and the hair pulling is much reduced since I brought Hercules home to live with Struan at the weekend. This leads me to assume that the boys were probably stressed/grieving for Suilven in their own way despite not being cage mates....

They had been friends since they were tiny and shared floor time with Suilven for the first year until their big hormones hit and the dominance hierarchy got a bit too mad. They were always very aware of their upstairs neighbours and obviously were more aware of his death and Struan's loneliness than I gave them credit for! I had cuddles with them last night and they were a hundred times more chilled and calm than they have been for weeks. Angus actually lay down and snuggled in which he hasn't done for since before Christmas! Evidently the laid back charm of the monster pig that has moved in upstairs has had an effect on more piggies than just Struan......

 

[Bekki]

For my pigs the dominant piggy has always nipped off the "skirts" off the lower piggy :-)

 

[Dindypig]

Tufty (Brigadier General Sir Tuffington) has had his tail barbered since he joined Dindy and Cupcake. Dindy is no longer with us, so we are pretty sure it is Cuppers doing the damage. In fact we thought we saw madam barbering him the other day but couldn't be sure. As to why? we don't know.