CutieAgouti
New Born Pup
Hi all, this query is primarily about bonding but also includes some health concerns, so please direct me if I have posted this in the wrong sub! Currently, my youngest girl seems to be exhibiting symptoms of depression and is acting like she has fallen out with the herd.
She has been to the vet and been given a clean bill of health with no obvious signs of illness. She is bright and moving fine, but has stopped eating unless I hand feed her (I have since been syringe feeding water and critical care, as well as coaxing her with fresh grass and vegetables which she is eating in moderation, but nowhere near as much as usual). She ignores the other girls, scuttling past them and only briefly joining them to eat high value food like greens at dinner time; she is not interested in hay, pellets or water, she just finds a hidey to stay in for most of the day.
I have isolated her for a couple of nights already to see if she felt better about coming out to eat and drink, but even away from the others, she has made no attempt to leave her hidey. She is young, only about 9 months and she has lived in the herd for about 3 months now. She is a rescue and I am wondering if she has had a fight with another sow that has led to her feeling scared and insecure. She has no injuries and neither do any of the others, but it seems she is psychologically changed and with her lack of appetite, I worry that her health is going to deteriorate if she doesn’t start to act normally again.
I do, however, have the option to bond her to a neutered male, so I’m wondering if she would be better taken from the herd to live in a pair with a male, or is it too soon to consider something like that? Do sows often recover their bonds with other females, or is it more likely that her self-isolating behaviour will continue unless she is removed?
She has been to the vet and been given a clean bill of health with no obvious signs of illness. She is bright and moving fine, but has stopped eating unless I hand feed her (I have since been syringe feeding water and critical care, as well as coaxing her with fresh grass and vegetables which she is eating in moderation, but nowhere near as much as usual). She ignores the other girls, scuttling past them and only briefly joining them to eat high value food like greens at dinner time; she is not interested in hay, pellets or water, she just finds a hidey to stay in for most of the day.
I have isolated her for a couple of nights already to see if she felt better about coming out to eat and drink, but even away from the others, she has made no attempt to leave her hidey. She is young, only about 9 months and she has lived in the herd for about 3 months now. She is a rescue and I am wondering if she has had a fight with another sow that has led to her feeling scared and insecure. She has no injuries and neither do any of the others, but it seems she is psychologically changed and with her lack of appetite, I worry that her health is going to deteriorate if she doesn’t start to act normally again.
I do, however, have the option to bond her to a neutered male, so I’m wondering if she would be better taken from the herd to live in a pair with a male, or is it too soon to consider something like that? Do sows often recover their bonds with other females, or is it more likely that her self-isolating behaviour will continue unless she is removed?
