Dominant Sows

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PiggyLove

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I'm just curious............. in the wild............is it the job of the dominant sow to stand guard and keep an eye out for danger?

Does this mean that whilst all the other piggies are relaxing and sleeping - the dominant sow will sleep outside the bed area keeping watch?

I'm just curious LOL:))
 
You must be joking, my dominant sow is too busy commandeering the hay house to keep watch. That's when she's not sticking her snout in the food first, standing guard over the dried food and sticking her bum in the way of everyone else to block their way :)
 
Guinea Fan said:
You must be joking, my dominant sow is too busy commandeering the hay house to keep watch. That's when she's not sticking her snout in the food first, standing guard over the dried food and sticking her bum in the way of everyone else to block their way :)
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Oh this did make me laugh :)):))

No idea Piggylove but interested in finding out what others think!
 
I wish David Attinborough would do a documentry on wild guinea pigs

Also are there any wild guinea pigs in the world at the present time? :(|):(|):(|)
 
A dominant sow has access to the best food and is usually sleeping in the most protected place - with good reason; the survival of the roaming group as whole depends on her leadership, knowledge and experience, so she is the least expendable member. She will lead the group when they move on, as she knows the best spots and is relied on to take the group safely. A natural leader will always look out for the members of her group and keep an eye on possible dangers and other developments.

Guardian by the door duty is often rather shared by the "middle management" sows - adults who have experience, but are not too high up in the hierarchy.

Wheeker or squeaker for the group is often a youngster with a strong voice.

At least, those are my observations from how the Tribe works as a group. My cage is a bit constructed like an abandoned set a group might use a temporary base on their migration while they graze down the surrounding area. it is fascinating to see that the instinct and the group dynamics are actually still there and working.
 
PiggyLove said:
I wish David Attinborough would do a documentry on wild guinea pigs

Also are there any wild guinea pigs in the world at the present time? :(|):(|):(|)
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Me toooo! I think so...someone posted a video about them recently, they do look quite different!
 
Wiebke said:
A dominant sow has access to the best food and is usually sleeping in the most protected place - with good reason; the survival of the roaming group as whole depends on her leadership, knowledge and experience, so she is the least expendable member. She will lead the group when they move on, as she knows the best spots and is relied on to take the group safely. A natural leader will always look out for the members of her group and keep an eye on possible dangers and other developments.

Guardian by the door duty is often rather shared by the "middle management" sows - adults who have experience, but are not too high up in the hierarchy.

Wheeker or squeaker for the group is often a youngster with a strong voice.

At least, those are my observations from how the Tribe works as a group. My cage is a bit constructed like an abandoned set a group might use a temporary base on their migration while they graze down the surrounding area. it is fascinating to see that the instinct and the group dynamics are actually still there and working.
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I love your knowledge on behaviour Wiebke, it makes me so envious of your herd! You really must see so much more than us pair/trio owners! I wish we had more information like this on the forum, i am fascinated by it and it's an area i really don't know much about (apart from all of your small snippets you provide!)
 
That is absolutely fascinating and I can actually see that with my Matilda. I always said she had brains and Meg had beauty, but now I understand that is why it appears that way. She also climbs and likes to be as high as she can, which now makes more sense.

Minnie squeaks and squeals when she is worried so again, as the baby that makes sense.

Matilda is the first girl I have had paired with a sow. Is that why she is so dominant?

How many piggies do you have and yes I am jealous too, I would love to observe your tribe
 
Wiebke said:
A dominant sow has access to the best food and is usually sleeping in the most protected place - with good reason; the survival of the roaming group as whole depends on her leadership, knowledge and experience, so she is the least expendable member. She will lead the group when they move on, as she knows the best spots and is relied on to take the group safely. A natural leader will always look out for the members of her group and keep an eye on possible dangers and other developments.

Guardian by the door duty is often rather shared by the "middle management" sows - adults who have experience, but are not too high up in the hierarchy.

Wheeker or squeaker for the group is often a youngster with a strong voice.

At least, those are my observations from how the Tribe works as a group. My cage is a bit constructed like an abandoned set a group might use a temporary base on their migration while they graze down the surrounding area. it is fascinating to see that the instinct and the group dynamics are actually still there and working.
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WOW thank you thats awesome :))

I would so love to see a documentry on tv about the Secret Life of Guinea Pigs to show how fascinating they are

drooldrool
 
Guinea pigs <3 said:
I love your knowledge on behaviour Wiebke, it makes me so envious of your herd! You really must see so much more than us pair/trio owners! I wish we had more information like this on the forum, i am fascinated by it and it's an area i really don't know much about (apart from all of your small snippets you provide!)
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I agree totally Wiebke you are so precious and so awesome - I'm in awe of your knowledge and kindness and patience towards us peeps asking so many questions LOL you and Suzy and others on this wonderful forum have helped me so much and I'm so grateful
 
i have the answer ............. Guinea Cam ......... live on guinea pig cctv....... drooldrool
 
My herd works very much like Wiebke's - my dominant girl's always the most protected but at the same time at the front line if she is needed to do her job and protect her girls. She is most often found in the main bedding area/box with a very select few piggies; her sister, my two 'oldest' (in terms of how long I've had them) adult sows (guardians) and, strangely enough, one of my lowest ranking females who she appears to have taken a liking to.

The middle and lower ranking sows are the ones who just get to do what guinea pigs do. On the whole they have no 'responsibility' like the boss and her 'management pigs' but will take part from time to time. One of my youngest will quite often act as a lookout when they are out in the run, like a meerkat actually. She will stand on something or push herself up so she has the best view possible and will stop grazing for quite a while to survey things.

My dominant sow is, on the whole, quite laid back. She asserts herself only when necessary or severely irked by another piggy (usually my youngest who is a gutsy thing who will pinch food right from another pigs mouth!). But she always lets the others know who's boss. She gets first pickings of the yummiest veggies, has her own foodbowl that she will only share with two other pigs (her sister and the lower ranking pig she likes). She will rumble around the cage quite often to let everyone know she's around and watching them and will ALWAYS get the best/safest places to lie down/sleep.

They are incredibly interesting to watch and look at all the interactions... I could watch them all day, every day!
 
I love the answers of those who have larger herds of pigs... having only two, I don't see all the group dynamics. We have one sow who is the boss and one sow who is not, and that's where it stops! I can say that out of the two pairs I have owned (Linney and Frenzy and then Linney and Sundae after Frenzy passed away) the boss has always been Linney, and she typically gets the best sleeping spot and first pick of the food about 3/4 of the time. I'm not sure if anyone is watching out for danger, but if someone is doing it I'm betting it's not her! ;)
 
I have only ever had two together before, and I have never noticed it, although Maisie was another bossy one, but paired with a boar it wasn't as noticeable.

It is really noticeable this time in a female pairing, especially having had two different sows with her, one older and one younger.

I would love to see her in a herd.
 
EVERYONE please submit pics of your dominant piggies here

After reading your lovely posts I have sussed out who my dominant piggy is

Queen of the Gang Mama Jemma
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She rumbles around the cage which I adore watching her do - everyone kinda sucks up to her - but sometimes when everyones in their cosies she will lie outside like she keeping watch - and there is one cosy available but she lies outside

She rumbles past her sister and her sister somehow ignores her and just carries on eating its funny to watch
 
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My most dominant sow was my first (adult) piggy, Minx - she was a natural leader and explorer extraordinaire, always in the know about everything that was going on and very protective of her (cataract) companion. She would have made an outstanding herd leader; I always felt that she was wasted with just one companion!
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Nia has been the leading lady of the Tribe since its beginnings, after a chin off with Taffy, who was at the time very much recovering from non-stop breeding and physically no match for Nia, even though she would have made a better leader.
Nia, her second-in- command Taffy, Llewelyn and later Hywel, Nerys and increasingly Telyn (before she died so suddenly earlier this summer) used to be the "council" of the Tribe. Since Taffy and Telyn have gone from the Tribe, Ffowlyn and Caron have moved up in the hierarchy. Hywel is in now actually the acting leader of the Tribe, more than Nia.
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Taffy used to be very much the "mother of the Tribe", respected by everypig. Not surprisingly is Taffy the dominant sow of my Trio, even though she has advanced cataracts now. Tegyd very much defers to her whenever Taffy puts her foot down and Terfel is firmly kept in line!
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I have always had a very dominant boar right at the centre of the Tribe whereas none of my girls is extremely dominant - they were primarily chosen for their ability to fit into the Tribe, as was Hywel for his job of leading man.

The price for having a working group is that the piggies are primarily focused on each other; they are not as cuddly as when you just have a couple. But watching them interact makes more than up for it!
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I think that is great though, it is far more natural.
 
ghostbusterbunny said:
My herd works very much like Wiebke's - my dominant girl's always the most protected but at the same time at the front line if she is needed to do her job and protect her girls. She is most often found in the main bedding area/box with a very select few piggies; her sister, my two 'oldest' (in terms of how long I've had them) adult sows (guardians) and, strangely enough, one of my lowest ranking females who she appears to have taken a liking to.

The middle and lower ranking sows are the ones who just get to do what guinea pigs do. On the whole they have no 'responsibility' like the boss and her 'management pigs' but will take part from time to time. One of my youngest will quite often act as a lookout when they are out in the run, like a meerkat actually. She will stand on something or push herself up so she has the best view possible and will stop grazing for quite a while to survey things.

My dominant sow is, on the whole, quite laid back. She asserts herself only when necessary or severely irked by another piggy (usually my youngest who is a gutsy thing who will pinch food right from another pigs mouth!). But she always lets the others know who's boss. She gets first pickings of the yummiest veggies, has her own foodbowl that she will only share with two other pigs (her sister and the lower ranking pig she likes). She will rumble around the cage quite often to let everyone know she's around and watching them and will ALWAYS get the best/safest places to lie down/sleep.

They are incredibly interesting to watch and look at all the interactions... I could watch them all day, every day!
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Loved reading this! Are there any good books that go into detail just about piggy behaviour/roles within herds? I know that there will be sections in the general books but i feel that it's all simple stuff like piggy noises etc. I really enjoy learning about how the herds work! :))

Wiebke, i absolutely adore that piggy train picture! x)x) Was this before Hywel, and would the dominant pig lead the train?
 
Guinea pigs <3 said:
Loved reading this! Are there any good books that go into detail just about piggy behaviour/roles within herds? I know that there will be sections in the general books but i feel that it's all simple stuff like piggy noises etc. I really enjoy learning about how the herds work! :))

Wiebke, i absolutely adore that piggy train picture! x)x) Was this before Hywel, and would the dominant pig lead the train?
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That picture was taken nearly two years ago when Llewelyn was still the patriarch (and therefore trail blazer); but the top sows are straight behind him, with the bottom sows at the end. You can see how ginger (but terribly thin) Taffy still was!

I don't know about books that deal with groups; my observations and comments are very much my own attempts at putting things into context.
 
Wiebke said:
That picture was taken nearly two years ago when Llewelyn was still the patriarch (and therefore trail blazer); but the top sows are straight behind him, with the bottom sows at the end. You can see how ginger (but terribly thin) Taffy still was!

I don't know about books that deal with groups; my observations and comments are very much my own attempts at putting things into context.
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I did noticed that little Caron was at the back, awww :))
 
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