Is This Normal?

[lalalol32]

I dont like to bring up thins like this but my 2 baby sows are licking each others bums, is this atall normal.
Would be very intrested to know what people think.

 

[Sarah from Chucklebunnies]

Mummy pigs will lick baby's bottoms to encourage poos. Sows will sniff and sometimes lick each other bottoms when they are offered in season and there is no male around. Other than that I haven't noticed this happening.

Perhaps they are simply comforting each other, there being no 'mummy' around any more. I have had to clean bottoms for older piggies who couldn't reach properly any more and they have all liked it, without exception. It returns them to happy baby piggy status and they chuckled away like mad while being cleaned with a damp warm flannel. So maybe just for comfort is it....

I am simply guessing here!

Sarah x

 

[sue 1974]

My sows(some older) often do this to other sows, the boars do it as well. sure nothing to worry about as nothing bad has happened to mine because of it

 

[Farquhar]

All my sows have done this. It may be a nurturing instinct as mummies do clean babies botties so maybe they are in season when they do this. It does seem a bit odd but as they dont seem to be alarmed by this then it must just be instinct.

 

[Angeladeedah]

One of my girls was doing this to my other girl for first time ever (and they are 2 in June) - not too sure what was going on. It was like what dogs do to each other.

 

[Tracyxx]

I think that it's a comfort thing too. I have a very motherly, friendly group of sows and if I have a very young sow who's missing her mummy and siblings, I'll pop them in with my girls and some of them in particular will lick around each other's bottoms. I think it's just the maternal, mothering instincts coming out in them!