Loud squeaking

[Deleted member 148738]

As I'm sure you all know I have 4 piggys.

Rusty my lightest pig has taken to squeaking quite loudly in the past few weeks because she seems to get pushed around a little by fudge and peach two of my other pigs. They tend to push their head under her chin or nudge her out the way for food.

Lumi the boss pig just leaves her alone.

Peach is quite feisty and fudge is lumis sister so I wonder if it's a dominance thing. They never fight or draw blood it's more nudges. But rusty is quite sensitive to it and squeaks loudly!

 

[Wheekallweek]

I suppose she's just voicing her opinion
Two girls we had in at the rescue used to do this. Mummy pig was in charge and would remind daughter pig of this regularly. Daughter pig would open her mouth so wide and squeal so loud I've never heard anything like it

 

[Deleted member 148738]

X

 

[Deleted member 148738]

I've been working at home today and the pigs are in my main office room.

I've been watching them and peach my youngest seems to nip and bite rustys fur which is why she's squealing.

Any tips to stop this?

Peach is smaller but heavier than rusty and definitely more feisty. She's my little ginger pig.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Is she actually pulling fur out?

Nipping is a gesture of power, it doesn’t break the skin and it doesn’t hurt. Squeaking in response is submission and what you would want.

However if she is pulling fur out then that can be the equivalent of a boar fight (you are much less likely to see a full fight in sows).
Do you have any concerns that their bond may be having issues?
It’s of purse difficult for us to gauge what is occurring given we can’t see.

 

[Deleted member 148738]

She's not pulling it out but she is nipping it. Peach is getting bigger now and like you say it seems to be a dominance thing. But rusty squeaks so loud when it happens I feel bad for her. Its more of a squad tbh. Out of the 4 of them rusty os definitely the most submissive but the other two mostly leave her be.

They mostly seem to get on all happily hay much right now!