Loud vs. Soft Teeth Chattering

[Featheryfriend]

Does anyone have a link to a video demonstration of the difference between loud vs mild teeth chattering? I'm in the middle of an attempted bonding and I feel almost like what I'm hearing right now is "medium" teeth chattering! No other indications of serious aggression. I'm not sure yet if someone is going to step down, but things are pretty chill in the pen and nobody is attempting to murder anyone else, so I'm counting the overall experience as a win either way.

I'm probably going to be here all day and all night. Staring at pigs while they doodle around making their pig hierarchy decisions. But when I'm done I'll try to remember to post pictures of my newly doubled piggie squad and expanded setup.

 

[Siikibam]

I don’t know any videos. But if there aren’t any other signs then hopefully they’ll sort themselves out. It’s usually the top two pigs who may take a while to sort themselves out. How long have they been in the bonding pen? You can always leave them in there overnight if you like.

 

[Featheryfriend]

I don’t know any videos. But if there aren’t any other signs then hopefully they’ll sort themselves out. It’s usually the top two pigs who may take a while to sort themselves out. How long have they been in the bonding pen? You can always leave them in there overnight if you like.

Let's see... about six hours now I think. Good to know there is still hope, haha. Yes it is the existing top pig, Juniper, and the newcomer, who thinks she is really hot stuff even though she's half Juniper's size. I thought it would be no contest, but then Juniper started to make a few submission sounds here and there. I will probably leave them in there overnight.

 

[Wiebke]

Does anyone have a link to a video demonstration of the difference between loud vs mild teeth chattering? I'm in the middle of an attempted bonding and I feel almost like what I'm hearing right now is "medium" teeth chattering! No other indications of serious aggression. I'm not sure yet if someone is going to step down, but things are pretty chill in the pen and nobody is attempting to murder anyone else, so I'm counting the overall experience as a win either way.

I'm probably going to be here all day and all night. Staring at pigs while they doodle around making their pig hierarchy decisions. But when I'm done I'll try to remember to post pictures of my newly doubled piggie squad and expanded setup.

Teeth chattering is mostly a defensive behaviour from a piggy somewhat on edge. Just sit it out or - if tensions are not settling down - give it a rest and restart tomorrow; you can do that with sows and mixed gender bondings but never with a boar bond. If they have bonded, it should be much calmer then; if not, tensions will be right up there again and I would consider aborting.

 

[Featheryfriend]

Teeth chattering is mostly a defensive behaviour from a piggy somewhat on edge. Just sit it out or - if tensions are not settling down - give it a rest and restart tomorrow; you can do that with sows and mixed gender bondings but never with a boar bond. If they have bonded, it should be much calmer then; if not, tensions will be right up there again and I would consider aborting.

Thank you so much Wiebke. Things seem to be getting gradually calmer throughout the day so I think I'll sit it out. They've been eating and napping together mostly. Every once in a while the new sow now comes up to power groom Juniper, and Juniper doesn't seem to like it very much, but she just scoots away rather than start a fight. I'm just so worried after a previous bad experience! (Sage and Penny still hate each other with a fiery passion.) I'm probably more nervous than they are, hehe.

There are two small babies in the (hopefully) newly forming group that all the adults absolutely adore, as well as a neutered boar that everybody likes a lot, and I think they seem to be acting as positive influences on everybody. Really there are a ton of great things happening here and only one contentious relationship among six pigs in the pen, so I'm counting myself lucky! We'll have good neighbors here if nothing else.

 

[Featheryfriend]

Thank you so much Wiebke. Things seem to be getting gradually calmer throughout the day so I think I'll sit it out. They've been eating and napping together mostly. Every once in a while the new sow now comes up to power groom Juniper, and Juniper doesn't seem to like it very much, but she just scoots away rather than start a fight. I'm just so worried after a previous bad experience! (Sage and Penny still hate each other with a fiery passion.) I'm probably more nervous than they are, hehe.

There are two small babies in the (hopefully) newly forming group that all the adults absolutely adore, as well as a neutered boar that everybody likes a lot, and I think they seem to be acting as positive influences on everybody. Really there are a ton of great things happening here and only one contentious relationship among six pigs in the pen, so I'm counting myself lucky! We'll have good neighbors here if nothing else.

Ooooo I think we're perhaps making progress, I finally saw Juniper begrudgingly accept a power groom from Sylvie! It's going to be kinda funny having the littlest one in charge, but I guess she gets by on sheer personality.

 

[Featheryfriend]

I'm not sure who "won" but I woke up this morning to a peaceful pen! Everybody is uneventfully sharing a big cage now. So awesome!

 

[Featheryfriend]

I'm not sure who "won" but I woke up this morning to a peaceful pen! Everybody is uneventfully sharing a big cage now. So awesome!

From the looks of it, the newcomer Sylvie did realize that Juniper could sit on her and squash her, and so backed down in the interest of group harmony. I saw Juniper humping everyone's heads to remind them who's boss.

What fascinating little creatures they are.

 

[Swissgreys]

Fabulous news and well done for sitting it out.
Honestly in all the bondings I have done I am always the most on edge
It's harder on us than the piggies for sure.