One Event...multiple Issues Now

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Mother Hubbard

Mother Hubbard

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so today, the pigs were out on the grass in two separate runs. Bruno aka Houdini managed to escape and get himself into the other run, honestly I have no idea how. It's not as if I am not experienced enough.

In the other run were 2 sows and Mowgli, I found Bruno with a huge piece of ear missing and bleeding. I cleaned his wound and have kept him quiet and keep a close eye on him.

The issue I have is I am now going to be on pregnancy watch, keep an eye out for Bruno, but with a heavy heart have to consider what to do with Mowgli. He lives with Marm and Millie and frankly he is bullying Marm relentlessly, and I believe it's making her Ill. She's so very small, always having issues and he has bitten her and recently taken huge chunks out of her ears. He's become a very difficult pig and frankly he worries me about his temper.

I shall have to separate him but I don't want him on his own and I don't want to have to create another habitat...

Any ideas? I really think it's time Mowgli finds another home but I honestly don't know if he can be with another pig. He was bonded with the girls with no problems, now however...he's just become a different pig.

Advice?
 
his reaction to another male getting into the run is perhaps understandable and a natural one. however if he is being the same temper wise with the girls, or at least one of them, then he could have something else going on. it could be a reaction to something going on health wise so i would definitely take him to be checked over.

bruno will probably also need to see the vet aswell for his ear wound. the last thing you want is that getting infected on top of everything else.

fingers crossed that the girls are not pregnant aswell. :)
 
Oh no, I really don't know what to advise really. Maybe @Wiebke can offer some hints or tips given her level of experience with bonding. I really hope the girls are pregnant :(

You say Mowgli is bullying Marm but what is he like with the other sow? How old is Bruno - could he be neutered and paired up with Marm?
 
Bullying a guinea pig that is endangering the survival of a group as a whole is not unusual. Ill guinea pigs would remove themselves from a group for that reason; as pets, they don't have that option. Once a guinea pig can prove that it can keep up with a group despite a disability, it will get all the support that group can give. Mowgli is obviously quite a dominant boar. I would certainly get Marm away from him. You need to weigh up whether it would be better to leave him with Millie, if they are getting on well or whether Millie and Marm are better together.
Is Bruno a single or is he bonded with another boar?

I am very sorry about your pregnancy worries; hopefully, none of your girls was close to coming into season.How old are the girls?

Boars will fight if their territory is invaded. I have had Bedo ending up with four nasty bites on his cheeks and Maelog with a full-on bite to this lips as the result of Bedo invading Maelog's pen early one morning. There is still no love lost between the two groups, and I had to move them to the two flanking pens with a neutral group in between. Make sure that you disinfect the ear with hibiscrub or saline.
 
Thanks for your advice. Mowgli was always a handful but he really settled down. Yes naturally Mowgli attacked Bruno because he invaded his territory and his women. Bruno is only 6 months old and is bonded with Mars very well. Mowgli gets on fine with Millie, doesn't pay her any attention, even when Marm has been ill and I have removed her to look after her. Millie is the glue between the 3. It could go either way, keep Millie & Marm together and do something for Mowgli or v.v.

Such a difficult situation I didn't think I would have to be honest.

Watching Mowgli is interesting, he is constantly rumbling strutting and trying to dominant anything and everything that moves.

Oh heck, I have no idea what to do...I have plenty of cages and a small medical cage I keep. I think I will take Mowgli out of the hutch today and see how the stress levels are as I am sure he is making Marm ill.
 
good luck. sounds like you feel that marm and millie might be better off staying together then. do they get on well and have they always been together?

mowgli does sound a hyper one! :))
 
Yeah, I do love Mowgli...he's just a funny one. I think I'll get my other hutch sorted, move him out and try bonding him with another one of my pigs. I just kind of flip between one scenario to the next, but watching him in the garden tonight, pop corning around the grass, just made my heart jump, he was so happy.
 
ERM WELL. I have been on holibobs to the south of france and came home. Inspected each of the piggies, and frankly I really thought that everything was fine...actually No. I confirm that little Marmalade is definitely pregnant. Millie is a maybe...I'll post separately in the pregnancy section. but SH*T!
 
Just think of that as a fun part, playing with new setups :) I know how you feel though, raised one litter and have two on pregnancy watch at the mo!
 
Oh gawd that's so complicated and difficult.

If it helps in your decision, I have a boar who loathed one of girls.he did not attack her or wound her, but never let her settle. They were in a huge run and with no injuries I just put it down to bickering. It really wasn't that bad. However over the 18 months they were together the little girl suffered terrible fungal on her back which never truly went despite treatments. She then went down with pneumonia and very nearly died and now has heart issues.

I now put all of this down to the fact she was so stressed. She is now on her own (she refuses to bond with anyone despite numerous attempts with dating) is much happier now and not had one fungal attack since separation. She can see the others but that's it. If she ever gets close to another piggy she gets very aggressive, she has clearly been traumatised.

All I can say is if you think one of yours is tiny and not coping well with bullying, don't leave it too long. I feel awful now that I never really realised.
 
@Guinea Slave Thanks for that, yours is an interesting story. I do wonder if the re-ocurring URI in Marmalade has been down to stress, she really was a 'runt' you wouldn't know that she's fully grown she's that small. Yep, decision made based on this. full clean tomorrow and some major changes in the set up.
 
Argh, sadly I would say so. Things like uti's, skin conditions etc are often due to stress. I cannot tell you the change in my little girl now. Fatter, sleek coat, happy eyes... And a real mummies girl :love: Such a change. It was a major upheaval though and required a complete shed redesign! The things we do hey?!

Glad this helped. Hope things go well for you x
 
Look at this in a positive light - this means that you are going to have some gorgeous little babies that you might be able to bond with mowgli - could sort your problem out!
 
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