Pig Needs Separated, Is Very Upset Even Though She Can See And Smell Others. What To Do?

Danielle Smith

Danielle Smith

Teenage Guinea Pig
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My poor Tablet has had ongoing issues with ovarian cysts for a while now. We got her a hormone injection and it seemed to work but unfortunately in the past week or so things have come back worse than ever.

All three girls are having a very strong season right now and last night Tablet would not stop bothering anyone in the cage, including Flubs the patriarch. It got to the point where all the pigs were screaming and whining all night (which this current herd have never done, it's awful to hear), so I had to separate her in another room overnight so we could sleep (pigs are in the bedroom at the moment due to decorating the pig room).

When I came to check up on her in the morning Tablet looked really down so I tried to put Flubs in with her but she ended up just non stop trying to hump him. He's a very gentle boy but he was losing his patience. In a last ditch attempt I separated an area in the current cage off with grid so she could see and smell the other pigs but not get to them. This works in that she's not trying to mount them... though she is rumbling and nipping through the grids.

However she is extremely upset and anxious, she's not coping very well at all with the physical separation (we had to do the same during her pregnancy and she coped poorly then too). I'm taking her back to the vet this afternoon for another scan to look at her ovarian cysts and decide of the next course of action. Has anyone got any tips in the meantime to make her feel better. I already have a cuddly toy in there. It's horrible to watch her like this :ple:
 
Might sound a bit crazy but could you seperate her in a pair for now?
Maybe if she has someone with her she would feel better?
I'm not sure how you'd figure out who, because the issue is her mounting everyone?
 
Honestly, I would put her back in with the others... As long as their isn't blood being drawn, while there might be a lot of yelling, I'm positive it will settle down. could you make the cage bigger at all to give them all a bit more room? This may well help improve the situation, just giving them a bit more space to get away from one another if the grumpiness is too much.
 
Unfortunately pair separation just means that the other pig gets non-stop humped and can't take a break to eat or sleep.

I've put her back in with the others (after she managed to CLIMB OVER GRIDS to get to them), unfortunately I've just made them a fixed length cage so I can't really make the cage any bigger. At the minute it's approx 2 grids wide and 6.5 grids long.

There is a lot of screaming but hopefully it'll settle down. I'm just really sad to see her like this because the piggy she's non-stop chasing, she is usually best friends with, they used to always snuggle up and lick each other... Not any more.
 
It's heartbreaking to hear, I know. I'm sure things will calm down within a day or two. We had a very boisterous girl who when she went into season became full on nasty. We always suspected cysts but after losing a sow post spay we were afraid of having her tested tbh... For a couple of days she'd be an absolute terror and her little friend would squeal like a thing possesed. But Inga never actually hurt her and within a few days they would be back to snuggling together again.
 
Thanks, that's soothing to hear. Thank goodness everyone is finally having some quiet sleep time. Why that can't have been the case at 3 a.m. this morning I don't know!
 
Danielle Smith said:
My poor Tablet has had ongoing issues with ovarian cysts for a while now. We got her a hormone injection and it seemed to work but unfortunately in the past week or so things have come back worse than ever.

All three girls are having a very strong season right now and last night Tablet would not stop bothering anyone in the cage, including Flubs the patriarch. It got to the point where all the pigs were screaming and whining all night (which this current herd have never done, it's awful to hear), so I had to separate her in another room overnight so we could sleep (pigs are in the bedroom at the moment due to decorating the pig room).

When I came to check up on her in the morning Tablet looked really down so I tried to put Flubs in with her but she ended up just non stop trying to hump him. He's a very gentle boy but he was losing his patience. In a last ditch attempt I separated an area in the current cage off with grid so she could see and smell the other pigs but not get to them. This works in that she's not trying to mount them... though she is rumbling and nipping through the grids.

However she is extremely upset and anxious, she's not coping very well at all with the physical separation (we had to do the same during her pregnancy and she coped poorly then too). I'm taking her back to the vet this afternoon for another scan to look at her ovarian cysts and decide of the next course of action. Has anyone got any tips in the meantime to make her feel better. I already have a cuddly toy in there. It's horrible to watch her like this :ple:
Click to expand...

Please have her seen by a vet and put her back with the others once they have been through their season.
Ovarian cysts can cause a sow to be in season permanently; this is a huge strain on the body as well as on the social interaction.
 
I am sure you have already thought of it, but the other thing i would recommend is food, food and more food.
When Ruby gets grumpy with Lucy and their cage situation becomes a little 'fraught', I immediately remove their pellet bowl and start scatter feeding everything.
I cut as much fresh grass as possible and scatter this all around the cage, as well as bringing out the 'special' hay (something I haven't used in a while - this makes it 'special' apparently) and scatter that everywhere too.
I basically work on the distraction theory, and will also remove hides and replace with with paper bags filled with hay, put a new toy in, hang a couple of chew sticks at different location, give them a sheet of brown paper to play with, etc.
It makes a huge mess, but the total change and lots of distraction with food everywhere seems to do the trick.
 
Just a little update.

I took Tablet to the vets for a scan, but the small cyst they saw prior to the hormone injection is now gone and therefore the vet won't give another injection.

I don't know what to do. She's still being a terror and has been slowly losing weight since being a hypersexual moody cow (but eating fine); will update on the weight loss tonight. There's less screaming now, but only because the other pigs are either letting her hump them every which way, or are very nippy when she's around them (no bites, just barbering).

Her previous best friend Fudge wants to be pals, snuggling up next to her and grooming her eyes, but Tablet just starts rumblestrutting and humping whenever Fudge tries to be friendly. Or whenever Fudge moves in the cage. It's heartbreaking.

Is the only option a spay? I'm so worried for her and the operation. Worth noting that her behaviour started about a month after she gave birth.
 
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