Very Dominant Female Guinea Pig

[Pets Palace TV]

I have a herd of 9 guinea pigs (1 neutered boar and 8 sows) that live in a spacious enclosure in a shed which measures 220 x 230cm and in Winter they also have access to a large outdoor aviary. Over the last year I have gained and lost several guinea pigs which I know can unsettle groups however I have a concern about one of my females named Panda. So for a bit of background information...
We got Panda from pets at home adoption with another guinea pig named Miffy - they had been dumped outside of this shop in a box. When we brought them home we realised that they did not get along at all and sat as far away as they could from each other. We then introduced them to herd the following day and everything went well. So that was in January 2015.

In October 2015 we adopted 2 more sows to join our herd. The introduction did not go very well and resulted in some blood being drawn, however, after a few days they settled down so well and had no problems. Panda didn't appear to be very bothered by the new piggies and just kept out of their way. In November 2015, we sadly lost one of our oldest piggies named Millie. They all coped well with this and it did not really have a big impact on the hierarchy.

At Christmas I got a webcam and this allows me to see what the guinea pigs are doing 24/7. Over the last few months Panda has been very dominant. At first, I was not very concerned as she's always been a bit dominant but it was got increasingly worse. She is constantly chasing the other guinea pigs and mounting them. The other guinea pigs just ignore her but she will not stop (sometimes they pee in her face but this does not bother her!). The other piggies let her mount them however they squeal as though they are uncomfortable or possibly she is hurting them. She is always rumble strutting and but swaying at them. If I look through the daily brief on my webcam app, most of the movement recorded is Panda chasing/mounting the others. One thing I have noticed is that she will not display this behaviour to the boar named Bramley or one of the highest 'ranking' sow in the hierarchy named Ruby.

I am worried that she is unhappy or maybe has some problem which is making her behave like this. At one point I was convinced she was a male due to how dominant she is but I can assure you all that she is just a very dominant female piggie! Of corse I do not want to separate her, but all I keep thinking is that the group would be so much more settled and happy if she was elsewhere. I have thought about getting another neutered boar but I worry this will not solve the problem and what happens if she acts the same to him? On the other hand that could be I good option for her. I don't know if should continue to see how things go because it's been going on for a few months now and nothing seems to help. Hopefully some of you will have some experience with dominant females or maybe are able to advise me what to do. Any help is much appreciated!
(I have footage of the behaviour if anyone would like to see)

 

[scpiggy]

I would take her to the vet and get her checked for ovarian cysts because they can affect on sows behaviour. I had a similar problem where one of my girls suddenly became much grumpier and more dominant than usual and it turned out she had ovarian cysts. She didn't show any other symptoms, just a change in behaviour. Hope this isn't the case for you but it might be worth getting her checked out just in case.

 

[Pets Palace TV]

I would take her to the vet and get her checked for ovarian cysts because they can affect on sows behaviour. I had a similar problem where one of my girls suddenly became much grumpier and more dominant than usual and it turned out she had ovarian cysts. She didn't show any other symptoms, just a change in behaviour. Hope this isn't the case for you but it might be worth getting her checked out just in case.

Thanks for the reply! That is a very interesting point actually, it never even crossed my mind that something like that could be causing this behaviour.

 

[Wiebke]

I have a herd of 9 guinea pigs (1 neutered boar and 8 sows) that live in a spacious enclosure in a shed which measures 220 x 230cm and in Winter they also have access to a large outdoor aviary. Over the last year I have gained and lost several guinea pigs which I know can unsettle groups however I have a concern about one of my females named Panda. So for a bit of background information...
We got Panda from pets at home adoption with another guinea pig named Miffy - they had been dumped outside of this shop in a box. When we brought them home we realised that they did not get along at all and sat as far away as they could from each other. We then introduced them to herd the following day and everything went well. So that was in January 2015.

In October 2015 we adopted 2 more sows to join our herd. The introduction did not go very well and resulted in some blood being drawn, however, after a few days they settled down so well and had no problems. Panda didn't appear to be very bothered by the new piggies and just kept out of their way. In November 2015, we sadly lost one of our oldest piggies named Millie. They all coped well with this and it did not really have a big impact on the hierarchy.

At Christmas I got a webcam and this allows me to see what the guinea pigs are doing 24/7. Over the last few months Panda has been very dominant. At first, I was not very concerned as she's always been a bit dominant but it was got increasingly worse. She is constantly chasing the other guinea pigs and mounting them. The other guinea pigs just ignore her but she will not stop (sometimes they pee in her face but this does not bother her!). The other piggies let her mount them however they squeal as though they are uncomfortable or possibly she is hurting them. She is always rumble strutting and but swaying at them. If I look through the daily brief on my webcam app, most of the movement recorded is Panda chasing/mounting the others. One thing I have noticed is that she will not display this behaviour to the boar named Bramley or one of the highest 'ranking' sow in the hierarchy named Ruby.

I am worried that she is unhappy or maybe has some problem which is making her behave like this. At one point I was convinced she was a male due to how dominant she is but I can assure you all that she is just a very dominant female piggie! Of corse I do not want to separate her, but all I keep thinking is that the group would be so much more settled and happy if she was elsewhere. I have thought about getting another neutered boar but I worry this will not solve the problem and what happens if she acts the same to him? On the other hand that could be I good option for her. I don't know if should continue to see how things go because it's been going on for a few months now and nothing seems to help. Hopefully some of you will have some experience with dominant females or maybe are able to advise me what to do. Any help is much appreciated!
(I have footage of the behaviour if anyone would like to see)

Please have Panda checked for ovarian cysts and/or hormonal problems. There is now alternative hormone treatment (chorulon HGC) available to a spay, especially as the cysts that cause a sow to be in season all the time are often still very small. You may need to see a piggy savvy vet if your local vet is not up to it to talk to your options.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator

 

[Pets Palace TV]

Please have Panda checked for ovarian cysts and/or hormonal problems. There is now alternative hormone treatment (chorulon HGC) available to a spay, especially as the cysts that cause a sow to be in season all the time are often still very small. You may need to see a piggy savvy vet if your local vet is not up to it to talk to your options.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator

Thanks for your help! We will get her seen by a vet and hopefully they will be able to sort out the problem. I will keep you updated and let you know how she is.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for your help! We will get her seen by a vet and hopefully they will be able to sort out the problem. I will keep you updated and let you know how she is.

It often takes more than one round of treatment, but it will hopefully work without her having to go through a major operation or you having to split her from the group.