Yawning or Showing teeth?

[FleurElizabethA]

Hi, my most scared Pig Hagrid, is definitely very skittish, even after having them for a close to two months now. Our other- Draco- seems to love being held

Noticed today, that while holding Hagrid, who always stays super still started to twitch his nose a bit, I thought he was sniffing for the lettuce I had in front for him but then he did two yawns only maybe 10 seconds apart... No stretching or anything with it, just opened his mouth really wide.
Was that him showing his aggression or genuinely just yawning?X

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, my most scared Pig Hagrid, is definitely very skittish, even after having them for a close to two months now. Our other- Draco- seems to love being held

Noticed today, that while holding Hagrid, who always stays super still started to twitch his nose a bit, I thought he was sniffing for the lettuce I had in front for him but then he did two yawns only maybe 10 seconds apart... No stretching or anything with it, just opened his mouth really wide.
Was that him showing his aggression or genuinely just yawning?X

Intentional yawning is a a defence gesture translating as 'stay out of my personal space'.
It is in my experience however usually used by piggies in the weaker and not in the stronger position and often a sign of fear or stress. When challenged directly, the yawning piggy will usually back down and move away.

 

[FleurElizabethA]

Intentional yawning is a a defence gesture translating as 'stay out of my personal space or I might fight'. It is in my experience however usually used by piggies in the weaker and not in the stronger position and often a sign of insecurity/fear. When challenged directly, the yawning piggy will usually back down and move away.

That's what I thought when I saw him doing it, thought it was too coincidental for it to be actual yawning when he seems uncomfortable as well!
Atleast I know now, I did however put him straight back when he did it, not wanting to cause him any stress!

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Yawning is not aggressive behaviour. It is a "displacement activity" which can be observed in many animal species when experiencing stress, especially in social situations where conflict is a possibility. This is why it is a behaviour often seen during boar introductions/bondings. It is physiological response to the stress, not an aggressive warning such as teeth chattering (and is not the pig showing off the size of its teeth - from my observations over the years a yawning pig is just as likely to be facing away from the other pig as towards it). That said, excessive yawning during bonding is not a good sign because if the stressed pig is confined and unable to remove itself from the situation (flight)I there is a strong possibility high stress levels will result in a fight.

You were kind to remove your piggy from a stressful situation by putting him back in his cage