Barbering sow with rising aggression over being near other sow

[plantandpiggiemom]

Hello, a few weeks ago I posted on here because of rumble-strutting and super territorial behavior in one of our adolescent sows towards the other. We have two girls in the proper sized cage, with three kinds of hides that have multiple entrances, 3 hay feeding areas, 2 water bottles, chews, etc. I got them mid august, and at first they got along well. Then after a month, sugar, the more dominant pig, started rumble strutting and chasing Pippa (the more submissive one) around. Conflict arose over one of the hides, which is an enrichment house, with a frame and a roof from which rope and chews dangle. Sugar chased Pippa from it every chance she got, then started rumble-strutting, then became more rude about it, so I came to this forum which was very helpful. Before, sugar got testy during feeding time of veg, and after we started sprinkling the kale throughout the pen, she calmed down. I moved the enrichment house to the second floor (which has a safe ramp to go up that they like to run up and down, so they enjoy it) where I sprinkle pellets, supplements, and loose hay. Conflict subsided for a little. Sugar started getting more aggressive in disliking when Pippa followed her around, or when she was close to her. Rumblestrutting continued. We figured it would subside, and made sure to take them out to run around our (pet safe) bedroom more frequently because they always seemed to get along better when they had just been playing. It helped for a while, but my partner sprinkled food on top of the house without much thought, assuming it would be fun for them to try to get, as we try to hide treats throughout the pen after we clean the cage for enrichment. Sugar knocked it over, and hasn’t stopped knocking it over since. She hates it when Pippa is too near her, and knocking over this house makes her have to crowd her some to get around it. So, we just removed the house, even though they love it, and hope to see some improvement. But we really aren’t sure what to do otherwise. Pippa started rejecting sugars bullying, which has made sugar bully more. There’s been a little head raising, but mostly Pippa just refuses to leave where sugar doesn’t want her to be. Sugar is still competitive over food and water, of which there is plenty, and those areas are where the conflict occurs the most.

The issue is, after going on a week long trip and having a trusted and reliable friend watch over them for a week, sugar started barbering Pippa. We know they were well taken care of, so it’s not because of neglect. I’ve considered getting a neutered male and a larger cage to accommodate all three of them, but I’m worried that this behavior will continue. And getting a male nurtured would take a while, plus we’d have to wait a month in general to get him. We noticed a bald patch by her ear when we were holding them today, but weren’t sure if it was part of her curl pattern. Then, we saw it happen when Pippa walked over onto my partners lap, where sugar was sitting already. Sugar rumble strutted, then spun in a circle, then ripped out some of Pippas fur, eliciting a squeak. I am shaken. Pippa was making sad little squeaky noises after. Pippa weeks nervously now, quieter but more high pitched. Weve been seperating them when we hear the rumble strutting, but we don’t have an extra cage to fully separate them right now, but if that’s necessary, we can get one tomorrow. I just don’t want it to escalate, and I want both of my piggies to be happy and healthy, but I also don’t want social isolating to be something they suffer from.

Any recommendations for what to do?

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

Also, the last change to their cage was 30 something days ago

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear there are issues.

If dominance spills over into sustained bullying, then there is a problem between them.
Separating them for rumblestrutting (which in itself is just a normal dominance behaviour) won’t help as the separation itself will cause more dominance when you put them back together.

Adding a neutered boar/more piggies will not help. If the two girls don’t like each other, then a boar will not fix their relationship and won’t make them like each other. What would possibly occur is you’d then get the outsider situation - the boar could gain a stronger relationship with one of them and then the other piggy will be left out.

This guide can help you work out whether their bond is functioning or not. If you can carry out a temporary separation for a few days and then try reintroducing them on neutral territory (not in either of the cages they will be in for a few days). This allows them to make their decision as to whether they want to be together.

Bonds In Trouble
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

I’m sorry to hear there are issues.

If dominance spills over into sustained bullying, then there is a problem between them.
Separating them for rumblestrutting (which in itself is just a normal dominance behaviour) won’t help as the separation itself will cause more dominance when you put them back together.

Adding a neutered boar/more piggies will not help. If the two girls don’t like each other, then a boar will not fix their relationship and won’t make them like each other. What would possibly occur is you’d then get the outsider situation - the boar could gain a stronger relationship with one of them and then the other piggy will be left out.

This guide can help you work out whether their bond is functioning or not. If you can carry out a temporary separation for a few days and then try reintroducing them on neutral territory (not in either of the cages they will be in for a few days). This allows them to make their decision as to whether they want to be together.

Bonds In Trouble
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Thank you for your response ! They are not being separated at all from each other at this time, we just open the cage and put our hands in to pet Pippa when she squeaks due to the barbering, and shoo away sugar if she’s still rumblestrutting. Sorry for not being more clear. It’s not a great solution and doesn’t do anything, though, but I do want to clear that up. We can do a separation going forward, but do you have any tips from personal experience?

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

Thank you for your response ! They are not being separated at all from each other at this time, we just open the cage and put our hands in to pet Pippa when she squeaks due to the barbering, and shoo away sugar if she’s still rumblestrutting. Sorry for not being more clear. It’s not a great solution and doesn’t do anything, though, but I do want to clear that up. We can do a separation going forward, but do you have any tips from personal experience?

Oh, additionally, at first they were humping (both of them) a month ago, but I read that is could be normal, and their issues with each other flare up according to some cycle, wherein it’s worse bullying during certain hormonal stages, I’m assuming.

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

I’m sorry to hear there are issues.

If dominance spills over into sustained bullying, then there is a problem between them.
Separating them for rumblestrutting (which in itself is just a normal dominance behaviour) won’t help as the separation itself will cause more dominance when you put them back together.

Adding a neutered boar/more piggies will not help. If the two girls don’t like each other, then a boar will not fix their relationship and won’t make them like each other. What would possibly occur is you’d then get the outsider situation - the boar could gain a stronger relationship with one of them and then the other piggy will be left out.

This guide can help you work out whether their bond is functioning or not. If you can carry out a temporary separation for a few days and then try reintroducing them on neutral territory (not in either of the cages they will be in for a few days). This allows them to make their decision as to whether they want to be together.

Bonds In Trouble
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts

Hello, a few weeks ago I posted on here because of rumble-strutting and super territorial behavior in one of our adolescent sows towards the other. We have two girls in the proper sized cage, with three kinds of hides that have multiple entrances, 3 hay feeding areas, 2 water bottles, chews, etc. I got them mid august, and at first they got along well. Then after a month, sugar, the more dominant pig, started rumble strutting and chasing Pippa (the more submissive one) around. Conflict arose over one of the hides, which is an enrichment house, with a frame and a roof from which rope and chews dangle. Sugar chased Pippa from it every chance she got, then started rumble-strutting, then became more rude about it, so I came to this forum which was very helpful. Before, sugar got testy during feeding time of veg, and after we started sprinkling the kale throughout the pen, she calmed down. I moved the enrichment house to the second floor (which has a safe ramp to go up that they like to run up and down, so they enjoy it) where I sprinkle pellets, supplements, and loose hay. Conflict subsided for a little. Sugar started getting more aggressive in disliking when Pippa followed her around, or when she was close to her. Rumblestrutting continued. We figured it would subside, and made sure to take them out to run around our (pet safe) bedroom more frequently because they always seemed to get along better when they had just been playing. It helped for a while, but my partner sprinkled food on top of the house without much thought, assuming it would be fun for them to try to get, as we try to hide treats throughout the pen after we clean the cage for enrichment. Sugar knocked it over, and hasn’t stopped knocking it over since. She hates it when Pippa is too near her, and knocking over this house makes her have to crowd her some to get around it. So, we just removed the house, even though they love it, and hope to see some improvement. But we really aren’t sure what to do otherwise. Pippa started rejecting sugars bullying, which has made sugar bully more. There’s been a little head raising, but mostly Pippa just refuses to leave where sugar doesn’t want her to be. Sugar is still competitive over food and water, of which there is plenty, and those areas are where the conflict occurs the most.

The issue is, after going on a week long trip and having a trusted and reliable friend watch over them for a week, sugar started barbering Pippa. We know they were well taken care of, so it’s not because of neglect. I’ve considered getting a neutered male and a larger cage to accommodate all three of them, but I’m worried that this behavior will continue. And getting a male nurtured would take a while, plus we’d have to wait a month in general to get him. We noticed a bald patch by her ear when we were holding them today, but weren’t sure if it was part of her curl pattern. Then, we saw it happen when Pippa walked over onto my partners lap, where sugar was sitting already. Sugar rumble strutted, then spun in a circle, then ripped out some of Pippas fur, eliciting a squeak. I am shaken. Pippa was making sad little squeaky noises after. Pippa weeks nervously now, quieter but more high pitched. Weve been seperating them when we hear the rumble strutting, but we don’t have an extra cage to fully separate them right now, but if that’s necessary, we can get one tomorrow. I just don’t want it to escalate, and I want both of my piggies to be happy and healthy, but I also don’t want social isolating to be something they suffer from.

Any recommendations for what to do?

also, Pippa is not withdrawn in the cage or acting antisocial around people. She’s still curious, excited to explore, and friendly. Sugar doesn’t block her from food or water in a way that truly prevents her, and she doesn’t do so every time. Often, it’s only when they’re in the same space. But she does seem to be more and more nervous around sugar, since the barbering. At the same time, though, she still sleeps near sugar or out in the open, and seems comfortable all around. It’s just when the conflict flares that she acts upset or hides extra for an hour after. Things return to normal between them quickly, but go poorly just as quickly.

 

[Piggies&buns]

This guide below explains levels of dominance behaviours. Where do you think their behaviours sit? This will help us gauge what you are seeing. Rumbling and chasing is in itself not concerning at all - it’s normal dominance and doesn’t require you to step in at all. High pitched squeaking from the submissive piggy can be submission squeaking and is again normal.
Bullying is a more sustained behaviour which can result in the submissive piggy losing weight through not being allowed to eat, becoming withdrawn and depressed. Or, it can result in the submissive simply fighting back.
Bullying will usually be bond breaking.

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour

It may help if we know a bit more about your set up. I only ask as you say issues occur most over food so seeing it may help us with suggestions
What sort of cage are they in and it’s size?

You mention moving the house to the second floor where you sprinkle hay and food (and then subsequently removing the house). Does this mean you are only putting hay and food on the second floor or is it also in the downstairs area? I ask this as I’m wondering if Sugar is seeing the upper level as her own territory and doesn’t want Pippa up there.

Barbering is eating hair which can have a variety of causes behind it including dominance.
Or, was it more of a situation of pulling out clumps of hair - pulling out clumps of hair in an aggressive manner, during an altercation etc, is different to barbering. In sows it can be more like a full on boar fight

Barbering ( Eating Hair)

So are you seeing this behaviour happening all the time or only when they are in season? Sows come into season every 15-17 days. You will see hormonal behaviour during their season (a few days), particularly if they are teenagers.

When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

This guide below explains levels of dominance behaviours. Where do you think their behaviours sit? This will help us gauge what you are seeing. Rumbling and chasing is in itself not concerning at all - it’s normal dominance and doesn’t require you to step in at all. High pitched squeaking from the submissive piggy can be submission squeaking and is again normal.
Bullying is a more sustained behaviour which can result in the submissive piggy losing weight through not being allowed to eat, becoming withdrawn and depressed. Or, it can result in the submissive simply fighting back.
Bullying will usually be bond breaking.

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour

It may help if we know a bit more about your set up. I only ask as you say issues occur most over food so seeing it may help us with suggestions
What sort of cage are they in and it’s size?

You mention moving the house to the second floor where you sprinkle hay and food (and then subsequently removing the house). Does this mean you are only putting hay and food on the second floor or is it also in the downstairs area? I ask this as I’m wondering if Sugar is seeing the upper level as her own territory and doesn’t want Pippa up there.

Barbering is eating hair which can have a variety of causes behind it including dominance.
Or, was it more of a situation of pulling out clumps of hair - pulling out clumps of hair in an aggressive manner, during an altercation etc, is different to barbering. In sows it can be more like a full on boar fight

Barbering ( Eating Hair)

So are you seeing this behaviour happening all the time or only when they are in season? Sows come into season every 15-17 days. You will see hormonal behaviour during their season (a few days), particularly if they are teenagers.

When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

Yeah, I get you. The cage is a two story hutch, 2ft wide on the bottom story, and 3.5ft long. The top story is 2ft by 2ft. It’s all together, roughly 11 square feet. On the bottom floor, there are two wooden feeders for hay, and hay sprinkled around one of the houses, so three total. Veg is sprinkled all over the bottom floor, once a day. Pellets are sprinkled on the top floor, every day in the evening, along with fiber supplants, vitamin c treats, and the occasional sprinkle of rose petals (just a pinch from our garden, I read they’re not nutritional but they enjoy them in small amounts). That totals up to four feeding areas, but there is only one with pellets, and I can put pellets on the bottom floor as well. On the bottom floor, there are two water bottles about a foot apart. Sugar prefers one over the other, and pushes Pippa away sometimes, but Pippa just goes to the other. They can both be upstairs happily eating, but occasionally sugar doesn’t like Pippa being there. It’s a big space, so Pippa just moves away from her and continues eating after their conflict subsides. Half the time sugar doesn’t react to Pippa eating or drinking, but occasionally she does, and when she does she rumble struts and teeth chatters mostly. Sometimes she shoves or gets too testy for my liking, but maybe it’s normal. Really, the most conflict occurs when Pippa is near sugar in a way that corners her, which Pippa isn’t doing for any reason that I can tell other than the submissive following instinct. Sugar had a lot of nips out of her ear when we got her, like each ear is full of missing spots. She could have had aggressive siblings who cornered her, and I think she reacts the most harshly to Pippa being near her when she feels cornered because of that. She was used to more violent guinea pig behavior than Pippa for sure. Pippa still has her ears fully intact, so we know that sugar isn’t nipping her like that, thankfully, but I feel like that’s hopefully a good sign if that’s something that sugar learned to communicate with before we got her. 90% of the time if pippas eating and no where near sugar, she doesn’t care. If she’s near sugar, she does. If pippas running around downstairs and having a good time, sugar leaves her alone until she runs into her. She rarely seeks pippa out specifically for conflict, it arises when Pippa corners her accidentally or gets too near. You see what I’m saying? They still play, sugar is protective over Pippa (like if we’re holding both and get up while holding Pippa, sugar gets nervous and wants to protect her), Pippa still seeks out sugar for protection and comfort, they cuddle sometimes. They clearly do have a bond, just not a very healthy one, from what I can tell. They both sleep out in the open sometimes, even though they have hides. They seem really happy and comfortable when they aren’t fighting. Pippas still curious and friendly, she isn’t obviously withdrawn.

But they are teenagers. And it does flare up most around their hormones, about every other week. It’s consistently bad for a short period of time, maybe four days, then gets peaceful again. There’s rumblestrutting all the time, but not shoving or scuffles. We saw them humping one while we took them out to play, then that night it continued a lot…which was uncomfortable to be around, but is normal for animals. Sugar was humping Pippa every time we saw, until one time we saw Pippa humping sugar, and things seemed to (possibly) go south after that. At least that’s my theory, that Pippa disrespected sugar’s dominance during that time, and there’s been more tension since. Before, Pippa never raised her head or didn’t listen when sugar told her to move. Now she stays in place, and even gets closer sometimes. Sugar does not like that she doesn’t back down as much. She still submits sometimes, but not enough for sugars liking. I think Pippa is reacting in the latter way to bullying, by fighting back and ignoring sugar. I do think it’s likely that sugar sees the top level as her territory, but she didn’t originally. The house that caused conflict was moved up there because I thought they would stop fighting, but sugar started being territorial of the top floor after that. I could see how she sees that house as her territory, and it transferred to the space once the house was there. Things are already a little calmer since we removed the house, but sugar still gets testy when they’re both trying to go upstairs at the same time—which, again, was not a conflict until the house was upstairs.

I think it’s equally likely that it’s self barbering or sugar barbering her, but I think that sugar did it first while being aggressive while cornered, and Pippa fussed with it. Last night, sugar was being pissy and Pippa was upset, squeaking in a way that sounded like wimpering, so I went in the cage, and found Pippa in a house by herself, and sugar about a foot away, but rumblestrutting. Today they’re being totally normal—for them. Pippas running around and eating hay, sugar is minding her own business unless Pippa is too near or doing something interesting enough to make sugar come over to her. Rumblestrutting, but no scuffles, and each are acting lively.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Unfortunately your cage is not 11 square feet, its only 7 square feet which is below minimum requirements. Upper levels do not count towards the cage size - as ground roaming creatures, their need their cage to be large enough on ground level - so the bottom level of the cage needs to meet size requirements. The smallest cage size for two sows is 8 square feet (2 foot by 4 foot) on a single level but 10 square feet (2 foot by 5 foot) is recommended.
It would be worth giving them more space on a single level as that may well improve things. Ultimately, more space wont fix a failing bond, but I'm not sure their bond is failing - I'm seeing mention of a lot of dominance but not necessarily anything more. If it is happening when they are in season, then again, hormones and not necessarily a bond problem at this point.

It possible some of this does come from their feeling too confined. While sows are less territorial than boars, they are still territorial and do still need their space. Lack of space can create tensions in a relationship. Upper levels where there is only one ramp can cause an issue when one sees it as their own territory and prevents the other from having full and free access.

The 'whimpering' while sugar was rumblestrutting sounds very much like Pippa may have been submission squealing. If it is then is good as it means she is telling Sugar she knows her place. As I said, rumbling, humping and chasing isnt bullying or fighting - its normal behaviour.

Supplements arent needed.
They get enough fibre from their hay, pellets also contain fibre.
Healthy Guinea Pigs with a balanced diet dont need vitamin c supplements. They get enough vit c from veg, hay and pellets. Long term supplementation of vitamin c can be detrimental (their bodies become used to abnormally high levels and if the level then drops (even if the level to which it drops to is considered within normal range) it can still cause scurvy symptoms).

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

Hello, we got two adolescent girls in august and things were going smoothly, but now there’s some bullying, from what we can tell caused by fear aggression. Sugar, the bully, clearly came from a rough background. Hear ears are so nipped at that they aren’t even guinea pig shaped, they’re zig zagged and shortened. But she was spunky. She was outgoing. She was so cute and funny, and I wanted to give her a good home. So I got her, along with a sweet and friendly girl my partner picked out, named Pippa. I could tell sugar would be the dominant one, as I had had guinea pigs previously. Things went smoothly for the first 3 weeks, and Sugar, who is a few weeks older, acted almost motherly towards the more timid pippa.

Then, we heard teeth chattering. Ok, that can be normal, so we added an extra water bottle because that’s what sugar was the most possessive over. Sugar would chug water, twice an hour, day and night. She would shove Pippa away from it, but not enough that Pippa was in ill health, thankfully. The pet store where we got her wasn’t the best, COVID killed the demand for small rodents and it was the only place that sold females in a four hour radius. In the glass cage where sugar was, there was only a bowl of water, that clearly got knocked over a lot and was empty. Also, I wanna say that I do not morally condone pet stores, and I was planning on showing my boyfriend what guinea pigs were like as he had never seen them and we had been contemplating getting them for months, but I fell in love with sugar and caved. Anyways, I assume she was guarding the water because of that. We added an extra bottle, Sugar began drinking less and shoving less. That was in early September. In pet stores, they don’t give small rodents veg often, if at all. When we gave them veg, after they became less hesitant over the first three weeks, sugar started being aggressive over the spinach and kale once she realized how much she *loved* it. So, I started sprinkling the veg all over the cage, putting it on top of hides, inside of hides, all over the floor. She stopped being aggressive over that, then. She’s never been aggressive over hay, thankfully, but pellets, yes. I feed them the right amount of pellets, sprinkled daily, along with some treats and supplements, with hay scattered on top. I do this for enrichment, mostly, and they love it. But sugar guards the entrance to where the pellets are, or gets testy and rumble struts and shoves Pippa randomly. Sometimes she’s fine with it, sometimes she isn’t, normally according to how many pellets there are. I can’t give them more without over feeding them, and sugar is already a chunk. Pippa is a healthy weight despite this, but she isn’t very happy about it and clearly has anxiety. Now here is the worst issue: sugar doesn’t like being cornered. Understandably. Sugar clearly got bit up by other guinea pigs. She clearly was bullied. But Pippa has a heard instinct, Pippa likes to follow her. And sometimes she just can’t help but be close to her because they’re playing or sitting on my lap or walking to the food. Sugar freaks out. She teeth chatters, rumble struts, spins in circles, shoves. I thought she was being just aggressive in general, but now I'm realizing that she definitely has piggie-ptsd of some sorts and is fear aggressive. I’ve always loved how out going she is, she’s a riot, but I am now realizing that she’s so bold partially to over compensate. And here I was just thinking she had was a thug. Poor thing! Her behavior is getting unacceptable, regardless, though. At first, Pippa immediately submitted or moved, but now she doesn’t react much and also her main fear instinct is to freeze. Sugar hates that she doesn’t move out of her way like she used to. Pippa stands up for herself more, which is making the problem worse. Pippa is distressed, clearly. I think the worst experience she’s had with a piggie is with sugar in her bad moments, but they still have a bond, and Pippa isn’t withdrawn. Pippa seeks sugar out for comfort, sugar is very protective over Pippa. Like, if I’m grabbing them to clean the cage or take them out to run around, sugar shields Pippa with her body and shoves her into a corner. Pippa runs behind her or runs to her. They play, they cuddle sometimes, they know they need each other. They’re normal 60% of the time, but the 40% where there’s conflict is getting worse. There is something toxic in their relationship, I think fueled by sugars fear aggression and worsened by their adolescence. Pippa is still curious and friendly, she still acts pretty relaxed, but is growing more uncomfortable around sugar. Sugar now rumble struts preemptively when Pippa is too near to her, instead of just once she’s cornered her. Sugar rumble struts as she walks around, until she arrives to her destination sometimes, almost as if to say “hey you clear out of the way RIGHT NOW”.

Any tips for dealing with this fear aggression? Any issues surrounding food, we’re dealing with. There was one hide that just caused too much confict, so I removed it, and that calmed things down some. Each house has two exists, and right now there are unfortunately only two because I haven’t had the chance to run to the shops in the past few days since I removed the house. There’s 4 hay feeds, two pellet areas, 2 water bottles, and ample space. Pictures of the cage, below, which is 2x roughly 3.5ft—but more like closer to 4, I’m just being conservative for the estimate, but I’m almost certain it’s 3.8ft—and 2x2ft, totaling to roughly 11 square feet. I’m getting another cage the same size next week, and attaching them to give them more space to help with the issue already btw.

Is there a way anyone can come up with to make sugar feel safer? Or to make Pippa feel safer?

Note: the cage may look smaller in the pictures, the lighting is bad right now and my phone camera is a little broken, but I’m 5ft and if I wanted to, I could fit in it, so I promise it’s accurate

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

Oh also, it’s not super dark in their cage, it’s just the lighting. We chose this type of cage because we planned on adding more areas to it and wood and wire are good for that. Plus they normally have a plush dog bed down for most of the cage, and they like to poop in one corner so we put cardboard there but I just cleaned it so there’s a towel there while it’s in the wash

 

[Eriathwen]

My experience may not be the same as everyone else's, but I have several fear aggressive piggies. Personally I use c&c cages, these allow for a better view of their surroundings, nothing can sneak up or appear out of nowhere as it can seem to in hutches and rather than 2 deep x however many grids long, I create square enclosures. Square enclosures mean everypig can move past another with plenty room rather than just 2 grids worth of space, being able to take a wider berth seems to ease a lot of anxiety and reducing the feeling of being cornered or blocking off escape.
I also don't really do hides in the traditional sense, I only use ones with multiple exits to prevent trapping. Otherwise they use the massive quantities of hay I give as hides.

What I found helped the most with mine, was more pigs (I appreciate not everyone can do this however) I found the more exposure to calm piggies who did not attack or bully them eased their anxiety. Plus any bullying behaviour from them was not targeted towards just the one pig. Kind of similar to exposure therapy with humans. Of course this is dependant on each individual pig, this may be too overwhelming for some, however I find they suprise you sometimes! Being around others they can learn appropriate social interactions, I find fear aggression often comes from not understanding piggy language, and body language from being victim of 'inappropriate' behaviours due to incorrect care prior to being rehomed or sold.

 

[plantandpiggiemom]

My experience may not be the same as everyone else's, but I have several fear aggressive piggies. Personally I use c&c cages, these allow for a better view of their surroundings, nothing can sneak up or appear out of nowhere as it can seem to in hutches and rather than 2 deep x however many grids long, I create square enclosures. Square enclosures mean everypig can move past another with plenty room rather than just 2 grids worth of space, being able to take a wider berth seems to ease a lot of anxiety and reducing the feeling of being cornered or blocking off escape.
I also don't really do hides in the traditional sense, I only use ones with multiple exits to prevent trapping. Otherwise they use the massive quantities of hay I give as hides.

What I found helped the most with mine, was more pigs (I appreciate not everyone can do this however) I found the more exposure to calm piggies who did not attack or bully them eased their anxiety. Plus any bullying behaviour from them was not targeted towards just the one pig. Kind of similar to exposure therapy with humans. Of course this is dependant on each individual pig, this may be too overwhelming for some, however I find they suprise you sometimes! Being around others they can learn appropriate social interactions, I find fear aggression often comes from not understanding piggy language, and body language from being victim of 'inappropriate' behaviours due to incorrect care prior to being rehomed or sold.

Thank you for your response! We are getting another cage with the same square footage, for being able to attach a cage in general reasons, I have to follow the dimensions of this cage to an extent, but do you think making it an L shape would be better? In theory, I’m thinking that an L shape would allow more of a 360 view, but I could also see how it could be distressing. Given your experience, any recommendations?

Yes, our hides do have two exits, which they prefer, and I have noticed that. We’ve been considering getting a neutered male, so I’m glad that another piggie would actually be helpful. Sugar reacts to fear by coming out in the open, she isn’t a hider, so I’m assuming more hides would be unhelpful.