Bonding - Crazy Baby Pig! Help!

[Reb90]

Hello!

Long time watcher, first time poster here!

Until recently I was a pig mum to my two girls, Pansy and Little. Sadly, Little passed away suddenly at 4.5 years old, leaving behind Pansy.

Pansy always seemed slightly indifferent to Little and was definitely the alpha guinea pig, so we thought she may be okay on her own. After giving it a few weeks, we decided she was a bit quieter and less enthusiastic than usual so we got a baby pig.

I’ve followed all of the bonding guides, kept them separately, cages next to each other, scent swapping etc. but I fear there may be a mismatch of personalities!

In an unexpected turn of events, the baby pig decided to assert her dominance by mounting Pansy on their first face to face meeting, Pansy didn’t seem to mind, but in a panic I separated them as it seemed to be getting a bit rough (I know you’re meant to let it pan out without intervening), but I also had a last minute panic that Baby Pig may be male.

The baby pig is in a cage adjacent to Pansy and she paces the cage rumblestrutting and frantically runs back and forth pulling at the bars to try and get into Pansy’s cage/ at Pansy. I have never witnessed such determination!

I really don’t know what to do, so have some Questions:
Is this normal or have I ended up with a crazy baby pig?
Has anyone had similar experiences?
Should I reintroduce them and let the baby pig assert her dominance?
Pansy seems indifferent, will introducing this new pig unsettle her/ be worse than her living alone?

Ant advice is very welcome!

Thanks x

 

[Piggies&buns]

First of all, double check the sex of the baby.
If she is a she, then I would go ahead with a neutral territory reintroduction again and leave them to sort things out if things are going well. Mounting is normal. As long as Pansy is happy to be the submissive, then it’s fine if baby wants to be dominant.

How old is baby? They are generally desperate for companionship and can just be over excited! Babies shouldn’t really be kept by themselves (should be bonded immediately upon bringing them home) if they are under four months of age.

 

[Swissgreys]

I would also add that as long as the baby is definitely female she may just be over excited.
Mounting is just a normal piggy behaviour, and you may find that Pansy tolerates it for a bit before making it quite clear who is boss.
Older piggies are often initially a bit indulgent with new, younger members, but she will definetly tell her off when she has had enough.

But please do confirm the sex first.
Where did the baby pig come from?
If it's a pet shop then there is a chance it has been mis sexed.