did my piggy attack her cage mate?

HumanWithFurryPotats

HumanWithFurryPotats

Junior Guinea Pig
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my piggy, Lily, is the dominant pig and my other piggy, Alexa, is submissive. Today Alexa was sitting in a shaded area, and Lily came up to her and chattered her teeth. Alexa gave a "submissive squeal" and I rushed in to the room to see what was going on. At that moment Lily sort of nipped Alexa, and Alexa ran away squealing. Is this normal? If it isn't, do I separate? Also, Alexa has been doing these submissive squeals a lot, and I am thinking she might be scared of Lily. Should I separate or will she get used to Lily and eventually stop?
 
Oftentimes dominant pigs will take a swipe at the fur at the under-pig's neck... it's biting fur only, a show of authority rather than painful, and just a means of reinforcing the hierarchy. Is that the kind of thing you saw? Also, don't be too put off by the submission squealing. It sounds distressing to us, but it's normal communication for pigs. Especially if they are young or new to being paired up, this sounds within the range of normal, provided it's a 'for show' nip and Lily is not actually going for blood. Also note that if you have sows, they have a hormonal cycle and pigs in heat can get temporarily more dominant and irritate cage mates. It should only last a couple days. Pigs are in heat every two week or so, with some you can't tell and with others the moody hormonal behavior is noticeable.
 
Generally they say not to separate unless blood is drawn - but see the bonding guides in the link above for full info.
 
HumanWithFurryPotats said:
my piggy, Lily, is the dominant pig and my other piggy, Alexa, is submissive. Today Alexa was sitting in a shaded area, and Lily came up to her and chattered her teeth. Alexa gave a "submissive squeal" and I rushed in to the room to see what was going on. At that moment Lily sort of nipped Alexa, and Alexa ran away squealing. Is this normal? If it isn't, do I separate? Also, Alexa has been doing these submissive squeals a lot, and I am thinking she might be scared of Lily. Should I separate or will she get used to Lily and eventually stop?
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Hi!

This is normal mild dominance nipping and submission squeaking. Lily is just throwing her weight around a bit.

Please read the guide links below. You will find them very helpful in understanding what is going on between your girls. ;)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
When Betsy is in season her personality completely changes .She is usuallly the most gorgeous, lovely and placid piggy but when she is in season she is like :yikes: Devil Piggy:yikes:.
 
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