Do Sows Have A Hierarchy?

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Chukkin

Chukkin

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Hi everyone,

I bought a cavy cozy and since I put it in the cage, one of the girls loves it and likes to curl up in it, but the other stays on the outside, looking in but never actually going in. I'm not sure if she just isn't sure of it, or if there is some sort of dominance going on where one won't let the other in? It is a large cozy, big enough for two adult piggies, so there is plenty of space for both of them...

Any ideas?
 
Yes they do have a hierarchy. Often piggies like there own space so it is a good idea to get another one. My lot never share things without arguments!
 
I have 3 sows living together and Midge is by far the most dominant pig I have ever had. I recently gave them a giant size primark bag to play in. It's hers and nobody is allowed to share she gets extremely irritable if they try to get in with her. The same with the hutch she has one side and if the others get to close she gets very grumbly with them.
 
Hehehe, i have two sows which are very dominant too, Patch and Buttercup don't like sharing anything to begin with!

I bought them all some giant sea grass balls to play with and these two wouldn't let their cage buddies near the balls for the first few days... but now they seem to be okay with the others playing with them too. :tu:

They all have a house each but if one of these two decided that's their domain for the week they get real stroppy until their cage mate backs down which doesn't last very long...
 
yes, I have a herd of 5 girls and crystal (avatar) is the boss but minty is her best pal and they are both together the perfect dominance packet (I think its sweet they are so lovely together), minty is the stroppy one, crystal is laid back but nobody messes with her.

Then fudge is like the big sister of the group and has always welcomed the newbies in (including the two neutered boys when they were alive), katrina is the dizzy teenager and nissa is still the little baby of the gang.
 
i have a group of five and a group of four and in the four sugar is the dominant one and the rest just let her get on with it and in the group of five pebbles is the dominant one. Neither of the dominant ones will accept the other (full on battle within minutes) and neither will accept adults into their groups.
 
Haha! How strange! I never thought the girls would be bothered by the whole dominance thing. Now, having watched them all morning, they seem to be taking it in turns with the cozy. One will go in and sleep, and the other will go somewhere else and then they swap. They share everything else... :)
 
I never realised piggies were so complex until I started reading this forum.

Last week, I got my neutered boar paired with 2 sows. I prefer watching their antics to watching the telly but sometimes I wish I had a Guinea Pig whisperer to interpret some of the interactions I see.

I would be grateful if anyone can point me in the direction of some threads which could help me interpret their behaviour.
 
Hierarchy is very important in guinea pig society - it is at the heart of their society. Hence dominance behaviour is everywhere.
 
How complex does hierarchy get? Is it a simple case of one dominant sow/boar and the others (however many there are) are happy to go along with this? Or are there different levels of dominance in one group?
 
With mine each has a place. They all have a role not just top and bottom.
 
Mooli, head of the herd. He will go round annoying the girls and keeping them in line, forcing them to groom him.
Shereen, second in rank. She keeps the girls in line pushing them out of cabins she wants to go in.
Amina, has special needs so does not quite understand what is going on but will mount Amelia Jane when in season.
Sophie, nips only amelia Jane. Runs away from Mooli and squeals when anybody joins her.
Amelia Jane, gets chased by everybody and mounted by all. She complains but is too gentle to nip.
 
piggyfan said:
Mooli, head of the herd. He will go round annoying the girls and keeping them in line, forcing them to groom him.
Shereen, second in rank. She keeps the girls in line pushing them out of cabins she wants to go in.
Amina, has special needs so does not quite understand what is going on but will mount Amelia Jane when in season.
Sophie, nips only amelia Jane. Runs away from Mooli and squeals when anybody joins her.
Amelia Jane, gets chased by everybody and mounted by all. She complains but is too gentle to nip.
Click to expand...

This is fascinating. It's the sort of thing that you don't get to read much about but so important for us newbie piggie owners to know about. My trio have only been together for a week so I was not surprised to see a bit of dominance behaviour. I think all three think they're top of the hierarchy ! :D
 
Who knew piggy herds were so complex! Poor Amelia Jane :)) Does anyone else have a herd with obvious hierarchies like this?
 
Piggly said:
Who knew piggy herds were so complex! Poor Amelia Jane :)) Does anyone else have a herd with obvious hierarchies like this?
Click to expand...
No matter which piggies I have had Amelia Jane was always bottom. She was my first piggy along with her twin and she was bottom then too.
 
My husband is always complaining our guinea pigs are above him in our household. He doesn't say where I am placed though.
 
sugar is definitely top pig and spends the majority of the time rumbling and has mounted the others before, everyone gets out of her way when she wants something then spice is second in command and keeps the other two in line then salt and peppa are at the bottom. Tried it on when they got older as babies when they went in but soon realised it wasnt going to work. Sugars nickname is odb who is a lady wrestler with attitude and a big butt . In the other group pebbles is top and when she moves the others get out of the way. She gets first choice of everything and if one of the others is where she wants to be she moves them. Poppy-rose is next in line. Was very submissive when i got her but put three small babies in with them and she keeps them in line now. Paris and pia are rou ndabout the same level then red (formerly known as pixie) is definitely bottom but she is sneaky. Hides in the playpipe or fleece forest, nips out and grabs bits of food then goes and hides with it. They all play tug of war with food. Because the 4 with pebbles are all young their positions may change as they grow, will just have to wait and see. Love having four and five together although i would love them all to get on so they could have one huge cage but pebbles and sugar hate each other. The difference when you have groups as opposed to pairs is great. Makes me feel so sorry for singles
 
Wow, this is fascinating - I didn't know that hierarchy was so important between boys and girls alike! I have only had my two girls for 9 days but Ivory, who sat completely still for 6 hours the first day I put them in the cage, is definitely the boss. She is first to take something from my hand, and doesn't run away with it any more. She prefers the veggies to the hay and doesn't drink from the water bottle. The cavy cozy is definitely hers, and Ebony will be pushed out and not allowed in when Ivory is inside it. She is also the most vocal, wheeking for veggies and popcorning all over the place! So funny to watch :)
 
My eldest Poppy has been at all levels of the pecking order in her nearly seven years. I adopted her and Daisy when she was about 5 months and Daisy was a baby. She was so protective of Daisy and soon took over from Rosie as top pig, Rosie was just so laid back she wasn't bothered. When we lost Rosie aged 5 and adopted Annabelle who was 3, Annabelle took Rosie's place in the middle. When we lost Daisy, Poppy had nobody to protect any more and let Annabelle take over. There were no squabbles and Poppy really came out of her shell, it was like a weight had been lifted off her. Then we got young mum and daughter Tabitha and Francesca. Tabby and Poppy had an understanding, Annabelle was above, Francesca was below and they just accepted each other in the middle. When we lost Annabelle, Tabby took over command and then when we suddenly lost Tabby last year, Francesca pushed her way to the top. Poppy is now below Francesca and new mum and daughter Louisa and Jemima, right at the bottom of the herd. She does get special cuddles and treats though.
 
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