Face nipping but no mounting or rumblestrutting - Is this aggression?

Here2warnu

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I got a new piggie the other day. She has been nipping at my other 2, often near the face, but not mounting or rumblestrutting. If she were I would know this is just a dominance behavior. But would nipping in the absence of rumblestrutting or mounting indicate a display of aggression rather than dominance? All pigs are female, no bleeding, and there are enough hiding spaces for all the pigs to have one. Cage is a grid setup, 2x4 with a 2x2 loft.
 
:wel:

Nipping is often a gesture of power. She may be trying to topple the dominant piggy in your original pair and become the dominant of the trio.

If they have only just been introduced, then it’ll take around two weeks for them to fully establish their relationship.

How old are they all?
Were they introduced on neutral territory?
Do all the hides have double exits?

It would be better if their cage was bigger though - for three piggies a 2x5 is the best size cage. A 2x4 is only really big enough for two piggies and loft spaces don’t count towards the cage size

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)
Cage Size Guide
 
Hi!

Nipping is a milder dominance gesture; it reminds the other party to keep their distance and respect the personal space of a more highly ranked guinea pig.
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
 
:wel:

Nipping is often a gesture of power. She may be trying to topple the dominant piggy in your original pair and become the dominant of the trio.

If they have only just been introduced, then it’ll take around two weeks for them to fully establish their relationship.

How old are they all?
Were they introduced on neutral territory?
Do all the hides have double exits?

It would be better if their cage was bigger though - for three piggies a 2x5 is the best size cage. A 2x4 is only really big enough for two piggies and loft spaces don’t count towards the cage size

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)
Cage Size Guide
Okay. I just wasn't 100% sure if nipping unaccompanied by other dominance behaviors like rumblestrutting or mounting was a possible sign of aggression rather than dominance. The original 2 pigs are about 5 1/2. New piggie is bigger but the shelter I got her from estimates she is 1 to 2 years old, though it is impossible to know for sure. The piggy she usually nips at is the submissive one, which I thought would be odd if she is trying to establish dominance. One of the hiding spots has double exits. New pig usually nips when they are out in the open. They were introduced in neutral territory, such as it could be (2 towels on my living room floor directly next to where their cage is). Also, the cage I keep them in is new, and the night they were introduced was also the first night being in the new cage for all the pigs. Admittedly, I did cut the floor time short by mistake - it was only around 30 minutes and the pigs were ignoring each other so I got cocky. A lot of places I looked at on cage size was that 2x4 would work for 3 females, but I am always open to the possibility of being wrong - we'd never learn anything otherwise! I physically don't have the space for anything bigger, unfortunately.
 
Hi!

Nipping is a milder dominance gesture; it reminds the other party to keep their distance and respect the personal space of a more highly ranked guinea pig.
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours
Right, I get that. I wasn't sure if it not being unaccompanied by other behaviors was a possible sign that it could be aggression rather than dominance.
 
Okay. I just wasn't 100% sure if nipping unaccompanied by other dominance behaviors like rumblestrutting or mounting was a possible sign of aggression rather than dominance. The original 2 pigs are about 5 1/2. New piggie is bigger but the shelter I got her from estimates she is 1 to 2 years old, though it is impossible to know for sure. The piggy she usually nips at is the submissive one, which I thought would be odd if she is trying to establish dominance. One of the hiding spots has double exits. New pig usually nips when they are out in the open. They were introduced in neutral territory, such as it could be (2 towels on my living room floor directly next to where their cage is). Also, the cage I keep them in is new, and the night they were introduced was also the first night being in the new cage for all the pigs. Admittedly, I did cut the floor time short by mistake - it was only around 30 minutes and the pigs were ignoring each other so I got cocky. A lot of places I looked at on cage size was that 2x4 would work for 3 females, but I am always open to the possibility of being wrong - we'd never learn anything otherwise! I physically don't have the space for anything bigger, unfortunately.

Ensure all hides have two exits. It’s not recommended to use single exit hides due to the risks of a piggy being cornered inside one.

A 2x4 is considered the minimum cage size for three piggies (perfect size for 2). A 2x5 being recommended for three.
 
Right, I get that. I wasn't sure if it not being unaccompanied by other behaviors was a possible sign that it could be aggression rather than dominance.

Nipping is considered mild dominance. Nother to worry about; she is reinforcing her standing about as gently and polity as possible. ;)
 
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