al34ex
New Born Pup
Hi everyone - I a bit at a loss here with my 3 girls...
Cora and Charlie have been together since September 2020 (both around 9-10 months old at present), and I soon after learned that Charlie was pregnant before I got her. Ever since Cora and Charlie have been together, I’ve always noticed that Cora was pretty bossy, assertive, and even aggressive at times. Charlie accepted her role as the submissive pig pretty quickly. Every time Cora would chase Charlie and Charlie did the submissive squeal, I hated it, but I knew from this forum to keep them together, as they did have good, calm moments together, and the bullying did not result in blood being drawn or keeping Charlie from food. They were in 2 midwest cages put together without a divider, so they definitely had plenty of room and 2 of everything.
In November, Charlie gave birth to 2 boys and 1 girl. The 2 boys were adopted by a wonderful local veterinarian in December, and I kept the girl (Gigi). While Charlie was mid-pregnancy, I added a third midwest cage so they no had at least 21 sq ft or so of space in anticipation of the 3 babies (I knew Cora might have a difficult time with them). After birth, Cora surprised me a bit a she wasn’t too bossy with the babies (except when they tried to nurse from her haha). Near the end of November, the boys were separated from the 3 girls and adopted.
Fast-forward to January 2021: They were moved to a 2x8 C&C cage (the 3 Midwest cages together are now their “vacation home” if I go to visit my parents for longer than a couple of weeks, otherwise I have friends to take care of them in their 2x8 for short trips). They did ok for a while, with Cora doing some chasing each day and mounting during each of her seasons. Again, they also have at least 3 of everything (except water bottles - 2 of those) in this cage, as well as 7 hidey options.
A few weeks ago, Gigi turned 4 months old, and it is clear that she has entered the teenage months. She began having stronger seasons and challenging Charlie and Cora with nose-offs and some lunging. Most concerning over the past month is the level of aggression in Cora’s chasing behavior. It just seems like she is darting at Charlie at Gigi, and they crash in walls/hideys and look panicked, before finally stopping and just laying low to the ground in submission, sometimes making submission noises, and sometimes darting into the hay pile looking for a place to hide. Despite it being quite clear (in my opinion) that Cora is the top pig, Cora seems ver insecure in her position and keeps engaging in the behavior. Charlie and Gigi have not figured out who is 2nd pig yet, so perhaps this is part of what is causing this tension.
Over the past month, I’ve found small tufts of hair around the cage on 3 occasions (looking like one pulled them out of another - the hair is definitely Charlie or Gigi’s but I’m not sure which one). It seems like the behavior is escalating, and I’m constantly nervous that it will get to the point that they will hurt one another (this might be an over-reaction). I really don’t like when Charlie “looks” at Cora the “wrong way” and Cora lunges at her and starts to chase - it seems beyond normal dominance behavior and just plain aggressive. It’s how the behavior is escalating that has me most concerned - it is not just while they are in heat.
A few notes:
- I added a little 2nd floor ledge to the cage so Charlie can get out of the way when Cora is doing her aggressive/dominant zoomies, which helps sometimes. I might make a 1x1.5 grid loft with two ramps since the separate floor seems to help.
- They get floor time at least 5 nights per week for 2-4 hours. If I could, I would let them have floor time all the time, as they seem very happy with all the space, but I can only expand their cage so much and it’s already at a 2x8...
- My next plan was to add a 3 grid-wide section to the cage when I move to my new 2 bedroom apartment this summee to give even more space (they will have their cage in one bedroom and have the whole bedroom for floor time).
- All of them have been gaining or maintaining weight steadily since I got them, so they are not being bullied to the point of not being allowed to eat.
- Cora has no signs of mites/lice, and I’m assuming is far too young to be dealing with ovarian cysts that could cause this behavior (or perhaps I’m wrong)
- Many times, they seem like happy pigs, wheeking for veggies, zooming during floor time, talking to me, and munching on hay sometimes close to each other (even with the 2 hay racks and hay pile). I even catch them sleeping mear each other sometimes.
Thanks for taking the time to read over all of this. I’ve been following the forum for months, but I feel I have done everything I can to make this work, and these dynamics have been taking a toll in my mental health. I’m often on-edge watching them interact.
Is there anything else I could be doing to give their bonds a chance? Am I overreacting and might this intense behavior cease as they age out if the teenage phase? Can they live happily together long-term like this if the behavior doesn’t cease?
Again, I appreciate any advice, comments, or words of encouragement - thanks, y’all.
Cora and Charlie have been together since September 2020 (both around 9-10 months old at present), and I soon after learned that Charlie was pregnant before I got her. Ever since Cora and Charlie have been together, I’ve always noticed that Cora was pretty bossy, assertive, and even aggressive at times. Charlie accepted her role as the submissive pig pretty quickly. Every time Cora would chase Charlie and Charlie did the submissive squeal, I hated it, but I knew from this forum to keep them together, as they did have good, calm moments together, and the bullying did not result in blood being drawn or keeping Charlie from food. They were in 2 midwest cages put together without a divider, so they definitely had plenty of room and 2 of everything.
In November, Charlie gave birth to 2 boys and 1 girl. The 2 boys were adopted by a wonderful local veterinarian in December, and I kept the girl (Gigi). While Charlie was mid-pregnancy, I added a third midwest cage so they no had at least 21 sq ft or so of space in anticipation of the 3 babies (I knew Cora might have a difficult time with them). After birth, Cora surprised me a bit a she wasn’t too bossy with the babies (except when they tried to nurse from her haha). Near the end of November, the boys were separated from the 3 girls and adopted.
Fast-forward to January 2021: They were moved to a 2x8 C&C cage (the 3 Midwest cages together are now their “vacation home” if I go to visit my parents for longer than a couple of weeks, otherwise I have friends to take care of them in their 2x8 for short trips). They did ok for a while, with Cora doing some chasing each day and mounting during each of her seasons. Again, they also have at least 3 of everything (except water bottles - 2 of those) in this cage, as well as 7 hidey options.
A few weeks ago, Gigi turned 4 months old, and it is clear that she has entered the teenage months. She began having stronger seasons and challenging Charlie and Cora with nose-offs and some lunging. Most concerning over the past month is the level of aggression in Cora’s chasing behavior. It just seems like she is darting at Charlie at Gigi, and they crash in walls/hideys and look panicked, before finally stopping and just laying low to the ground in submission, sometimes making submission noises, and sometimes darting into the hay pile looking for a place to hide. Despite it being quite clear (in my opinion) that Cora is the top pig, Cora seems ver insecure in her position and keeps engaging in the behavior. Charlie and Gigi have not figured out who is 2nd pig yet, so perhaps this is part of what is causing this tension.
Over the past month, I’ve found small tufts of hair around the cage on 3 occasions (looking like one pulled them out of another - the hair is definitely Charlie or Gigi’s but I’m not sure which one). It seems like the behavior is escalating, and I’m constantly nervous that it will get to the point that they will hurt one another (this might be an over-reaction). I really don’t like when Charlie “looks” at Cora the “wrong way” and Cora lunges at her and starts to chase - it seems beyond normal dominance behavior and just plain aggressive. It’s how the behavior is escalating that has me most concerned - it is not just while they are in heat.
A few notes:
- I added a little 2nd floor ledge to the cage so Charlie can get out of the way when Cora is doing her aggressive/dominant zoomies, which helps sometimes. I might make a 1x1.5 grid loft with two ramps since the separate floor seems to help.
- They get floor time at least 5 nights per week for 2-4 hours. If I could, I would let them have floor time all the time, as they seem very happy with all the space, but I can only expand their cage so much and it’s already at a 2x8...
- My next plan was to add a 3 grid-wide section to the cage when I move to my new 2 bedroom apartment this summee to give even more space (they will have their cage in one bedroom and have the whole bedroom for floor time).
- All of them have been gaining or maintaining weight steadily since I got them, so they are not being bullied to the point of not being allowed to eat.
- Cora has no signs of mites/lice, and I’m assuming is far too young to be dealing with ovarian cysts that could cause this behavior (or perhaps I’m wrong)
- Many times, they seem like happy pigs, wheeking for veggies, zooming during floor time, talking to me, and munching on hay sometimes close to each other (even with the 2 hay racks and hay pile). I even catch them sleeping mear each other sometimes.
Thanks for taking the time to read over all of this. I’ve been following the forum for months, but I feel I have done everything I can to make this work, and these dynamics have been taking a toll in my mental health. I’m often on-edge watching them interact.
Is there anything else I could be doing to give their bonds a chance? Am I overreacting and might this intense behavior cease as they age out if the teenage phase? Can they live happily together long-term like this if the behavior doesn’t cease?
Again, I appreciate any advice, comments, or words of encouragement - thanks, y’all.
- trying to "dig" under the bars and throwing her head back quite a bit. Charlie/Gigi have been napping and maybe seemed more relaxed (to earlier to tell right now). The were just all eating hay together from their piles right next to the bars, and Charlie/Gigi seemed to be ignoring Cora. Again, probably too early to tell how this will go, so I'll continue to monitor throughout the day.
Cora was constantly having to show the others that she was boss it has probably worn her out and stressed her. She can relax too as she’s not having to dominate anyone now, so she can enjoy their company through the bars but not have the constant of being “the boss”