Herd of 5 sows 1 boar, suddenly fighting

[ceciliaxdee]

Hi all, needing some advice on bonding/dominance issues that have suddenly come up in my herd of 6 piggies (all desexed, 5 sows, 1 boar).

They are all 4-5 year old sows and boar is 2 years 9 months old.

My boar was added to the herd about 1.5 years ago and him and the sow he is fighting with (she’s either leader or second in charge) did have a scuffle at the start and she was bit in the face but they resolved and became besties after that.

Now they’ve started fighting over the past week, I found a small bite on her rump and hair pulled out and some light scratches which the vet looked at and said don’t separate unless I see another bite. I’ve tried and there’s been no more bites but a lot of constant chasing, bullying (she’s now confined to sleep in the hay area or he chases and kicks her out of beds), hair pulling from her rump which he then eats. I’m also having to make a seperate pile of veggies for her as she’s too scared to eat with the herd as he’ll chase her.

We are on about 1.5 weeks of this and it hasn’t settled, they have moments where they can be next to each other but then he’ll chase her or nip hair or pull her hair.

One of my other sows (used to be a herd of 7) passed away on 10 February so I’m not sure if this is a delayed rejiggle of herd hierarchy? Also the sow being bullied currently has a UTI and minor respiratory infection. Is this his way of trying to overthrow her position?

I’m not sure when to seperate or do I keep letting them sort it out. I feel really bad for my sow and she’s lost about 70g (still 1.120kg ish but she used to be closer to 1.2kg).

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, needing some advice on bonding/dominance issues that have suddenly come up in my herd of 6 piggies (all desexed, 5 sows, 1 boar).

They are all 4-5 year old sows and boar is 2 years 9 months old.

My boar was added to the herd about 1.5 years ago and him and the sow he is fighting with (she’s either leader or second in charge) did have a scuffle at the start and she was bit in the face but they resolved and became besties after that.

Now they’ve started fighting over the past week, I found a small bite on her rump and hair pulled out and some light scratches which the vet looked at and said don’t separate unless I see another bite. I’ve tried and there’s been no more bites but a lot of constant chasing, bullying (she’s now confined to sleep in the hay area or he chases and kicks her out of beds), hair pulling from her rump which he then eats. I’m also having to make a seperate pile of veggies for her as she’s too scared to eat with the herd as he’ll chase her.

We are on about 1.5 weeks of this and it hasn’t settled, they have moments where they can be next to each other but then he’ll chase her or nip hair or pull her hair.

One of my other sows (used to be a herd of 7) passed away on 10 February so I’m not sure if this is a delayed rejiggle of herd hierarchy? Also the sow being bullied currently has a UTI and minor respiratory infection. Is this his way of trying to overthrow her position?

I’m not sure when to seperate or do I keep letting them sort it out. I feel really bad for my sow and she’s lost about 70g (still 1.120kg ish but she used to be closer to 1.2kg).

Hi

I am very sorry. Untangling what exactly is going on is not easy, even though you can at least exlcude ovarian cysts.

It sounds like a power struggle indeed with your boy now coming into the prime of his life and your sow getting past it but it could also be caused by an underlying health issue that guinea pigs with their much finer sense of smell perceive a lot earlier. In a change of leadership in a group, the ex-leader is always being sent to the bottom - in a friendly health related takeover this will be as gentle as possible while this can be a lot more tougher in a hostile takeover and end up with bullying. That was how my large Tribe group eventually fell apart as they never really settled down again under the new leader. It is the dark side of very social nature of piggies.

Personally, I have split a group of mine whenever there were irreconcilable differences between two piggies with a long standing grudge between them and the tensions were impacting on the whole group. The problem will only come up again and again in my own long term experience.
But I have always ensured that the companion piggy was one of the undersows who could return to the group. Or I found the problem piggy a place with another group she was accepted in, even if that meant some serious group jiggling. Or I created a Golden Oldies group if I had enough old ladies getting on with each other (I am currently on my 4th incarnation of it).

Keep a close eye on the situation but make your plans now so you can act promptly.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Hi

I am very sorry. Untangling what exactly is going on is not easy, even though you can at least exlcude ovarian cysts.

It sounds like a power struggle indeed with your boy now coming into the prime of his life and your sow getting past it but it could also be caused by an underlying health issue that guinea pigs with their much finer sense of smell perceive a lot earlier. In a change of leadership in a group, the ex-leader is always being sent to the bottom - in a friendly health related takeover this will be as gentle as possible while this can be a lot more tougher in a hostile takeover and end up with bullying. That was how my large Tribe group eventually fell apart as they never really settled down again under the new leader. It is the dark side of very social nature of piggies.

Personally, I have split a group of mine whenever there were irreconcilable differences between two piggies with a long standing grudge between them and the tensions were impacting on the whole group. The problem will only come up again and again in my own long term experience.
But I have always ensured that the companion piggy was one of the undersows who could return to the group. Or I found the problem piggy a place with another group she was accepted in, even if that meant some serious group jiggling. Or I created a Golden Oldies group if I had enough old ladies getting on with each other (I am currently on my 4th incarnation of it).

Keep a close eye on the situation but make your plans now so you can act promptly.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’ve had to seperate tonight as I was spot cleaning my cage after work and saw him lunge at her. I also checked my pet camera and saw her just in a corner of the cage where the hay is all day. She’s become very jittery and squeaky even when I approach her while she normally is super confident. I took her out and she’s down to 1088g now because the bullying was keeping her from getting to her veggies. She also has some new surface scratches on her rump (not deep). Sigh, they have both been vet checked recently but it could be my leader sow’s UTI and respiratory infection that has provided an opportunity for him to challenge her.
My boar is now separated for the night so he can calm down while I assess the situation and decide whether to seperate permanently or try and bond again. I feel bad for splitting my sows up but I do have an under sow who is less attached to the others that can be paired with him. So sad I may need to seperate them permanently