How long should I wait before attempting a reintroduction?

[Pantalaimon]

I introduced my spayed sow and neutered boar around new year. I posted on here at the time because I was concerned that it wasn’t working, I was advised to just give them time. I followed the instructions and after a week they were much more settled. Since then they have got along really well, occasionally Ruby decides to give Pat a bit of a telling off, but nothing unusual.

Two weeks ago they moved into a different room, but their cage has stayed the same and contains the same beds and fleeces as before. Everything has been fine, they’ve taken a few weeks to settle in and relax but are now loving it and I love having them right beside my bed!

About two days ago Ruby stopped letting me touch the top of her head when I give them each their morning pea flake. Then at exactly 03:26 this morning I was woken up by a horrendous amount of noise. Ruby was chasing Pat around the cage, rumbling and chattering her teeth. She would herd him into a corner and strut around him while he made the little submissive squeaking noise. I watched for a while but then she chased him across the cage and fully attacked him. One of them (I think it was Pat) was flung across the cage and landed on the ground sideways. I then removed Ruby from the cage and just sat her on my lap (I had just woken up and was still half asleep). I then put a divider in the cage.

They are now behaving completely normally, like nothing happened at all. They have been sniffing each other through the bars, Pat has been biting the bars to get through to her. Their hay piles are against the divider and they are eating hay together perfectly normally.

I’m just trying to work out what I’m supposed to do here. Do I do a whole new introduction as if they’ve never met before? Do I leave them separated for a while? Will leaving them separated make reintroductions difficult?

I’m thinking I might get a vet appointment for Ruby to make sure she isn’t in pain. She had a major surgery to remove massive ovarian cysts last November and she has been continually gaining weight since. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not since she was almost emaciated when I got her.

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to include as much I formation on the circumstances around this as possible in case that has contributed.

I will try to attach a video of the scuffle.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Here is the video.

It was Ruby who was thrown sideways in the scuffle at the end.

Some other things to note. They have stopped getting pellets recently as I ran out and they are getting noticeable fat on the hay. I recently changed to buying half Timothy half meadow and they are getting through a ridiculous amount of the stuff.

The other day Pat was chirping for a good 5 minutes late at night.

Pat is the one with orange on the side of his face. Ruby is the aggressor here and has a broad white stripe down her nose with no orange. I know they look very very similar!

 

[Wiebke]

Here is the video.

It was Ruby who was thrown sideways in the scuffle at the end.

Some other things to note. They have stopped getting pellets recently as I ran out and they are getting noticeable fat on the hay. I recently changed to buying half Timothy half meadow and they are getting through a ridiculous amount of the stuff.

The other day Pat was chirping for a good 5 minutes late at night.

Pat is the one with orange on the side of his face. Ruby is the aggressor here and has a broad white stripe down her nose with no orange. I know they look very very similar!

Hi

Give them two days apart to settle down and then stage a reintroduction on neutral ground outside the cage that is not part of their regular territory. You should know pretty quickly whether the bond is still viable or whether the aggravation is too great and the confrontational behaviour is building up quickly again.

Chirping happens often when there are noticeable tensions amongst the piggies in the room.

How old is Ruby? Could she have ovarian cysts if the cage move has upset the bond? Piggies are much more territorial than you'd expect; that also includes the room in which their cage is in since the room will have a very different smell - and that sense is a lot stronger than our human one.

Unfortunately, if they don't go back together, you have had it. Fall-outs in mixed pairs are rare but they do happen.


This guide here contains the tips for testing a bond for its viability: Bonds In Trouble

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including mounting and ovarian cysts)

All the best!

 

[Pantalaimon]

Hi

Give them two days apart to settle down and then stage a reintroduction on neutral ground outside the cage that is not part of their regular territory. You should know pretty quickly whether the bond is still viable or whether the aggravation is too great and the confrontational behaviour is building up quickly again.

Chirping happens often when there are noticeable tensions amongst the piggies in the room.

How old is Ruby? Could she have ovarian cysts if the cage move has upset the bond? Piggies are much more territorial than you'd expect; that also includes the room in which their cage is in since the room will have a very different smell - and that sense is a lot stronger than our human one.

Unfortunately, if they don't go back together, you have had it. Fall-outs in mixed pairs are rare but they do happen.


This guide here contains the tips for testing a bond for its viability: Bonds In Trouble

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including mounting and ovarian cysts)

All the best!

That sounds good. Right now Ruby is laying against the divider looking sad, Pat is oblivious! They are eating hay right beside each other (with the divider between them), they have both nibbled at the bars to get through and Pat is digging through his fleece trying to find a way through to her. Hopefully they will miss each other and go back together. It is surprisingly upsetting to have to separate, almost like losing an actual guinea pig.

I got Ruby from the rescue on the basis she was on palliative care for ovarian cysts. On lots of medication, only weighing 860g (more than 60g of which was the cysts) what little hair she had was dull and unhealthy and having to be syringe fed. She had an ovariectomy rather than a full spay and has made an incredible recovery. I remember saying when I got her that she felt like she had been a big pig when she was younger. I think that as she is getting bigger and stronger (and more confident) she is starting to throw her weight around a bit more.

Also, I noticed with my previous pig with ovarian cysts, that even when the cysts are removed, the dominant, aggressive and generally grumpy behaviours don’t seem to completely go away as they have already become completely ingrained.

I do plan on getting Ruby a vet check as I suspect she may be having some bladder issues. She urinates a lot more than any other pig I’ve had.l

Thank you for the advice. I will see how things go and update then.

 

[Pantalaimon]

I did a supervised reintroduction on neutral territory today as they have been chewing the bars a lot. They were calm at first, then there was a bit of bickering (not proper arguing though). Then they have settled down. Now back in a cleaned cage with just tunnels and flat beds so that no one can get trapped. Fingers crossed Ruby doesn’t cause issues.

As always, a massive thanks for the help!

 

[Pantalaimon]

She (on the left) looks so innocent, it’s hard to believe she could be so nasty!

 

[Wiebke]

Fingers very firmly crossed!