Introducing New Piggies To The "beast" ;) Really Odd Noises?!

[2LilPiggies]

Hi all,

I have 2 teenage piggies, Bert and Ernie, Bert (aka Beastie) is boss pig. He is a million times more headstrong than his cagemate Ernie.
They will have the odd scuffle but Ernie is a delicate flower and usually just backs down and then all continues in harmony.
Following a recent visit to pets at home and after a lot of thought, I decided to adopt another 2 piggy boys - Fred and Barney
I brought them home today and they seem to be settling in nicely. They are 3 years old and have had a really bad start to life so I want to make sure the rest of it is happy.
I haven't had them out, just left them to get used to their surroundings and the noises/smells in my house.
Bert has really taken umbrage to the newcomers and has been strutting his stuff, chasing and mounting poor Ernie to the point I had to separate them for half an hour earlier. I put Bert in one indoor pig pen filled with toys and Ernie in the other, so that they could still see each other but that Ernie got a bit of respite. Bert trashed his pen in seconds, was scent marking all over the place, rumbling and generally being a beast!
When feeding time came I put them both back in their cage together and all was forgotten as soon as the magical sound of the fridge door was heard.
The new piggies are all cosied up in their house in their cage an Bert and Ernie were happily snuggled in theirs... All is well again... then I heard this really REALLY bizarre noise coming from the kitchen, I went through and it was really hard to tell who it was that was making the noise as it was so loud - I swear it sounded like a bird singing, I have recorded it somy other half can have a listen and doesn't think I've gone mad!
Upon investigation it is Bert who is "singing" In the whole time I have had him I have NEVER heard him make this noise?! Infact in my whole 20 years as and adult (and 13 as a child) I have never had a guinea make this noise!
Does anyone know what this noise means?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Boars do best in pairs; please don't break what is not broken! Trios are very tricky and don't work out more often than they do. Quartets virtually never work out! For a larger stable boar group of 10+, you basically need a whole dedicated room for them to live in and have their own little territories in order to make a bachelor herd work.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/

The chirping you have been hearing is likely a reaction to the whole stress. It is still a mystery and it is likely to be much more complex than all the current attempts at explaining allow, but some situations seem to be connected to expressing some distress. Other situations don't seem to have that connotation and the other piggies, while quiet, don't seem to be perturbed. The first time you hear chirping (which is usually quite rare), it is very startling.

 

[2LilPiggies]

Hi!

Boars do best in pairs; please don't break what is not broken! Trios are very tricky and don't work out more often than they do. Quartets virtually never work out! For a larger stable boar group of 10+, you basically need a whole dedicated room for them to live in and have their own little territories in order to make a bachelor herd work.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boars-a-guide-to-successful-companionship.76162/

The chirping you have been hearing is likely a reaction to the whole stress. It is still a mystery and it is likely to be much more complex than all the current attempts at explaining allow, but some situations seem to be connected to expressing some distress. Other situations don't seem to have that connotation and the other piggies, while quiet, don't seem to be perturbed. The first time you hear chirping (which is usually quite rare), it is very startling.

Oh no - sorry! I've not made myself very clear. I don't intend for either of the pairs to be split up or joined or mixed in any way. They are quite happy as they are.

I think for tonight I may move Bert & Ernie (my original piggies) back through to the living room so that Bert isn't getting continually worked up whenever one of the "new piggies" dare make a noise!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh no - sorry! I've not made myself very clear. I don't intend for either of the pairs to be split up or joined or mixed in any way. They are quite happy as they are.

I think for tonight I may move Bert & Ernie (my original piggies) back through to the living room so that Bert isn't getting continually worked up whenever one of the "new piggies" dare make a noise!

thanks for clarifying that. It sounded to me that you had been trying to bond all boars or at least mingle them during roaming time. Bert is obviously rather territorial... I hope that he is going to settle down eventually.

 

[2LilPiggies]

Oh lord no! It would have disaster written all over it! Bert is VERY territorial, and it is lucky that his companion Ernie is as cool as a cucumber otherwise he may have ended up having to be a single pringle! I just hope the new arrivals doesn't upset their equilibrium!

I won't even be putting the 2 pairs in the same pens, I have one double one for Bert and Ernie and one double one for the noobies. Completely different blankets (we have wood floors and they don't seem to like walking on it so I lay down fleeces for them in their playpens) a duplicate set of toys and tunnels, I now have 4 of each toy that Pets at Home do and some home made ones.

 

[Wiebke]

Oh lord no! It would have disaster written all over it! Bert is VERY territorial, and it is lucky that his companion Ernie is as cool as a cucumber otherwise he may have ended up having to be a single pringle! I just hope the new arrivals doesn't upset their equilibrium!

I won't even be putting the 2 pairs in the same pens, I have one double one for Bert and Ernie and one double one for the noobies. Completely different blankets (we have wood floors and they don't seem to like walking on it so I lay down fleeces for them in their playpens) a duplicate set of toys and tunnels, I now have 4 of each toy that Pets at Home do and some home made ones.

Best of luck! Just take it slowly and sit it out. Bert will hopefully settle down once he realises that his kingdom is not under threat!