New piggies, but fight has broken out :(

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MattDean

Today we got some new sows (Maya & Meso) to go with our current sows (Inca & Aztec) they are a bit younger and smaller but the shop assistant insisted that there wouldn't be any problems if they were all sows.

Anyway, we got home, scrubbed the cage clean and introduced the pigs in neutral territory as advised and all was ok, they all froze and there was a lot of sniffing but it seemed fine. Then we put them in the cage and that is where the trouble began....Our older sows, Inca & Aztec, have lived together without any problems at all, but today Aztec turned on Inca and began the war dance with her and lots of teeth chattering and eventually went into a full on fight.

Inca is fine with the new pigs and even seems to be motherly towards them as they are younger but Aztec is having none of it, she is bullying them and chasing them and nipping them on the bottom, but her major problem seems to be with Inca which doesn't make much sense to me....

We decided to leave them to see if it all blew over but Inca and Aztec launched into yet another scrap, instigated by Aztec. We have removed Aztec from the cage for the time being and I am going to put a separating bar in the cage when I get in from work which I have fashioned out of an old fridge shelf that has bars so that they can still see, smell and hear each other and Aztec won't become lonely...

Any ideas as to what I can do to try and calm the situation, it would be nice if all four of them could live in harmony....

Thanks in advance,

Matt :)
 
We've had exactly the same with our sows. sarah and flora hate each other and cant live together. They have huge horrible fights. We had to take all 6 to the vets the other day and all 3 were in a box together and they were fighting, they bit me twice on the hand when i tried to break it up. unfortunatly all 3 are living seperatly now! I hope yours can live together tho. I LOVE the names you have given them!:)
 
Side by side living is a good idea for now. I'm sure someone will be along with some good advice for you.
Introducing new sows can cause problems for the original girls simply because the hierarchy has to be sorted out again. You had a dominant sow and an undersow and the 2 new ones have to slot in somewhere. The undersow is no longer at the bottom of the pile in this case. Sounds like Aztec is having problems accepting the new arrangement.

I hope it works out for them. :)
 
As it is Aztec who is having problems with her place in the herd (I think Flips is totally right there) then try to have the other three up against the bars to 'see' Aztec as much as possible.

I would suggest putting the hay on Aztec's side so that the other three have to pull it through the bars. They will do so, and as eating is a herd affirmation behaviour they will all end up eating together as Aztec will join in which will help Aztec to rejoin the herd later.

Also, there could be two conflicting problems in Aztec's head - the fact that she is no longer the underpig and she will continue to bully and boss the two little ones about in a very direct manner until she is satisfied they are firmly beneath her in the pecking order if you manage to get her back in by the way. Secondly - she will be firing on all cylinders mothering instinct wise and that creates problems in that she will be wanting to be Mum at the same time. This means she will be totally confused and that's why her behaviour is so off the wall and unpredicatble.

I would try keeping her out for a day or so, making sure they are all connecting with each other over eating and making sure that Inca is seen as the Mum. Then try putting her back into the herd cautiously, with separation for a day again if there is direct aggression towards Inca. Then repeat. It is a learning process, but hopefully the bond between Inca and Aztec will overcome Aztec's current confusion and she will realise that it is ok to be back in with them.

Don't forget that Aztec will bully the babies as she wants to establish second place in the pecking order. And be prepared for amazingly high piercing whining from the babies even if nothing seems to be happening - this is a verbal response to bullying and quite normal! It just sounds as though they're being beaten up!

Best of luck, Sarah
 
I completley agree with Sarah - give everypig time to cool down and bond slowly.

If you move too quickly, you can cause an overload and off the wall reactions. Usually things will be better once the girls have had time to sort through things. Aztec has to process too much right now, but she should be OK tomorrow or the day after. Just keep an eye on how the four girls interact and take it from there.
 
Thanks for the replies :)

I tried opening up the full cage again this morning and Inca & Aztec seemed to have made up but this time, Aztec started to go for the little ones and started the whole bullying episode again....

I didn't want to leave them unsupervised whilst I'm at work so I separated them again. Don't really want any of them to get hurt but I know that this is something they'll have to sort out for themselves...

Time will tell!

Matt
 
Thanks for the advice, Sarah! :D

Will give that a go when I get in from work. It's making me feel guilty at the moment because Aztec is just laying on her side looking at the other pigs, like the child in the playground that has no friends... :(

Hopefully the pecking order will be established soon and put an end to the headaches!

Matt.
 
Sorry, you will have to sit out the "bullying" of the youngsters - it is a vital part of establishing dominance and there is no way around it. It is usually the sow right above in the hierarchy who makes sure that her position is not under discussion.

Please be aware that what we call bullying is perceived differently with guinea pigs who have the need to spell everything out in capitals instead of hints and who have not heard of political correctness. However, dominance behaviour follows a strict protocol and it won't help if you interrupt it now that things are going as they should. A lot of the screaming of the underpigs is submission and not pain. Towards the end, the underpiggies do have their say, usually by screeching as soon as a top piggy comes even close to them.

Here is more about sow behaviour:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38561
 
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