Sow Behaviour - Chasing

[mguineab]

Hi I welcome any advice on my problem!

I originally had three sows I bought from a pet shop - Willow, Olive and Rosie. Willow was the most dominant and used to bully Rosie a lot. Willow then died about this time last year due to tumour problems. The other two are now three years old and have seemed to get along fine until five days ago. Rosie began obsessively chasing Olive, much to her displeasure as she would squeal and run away. By the next day Olive seemed drastically withdrawn as a result, and stopped eating and was just sitting soaked in her own urine not moving. We took her to the vets and they said they thought she could have a urine infection. Well long story short we separated them to treat Olive, and she is still not eating properly but is getting slowly back to normal. We just presumed Rosie's actions were because she was in heat. Today after three days apart I put them back together in the large outdoor run and within minutes Rosie began non stop chasing her again.

I am at a loss now! I thought Rosie was in heat but her behaviour would have stopped by now surely? Or is she suddenly asserting her dominance? Or is she taking advantage of the fact Olive may be ill and weaker?

Any suggestions or help are much appreciated!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi I welcome any advice on my problem!

I originally had three sows I bought from a pet shop - Willow, Olive and Rosie. Willow was the most dominant and used to bully Rosie a lot. Willow then died about this time last year due to tumour problems. The other two are now three years old and have seemed to get along fine until five days ago. Rosie began obsessively chasing Olive, much to her displeasure as she would squeal and run away. By the next day Olive seemed drastically withdrawn as a result, and stopped eating and was just sitting soaked in her own urine not moving. We took her to the vets and they said they thought she could have a urine infection. Well long story short we separated them to treat Olive, and she is still not eating properly but is getting slowly back to normal. We just presumed Rosie's actions were because she was in heat. Today after three days apart I put them back together in the large outdoor run and within minutes Rosie began non stop chasing her again.

I am at a loss now! I thought Rosie was in heat but her behaviour would have stopped by now surely? Or is she suddenly asserting her dominance? Or is she taking advantage of the fact Olive may be ill and weaker?

Any suggestions or help are much appreciated!

Hi and welcome!

If you put sows back together after a separation, you have to brace yourself for dominance behaviour in order to re-establish the hierarchy.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

If the dominance is not dying down, I would have Rosie checked for ovarian cysts. it is is usually the smaller, but growing ones that cause aggression issues. There are now alternative and less invasive teatments to spay available.

The fact that Olive is still not fully recovered can play a part, more so if Olive used to be the top sow of the two.
Has Olive had an x-ray re. bladder stones or womb issues? How long ago did she come down with her problem?

As we have got members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state or (for the UK) your county, so we can always tailor any advice to what is available and possible where you as well as taking the climate into account. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to to location. Thank you!

 

[mguineab]

Hi and welcome!

If you put sows back together after a separation, you have to brace yourself for dominance behaviour in order to re-establish the hierarchy.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/

If the dominance is not dying down, I would have Rosie checked for ovarian cysts. it is is usually the smaller, but growing ones that cause aggression issues. There are now alternative and less invasive teatments to spay available.

The fact that Olive is still not fully recovered can play a part, more so if Olive used to be the top sow of the two.
Has Olive had an x-ray re. bladder stones or womb issues? How long ago did she come down with her problem?

As we have got members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state or (for the UK) your county, so we can always tailor any advice to what is available and possible where you as well as taking the climate into account. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to to location. Thank you!

Hi! Thank you for your advice!
Well Olive has been unwell for a week now, and she's a lot better than she was. But we tried again to put them together and within minutes Rosie was puffed up, chasing and nipping at her heels. So we separated them again shortly. I'm just so lost to know what to do! Do I wait until Olive is fully better (which could be weeks for all we know as we don't know what's wrong with her) before introducing them again, or keep trying to put them together regardless? I just want to stop Rosie from aggressively chasing Olive all the time, and go back to a week ago when they got on perfectly fine!

 

[Wiebke]

You have the choice to a) either sit out the chasing and dominance behaviour and see if it dies down without stressing Olive out too badly or b) keep them apart until you have got to the bottom of what is the problem with Olive.

You have to brace yourself for dominance behaviour at any stage and every time you put two separated guinea pigs back together and you have to let them work through it; it is going to be the same whenever you put them back together. the house/relationship rules have to be reinforced. Chasing is one of the normal dominance behaviours even if Rosie is at the more energetic/dominance end.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/illustrated-bonding-behaviours-and-dynamics.128361/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/

 

[mguineab]

Thank you so much for all the advice and links, it's definitely putting my mind at ease!
I think I'm going to do what you said in option b and wait until she has recovered before reintroducing them. As Olive was never submissive or afraid of Rosie before, so hoping if she recovers they can get back to their old relationship!

 

[Freela]

I agree with Wiebke... after a separation, they need to reestablish the hierarchy. It's also possible that Rosie is taking the opportunity of an ill or subdued friend to try to move up (or reinforce) her dominance. If dominance issues continue after they are reintroduced and have time to settle down, you might be looking at a hormonal issue (hormonal issues can cause aggression in sows.) Then again, I've seen my subordinate pig, Sundae, go through periods of chasing/rumbling that lasted longer than a typical heat period, but that weren't chronic enough to indicate an underlying health issue, so it may just resolve itself given some time. I hope that Olive gets back to normal soon so they can be reintroduced on equal footing!

 

[mguineab]

I agree with Wiebke... after a separation, they need to reestablish the hierarchy. It's also possible that Rosie is taking the opportunity of an ill or subdued friend to try to move up (or reinforce) her dominance. If dominance issues continue after they are reintroduced and have time to settle down, you might be looking at a hormonal issue (hormonal issues can cause aggression in sows.) Then again, I've seen my subordinate pig, Sundae, go through periods of chasing/rumbling that lasted longer than a typical heat period, but that weren't chronic enough to indicate an underlying health issue, so it may just resolve itself given some time. I hope that Olive gets back to normal soon so they can be reintroduced on equal footing!

Thanks for your advice! After I read your reply, I was researching a bit about hormonal issues that can cause aggression, and one of Rosie's nipples is much more prominent than the other, and crusty. I have read that this could be a sign of ovarian problems which cause aggression? She isn't showing all the signs of heat i.e rumbling but rather lots and lots of puffed up angry chasing, and seems quite overactive at the moment. Because this has all happened at the same time as Olive getting ill, like you say I don't know whether it's due to her taking advantage to move up and reinforce her dominance, or maybe she has a hormonal issue as it has occurred out of the blue?
I don't know whether I'm being too paranoid about the dominance issue, or if I should take Rosie to the vets to make sure!?
(also thank you both for all your help, I'm constantly worrying over them! x)

 

[mguineab]

Just one more question if anyone has any advice!
We have now decided to try and re-bond them, and hopefully get back their good relationship.
Has anyone got any tips how to do this with the reintroduction, as there is a lot of information online about new introductions (but these two have been together for almost four years now!)
Should I just treat it like a new introduction and do all the slow small steps?