Sow Fighting

[Paige Stevens]

Hi I’m looking for advice on my sows. They are both 2 years old and I bought them from a hobby breeder. She had told me they have bonded and before we picked them up they had been separated from others (there were over 10) in a cage for a couple of days. We have had them for 4 days. My worry is that Berry is bullying/attacking bramble. Last night we did separate them as all we could hear was bramble loudly squealing. Prior to this we did have them both with us on the sofa I’m between us on a mat in the hope they could bond with us. This did work with bramble as she started exploring me and my boyfriend and sniffing us. During this time I caught Berry irritating Bramble by resting her head on Brambles butt and then biting her nose (obviously Bramble sqeauled again). We separated them both briefly and they seemed fine after.
Today I have rearranged their space and an hours floor time. Berry is very timid whereas Bramble is a bit more out going and seems to bonding with us too. At first they both seemed quite happy in their new space but for the last hour Berry will run at Bramble when she is in the tunnels (there are two for this reason) and won’t let her have a hiding space. There are 3 areas in which Bramble can hide in but Berry will push her out. When this happens we do hear really loud squealing and bramble will be in the corner frozen again.
I really don’t know what to do anymore and don’t want Bramble getting hurt if this continues, or if she decides to fight Berry. We already lack space and don’t have the option of having them in separate cages and then having to introduce new piggies in so they have friends.
I have had happy healthy Guinea Pigs before (it has been a while) but this has never happened to me nor any of my friends- even with boars! I have read around but only seem to find sows fighting each other rather than one fighting/bullying the other. Please any advice!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Welcome to the forum! Lovely to have you here

That's normal dominance behaviour, don't worry The loud squealing is submissive sounds and the kicking out of hideys is very standard

I presume they're ex-breeding pigs? Did the person say how long it had been since their last litter or how long they had actually been together? It's not unusual for breeders to tell porky pies when wanting to unload non-breeders any more sadly

I wouldn't worry for now, they're just settling in to their new home and new hierarchy. Make sure there's at least 2 of everything (food bowls, water bottles, hay areas) and as long as they're not losing weight they're fine. I always recommend weighing weekly to make sure everyone is getting the food they need.

What size enclosure do they have?

 

[sport_billy]

Hello, agree with @Cavy Kung-Fu above, what size cage are they in? Make sure they have two of everything, two separate hideys, fiddlesticks are good as the have two exits
Woodlands Wooden Playsticks Medium | Pets At Home

Have they been bonded in the past together? or where they separate at the breeders?

Could you add your location to your profile as it helps us tailor any advice if ever needed to your geographical location

Welcome to the forum
Lee

 

[flowerfairy]

It sounds normal to me too. My two rescue sows came to me at about 5 months old. Jingle was da boss and Mistletoe would squeal like crazy!

They have calmed down a lot and have recently accepted a young neutered boar (introduced 6 weeks post op).

Best of luck with your girls. It would be lovely to see pics.