Who’s rumblestrutting?!

[sharona]

Hello,
I’m a new piggie mom and have some questions about rumble strutting. I have 2 female babies (2-3 m/o I’m guessing), they were cage mates at the pet store I got them from. It’s been about 2 weeks and in the last few days one of them has started rumblestrutting, sometimes on and off for hours, sometimes just a few seconds once or twice over the same length of time. I know this is one trying to establish dominance but I can’t tell which one it is. I have read that they sometimes do a dance or have their hair raised but I can’t seem to find videos of what the dance looks like. It’s hard to see any of this type of behavior, they’re still a bit skittish and even though I’m sitting on the couch next to their pen, when I lean over to get a better look it stops and they move. When I have seen their behavior during the rumblestrutting they’re both just sitting there a few inches from each other but I can’t tell who it’s coming from. I have an idea just based on which one seems less timid, but I’m not completely sure.
Any suggestions for figuring this out? And is there anything I need to do? Or should I just let it go?

Thanks,
Sharon

 

[Piggies&buns]

You will hear a purring/vibrating sound and potentially see bum wiggling (I say potentially because sometimes it’s a subtle movement and sometimes you’ll only hear the sound).
There are lots of videos online of rumblestrutting so you can find what the movement looks like.

When you say you think you know which one it is based on who is more timid – their behaviour around humans is not a reflection on dominance. My most nervous, timid piggy who doesn’t like much human contact is the dominant piggy who loves nothing more than rumbling at everything!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,
I’m a new piggie mom and have some questions about rumble strutting. I have 2 female babies (2-3 m/o I’m guessing), they were cage mates at the pet store I got them from. It’s been about 2 weeks and in the last few days one of them has started rumblestrutting, sometimes on and off for hours, sometimes just a few seconds once or twice over the same length of time. I know this is one trying to establish dominance but I can’t tell which one it is. I have read that they sometimes do a dance or have their hair raised but I can’t seem to find videos of what the dance looks like. It’s hard to see any of this type of behavior, they’re still a bit skittish and even though I’m sitting on the couch next to their pen, when I lean over to get a better look it stops and they move. When I have seen their behavior during the rumblestrutting they’re both just sitting there a few inches from each other but I can’t tell who it’s coming from. I have an idea just based on which one seems less timid, but I’m not completely sure.
Any suggestions for figuring this out? And is there anything I need to do? Or should I just let it go?

Thanks,
Sharon

Hi!

Please always double-check the gender upon arrival. Dominance rumblestrutting in sows is less common than in boars although they will do it during bonding and the following dominance phase (takes on average two weeks); it can also make a reappearance when they come into season, especially when they are still somewhat insecure in their leadership position or suffer from stong hormones.

Here is a video of my Dylan rumblestrutting for his little new wifelet Begw

Here is a measuring up rumblestrut session between two fallen-out boars

 

[sharona]

You will hear a purring/vibrating sound and potentially see bum wiggling (I say potentially because sometimes it’s a subtle movement and sometimes you’ll only hear the sound).
There are lots of videos online of rumblestrutting so you can find what the movement looks like.

When you say you think you know which one it is based on who is more timid – their behaviour around humans is not a reflection on dominance. My most nervous, timid piggy who doesn’t like much human contact is the dominant piggy who loves nothing more than rumbling at everything!

Thanks. I have had them a little over 2 months and it’s still a constant thing. It took forever for me to witness the movements. I knew what it looked like but they would never let me catch them in the act. It seems like they have been switching back and forth. I’ll see one doing it for a week or so, then next thing I know it’s the other one I’m seeing doing it constantly for the next week or so.

They don’t seem to fight a lot, but they do have bad days where it’s more than just 1-2 episodes where they bite or chase each other. I now know that typically when I hear one of them screaming, it’s my little drama queen Navi. She can be a bit of a cry baby and the littlest thing will make her all upset. Sometimes Zora just has to walk up to her while she’s all cozy and she screams like she’s being viscously attacked!
I’m hoping they’re just doing normal piggie things, they basically act like human siblings. Always jealous of what the other one has and having days where they just don’t get along and spend the day chasing and biting each other (not too viscous).

 

[PigglePuggle]

Piggies come into season about every 16/17 days, and when either or both are in season, that's when dominance and tempers will flare- your piggies are at the equivalent age to 14 year old human girls! And like all teenage girls they have the urge to challenge what the accepted social norm has been when they were younger. The screams/crying you mention are a normal submission behaviour noise, it sounds quite extreme but really its just them saying the human equivalent of "ok already you can have the tv remote and borrow my dress just stop hassling me!" like any teenage siblings might do! Try to give them more space and give them 2 of anything they argue over or just remove any hidey house or toy they particularly argue about... when our sister-cousins Piggle and Puggle were that age we banned haycubes for 3 months until they stopped arguing about them. Also we brought home a little boar and had him neutered so they had an outlet for their hormones and somepig else to talk to when they werent getting on...!