Young sow with odd behaviour.

[Pantalaimon]

Hi.

This is going to be quite long, as I want to provide as much information on this pig as possible. I am looking for any information on anyone else’s experiences with pigs who have unusual temperaments, if they ever changed, and how it can be managed throughout their lives.

I have had pigs for almost a decade now (10 years in February!), and have had 6 pigs over that time. I have had pigs who are really friendly and laid back, and others who want nothing to do with me or are just really flighty. This pig is something else entirely.

I adopted a young sow (Spider) last December (she was born roughly in June/July 2025). She was very tiny at the time due to coming from a hoarding situation where food was scarce, and her mother is believed to have died from ringworm soon after reaching the rescue (they weren’t certain exactly which of the pigs her mother was, but several sows died of ringworm).

She was originally bonded to another young female, but the rescue contacted me to say they felt it would be best to separate them as there were some issues (I now have a good idea what those issues were). I went to the rescue to pick her up and was handed this tiny little pig (about 600g) who was MANIC. I hadn’t had a baby pig for years, so I thought her constant turning in circles, scratching and biting was just due to her being very young and lively.

Upon bringing her home, everything seemed pretty normal. She was extremely flighty, but seemed to love my boar (Pat) through the divider and would run towards him when scared. As she was so flighty, and they seemed to be very calm, I decided to introduce them after less than a week of living as neighbours. The bonding went well, just the usual rumbling but certainly not the worst I’ve seen.

After a few weeks, she had what appeared to be a very strong heat. Constant rumbling, chasing, fluffing herself up, mounting, chin pushing etc. Again, this isn’t uncommon with young sows during their first year, so I wasn’t worried. Pat is the most incredible pig I’ve ever had, just so calm and tolerant. So he just makes some annoyed squeaks and does his best to continue with his day.

These strong heats kept happening, sometimes for 12+ hours, and keeping me awake throughout the night. She went to the vet, and he said there was nothing he could find wrong with her, but she was too young to have detectable ovarian cysts.

I have had two sows spayed (both very hormonal with ovarian cysts) and the results were incredible both for them, their cagemates and me having to share a room with them! My vet agreed that spaying might help, so that is what was done at the beginning of August this year. By this point she was about 850g, so still small but her body condition score is good so she’s obviously just a little pig.

The spay went well and she recovered rapidly.

The problem is, her behaviour has seemingly got worse…

There is now no pattern to her behaviour. She just seemingly randomly has days where she is a monster. She is also even more of a hazard to handle. I only handle my pigs for health checks, weighing and stuff like that. But she is genuinely a hazard. I can’t handle her without coming out with scratches all over me. She tried to throw herself, and it is all I can do to keep hold of her. I can’t even have any family members help me by holding onto her as they are not as confident/willing to have their flesh shredded.

The thing that has really made this concern me is last week during cage clean/health check day, I reached into the carrier to pick her up for her turn and she went mad. I have never actually been scared to put my hand in a carrier with a guinea pig before, so this was quite a shock.

My concerns are that I am going to be going to uni in the next few years and have to leave my animals with my parents. Also, Pat is aging and will inevitably die in the future. My chances of finding another pig as tolerant as him are virtually nonexistent, so she could end up alone. I doubt she will do well alone as she (ironically) relies heavily on him for reassurance.

Has anyone else had a pig like this? If so, how did you manage them? Did they improve with age? Did they have an underlying health issue? Any information would be great!

Apologies for the incredibly long post.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Here’s the little monster.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi.

This is going to be quite long, as I want to provide as much information on this pig as possible. I am looking for any information on anyone else’s experiences with pigs who have unusual temperaments, if they ever changed, and how it can be managed throughout their lives.

I have had pigs for almost a decade now (10 years in February!), and have had 6 pigs over that time. I have had pigs who are really friendly and laid back, and others who want nothing to do with me or are just really flighty. This pig is something else entirely.

I adopted a young sow (Spider) last December (she was born roughly in June/July 2025). She was very tiny at the time due to coming from a hoarding situation where food was scarce, and her mother is believed to have died from ringworm soon after reaching the rescue (they weren’t certain exactly which of the pigs her mother was, but several sows died of ringworm).

She was originally bonded to another young female, but the rescue contacted me to say they felt it would be best to separate them as there were some issues (I now have a good idea what those issues were). I went to the rescue to pick her up and was handed this tiny little pig (about 600g) who was MANIC. I hadn’t had a baby pig for years, so I thought her constant turning in circles, scratching and biting was just due to her being very young and lively.

Upon bringing her home, everything seemed pretty normal. She was extremely flighty, but seemed to love my boar (Pat) through the divider and would run towards him when scared. As she was so flighty, and they seemed to be very calm, I decided to introduce them after less than a week of living as neighbours. The bonding went well, just the usual rumbling but certainly not the worst I’ve seen.

After a few weeks, she had what appeared to be a very strong heat. Constant rumbling, chasing, fluffing herself up, mounting, chin pushing etc. Again, this isn’t uncommon with young sows during their first year, so I wasn’t worried. Pat is the most incredible pig I’ve ever had, just so calm and tolerant. So he just makes some annoyed squeaks and does his best to continue with his day.

These strong heats kept happening, sometimes for 12+ hours, and keeping me awake throughout the night. She went to the vet, and he said there was nothing he could find wrong with her, but she was too young to have detectable ovarian cysts.

I have had two sows spayed (both very hormonal with ovarian cysts) and the results were incredible both for them, their cagemates and me having to share a room with them! My vet agreed that spaying might help, so that is what was done at the beginning of August this year. By this point she was about 850g, so still small but her body condition score is good so she’s obviously just a little pig.

The spay went well and she recovered rapidly.

The problem is, her behaviour has seemingly got worse…

There is now no pattern to her behaviour. She just seemingly randomly has days where she is a monster. She is also even more of a hazard to handle. I only handle my pigs for health checks, weighing and stuff like that. But she is genuinely a hazard. I can’t handle her without coming out with scratches all over me. She tried to throw herself, and it is all I can do to keep hold of her. I can’t even have any family members help me by holding onto her as they are not as confident/willing to have their flesh shredded.

The thing that has really made this concern me is last week during cage clean/health check day, I reached into the carrier to pick her up for her turn and she went mad. I have never actually been scared to put my hand in a carrier with a guinea pig before, so this was quite a shock.

My concerns are that I am going to be going to uni in the next few years and have to leave my animals with my parents. Also, Pat is aging and will inevitably die in the future. My chances of finding another pig as tolerant as him are virtually nonexistent, so she could end up alone. I doubt she will do well alone as she (ironically) relies heavily on him for reassurance.

Has anyone else had a pig like this? If so, how did you manage them? Did they improve with age? Did they have an underlying health issue? Any information would be great!

Apologies for the incredibly long post.

Hi

I am very sorry, I have had my share of sows who were severely traumatised and who attacked other piggies and bit hands even after months in rescue and was able to rehabilitate them with some patience, persistence and plenty of piggy whispering but this is another step up.

Have you tried piggy whispering and making sure that are you not triggering her with any sudden movements, so you can at least see whether you can try to keep her from flipping out because of fear?

Because the only other way would be to keep her in a divided cage. It's obviously not a hormonal issue but her behaviour is extreme, and it sounds potentially extremely fear-aggressive to me - however without direct contact I cannot say because I cannot read the tiny nuances and how she reacts to certain gestures.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

How to welcome a piggy at home and integrate her into the herd you are leading: New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In

 

[AidaB]

Gosh, sorry to hear your piggie Spider has had traumatic experiences, and a bit of a hazard, especially when it comes to needing to handle her.

We have Wally werepig, who must be coming up to 4ish around Christmas time. He has been living with us for approximately 2.5 years now. (It feels a lot longer!)

Wally arrived absolutely frantic, it was recommended that we didn’t try to bond him, which at the time suited our situation, Hamish needed a next door neighbour.


The first weekend & beyond was a nightmare for me. He was running, jumping, bar biting. I had to cover grids & quickly had to find enough grids to create some roof. First time I left the house I was on tenterhooks as to what I would find when I got back. It didn’t help that my OH was working away those first couple of weeks. Every time I went out I was concerned about what I would find on my return.
We had a couple of foster pigs living with us too at the time & in hindsight I think Wally’s behaviour didn’t help them- there was a lot of humping & boar glue.

2,5yrs on Wally still has manic episodes, hilariously, usually around the time of a full moon.
They are a lot less, and he is a lot calmer. I no longer worry about handling him, except nail trims, when I am mindful of not pushing him too far, with multiple nails at one go.

He’s still a frantic bar biter, but I no longer worry when leaving the house. The roof grids have been removed (except one).Wally still lives as a neighbour pig. We did try to bond him once, but decided it wasn’t going well.

Despite his craziness- & my heightened stress levels, within the first month, we decided to weather the storm of his behaviours & make this his forever home.

Wally had arrived at rescue after a fight with his live in friend , and was blind in one eye. Rescue bonded him with a new friend, & found them both a home together. Wally was then returned to the rescue without the new friend, nobody knows why. They tried to bond Wally with numerous other friends, but nothing worked out.


I hope your piggie learns to trust you in time & you both begin to feel safe with each other.

 

[Betsy]

I adopted a traumatised piggy, who is now at the Rainbow Bridge, but fortunately she didn't bite. She was so bad she didn't have the "I must sit still so that they will get bored and leave me alone" reflex. She was a bucking, screaming in terror, whites of the eyes showing guinea pig. It took me a over a year for her to learn that I wasn't going to hurt her and only treat her with love and respect. It was a year of hard work but we got there.

Now I have confident boar who just hates being handled. He can be very free with his teeth. I adopted him almost a year ago. He is very confident as long as I'm not handling him. I have to coax him into a snuggle sack for a quick cuddle and some coriander every day. He is in the hutch at night and in the run during the day along with his two wifelets. I feel it's necessary for him to at least get used to being handled in some way in case one day I have to do it for medication etc. He is very slowly learning that I mean him no harm. I don't think he'll ever really enjoy it but it's something he'll learn to tolerate with time.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Hi

I am very sorry, I have had my share of sows who were severely traumatised and who attacked other piggies and bit hands even after months in rescue and was able to rehabilitate them with some patience, persistence and plenty of piggy whispering but this is another step up.

Have you tried piggy whispering and making sure that are you not triggering her with any sudden movements, so you can at least see whether you can try to keep her from flipping out because of fear?

Because the only other way would be to keep her in a divided cage. It's obviously not a hormonal issue but her behaviour is extreme, and it sounds potentially extremely fear-aggressive to me - however without direct contact I cannot say because I cannot read the tiny nuances and how she reacts to certain gestures.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

How to welcome a piggy at home and integrate her into the herd you are leading: New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In

Thank you.

I make my movements when catching and handling her as smooth and calm as possible. I am also very careful to be precise with my actions, no trying to do something and backing off as that causes even more stress. I have had other pigs who were super flighty so I think I'm fairly good at handling in a way that keeps everyone calm and safe.

The only time she is more calm when handled is if I hold Pat at the same time. Then she hardly wriggles, just hiding her face in his fluff. But this creates is own issues, as if she does wriggle then I don’t have another hand to grab her.

She has got slightly better in the cage than when I first got her. She will approach for food, but refuses to take it from my hand. She did eat pea flakes at first and would take them from my hand, but decided a few months ago that she hates them! She is extremely selective about food. She eats the main four (cucumber, pepper, lettuce, coriander) and I managed to get her eating carrot and watermelon. Luckily Pat has taught her that hay is the best thing in the universe so she eats a lot of it.

Before her spay she did seem to like my dad holding her. He has HUGE hands and I think that made her feel secure. The problem is now with her biting I would be concerned with her making an escape.

I am not someone who likes to cuddle their pets, I like to interact with them in their environment. I have had pigs who wanted nothing to do with me, though they have always changed around the age of 4 and become really laid back. I just make sure they are familiar with the routine of nail trims, health checks, weighing and bum baths. Pat who is a total potato now, was so flighty that he would go limp and play dead as a youngster!

 

[Pantalaimon]

Gosh, sorry to hear your piggie Spider has had traumatic experiences, and a bit of a hazard, especially when it comes to needing to handle her.

We have Wally werepig, who must be coming up to 4ish around Christmas time. He has been living with us for approximately 2.5 years now. (It feels a lot longer!)

Wally arrived absolutely frantic, it was recommended that we didn’t try to bond him, which at the time suited our situation, Hamish needed a next door neighbour.


The first weekend & beyond was a nightmare for me. He was running, jumping, bar biting. I had to cover grids & quickly had to find enough grids to create some roof. First time I left the house I was on tenterhooks as to what I would find when I got back. It didn’t help that my OH was working away those first couple of weeks. Every time I went out I was concerned about what I would find on my return.
We had a couple of foster pigs living with us too at the time & in hindsight I think Wally’s behaviour didn’t help them- there was a lot of humping & boar glue.

2,5yrs on Wally still has manic episodes, hilariously, usually around the time of a full moon.
They are a lot less, and he is a lot calmer. I no longer worry about handling him, except nail trims, when I am mindful of not pushing him too far, with multiple nails at one go.

He’s still a frantic bar biter, but I no longer worry when leaving the house. The roof grids have been removed (except one).Wally still lives as a neighbour pig. We did try to bond him once, but decided it wasn’t going well.

Despite his craziness- & my heightened stress levels, within the first month, we decided to weather the storm of his behaviours & make this his forever home.

Wally had arrived at rescue after a fight with his live in friend , and was blind in one eye. Rescue bonded him with a new friend, & found them both a home together. Wally was then returned to the rescue without the new friend, nobody knows why. They tried to bond Wally with numerous other friends, but nothing worked out.


I hope your piggie learns to trust you in time & you both begin to feel safe with each other.

He sounds like an amazing character!

Hopefully Spider calms down a little over the next year.

 

[Pantalaimon]

I adopted a traumatised piggy, who is now at the Rainbow Bridge, but fortunately she didn't bite. She was so bad she didn't have the "I must sit still so that they will get bored and leave me alone" reflex. She was a bucking, screaming in terror, whites of the eyes showing guinea pig. It took me a over a year for her to learn that I wasn't going to hurt her and only treat her with love and respect. It was a year of hard work but we got there.

Now I have confident boar who just hates being handled. He can be very free with his teeth. I adopted him almost a year ago. He is very confident as long as I'm not handling him. I have to coax him into a snuggle sack for a quick cuddle and some coriander every day. He is in the hutch at night and in the run during the day along with his two wifelets. I feel it's necessary for him to at least get used to being handled in some way in case one day I have to do it for medication etc. He is very slowly learning that I mean him no harm. I don't think he'll ever really enjoy it but it's something he'll learn to tolerate with time.

This is exactly what Spider was like a few months ago. Lots of scratching and trying to jump, but the most she would do with her teeth was a little nip to get her point across.

Some animals just dislike being handled, and it’s really important to respect that. They just need to be calm enough for a vet to check them. I had always known it, but recently had it highlighted to me when my vet couldn’t even look at my hamster because he panicked so much. He’s old, but his skin issues can’t even be treated because of his behaviour.

 

[Betsy]

This is exactly what Spider was like a few months ago. Lots of scratching and trying to jump, but the most she would do with her teeth was a little nip to get her point across.

Some animals just dislike being handled, and it’s really important to respect that. They just need to be calm enough for a vet to check them. I had always known it, but recently had it highlighted to me when my vet couldn’t even look at my hamster because he panicked so much. He’s old, but his skin issues can’t even be treated because of his behaviour.

Saxon always has a snuggle sack to go back into when he's had enough handling and I never pet him in it as it's his safe space. I'm not even sure the vet could check him properly if he needed a vet appointment at the moment. I have only had one time when he was out of his snuggle sack for cuddle time when he was making "I'm really enjoying this" noises. Hopefully, I'll have more of those rather than the indignant noises I get at present which is far better than the "I'm really frightened" noises I had first of all and about a 2 second cuddle. I'm sure he was rough handled in his old place and that nipping is a learned behaviour as he knows he going to be left alone if he nips. When he nips me (not so often now) I never tell him off as that tone of voice will only make him less trusting.

 

[Wiebke]

I have been able to wean my Brathlys (Scarlet Pimpernel) from biting hard to just a gentle tweaking within two weeks by using piggy social behaviours and social concepts. She was a home delivered rescue 'donation' from Gertie's after not stopping to bite and humans or piggies she came into contact with at the rescue even after half a year in rescue.
She had been found living rough and alone in a winter garden weeks after her owners had moved out and taken the hutch with them. I assume that her companion either died or she never had one since was also very afraid (strong fear-aggression) of other guinea pigs.

Firstly, I invited her as a welcome member of my own herd by gently fondling her ears and petting her around the eyes. This has given her a social group identification and a social relationship with me. I used a fleece blanket to make her feel less exposed and safe.

Then I went on to chide her for her biting by pressing her ears the way a mother would discipline her kids, with the tone of my voice expressing my disappointment. If she sat still, I would praise her and make clear that she was still welcome and give her a piggy kiss by stroking her around the eyes.
Gradually with this mix of telling her in guinea pig language what was not acceptable behaviour in combination with positive feedback , her tweaking became less hard. It took a few years before it completely stopped but it was a very gentle 'I really do not like this' tweak that she felt free to do because she trusted me and she had come to use more piggy body language in order to communicate with her.

It took about two months living alongside gentle newly neutered Alan 'Coltsfoot' and weeks of patient slow bonding before she accepted him but they did eventually make a pair.
After his sudden death at a young age, she made friends with baby Melangell 'Sweet Angel' and then via Melangell falling in love with Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' next door with him to have company until she died from old age related issues at ca. 6 years (?).

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and a lot of patience. There is usually a lot of fear and most likely also some social deficits behind her extreme behaviour.

 

[Truffolo]

I think piggies understand and can interpret things quite well. They watch very carefully and enjoy interaction, even if it is just talking to them. They know when you are happy and relaxed and when you are unhappy

 

[Pantalaimon]

I have been able to wean my Brathlys (Scarlet Pimpernel) from biting hard to just a gentle tweaking within two weeks by using piggy social behaviours and social concepts. She was a home delivered rescue 'donation' from Gertie's after not stopping to bite and humans or piggies she came into contact with at the rescue even after half a year in rescue.
She had been found living rough and alone in a winter garden weeks after her owners had moved out and taken the hutch with them. I assume that her companion either died or she never had one since was also very afraid (strong fear-aggression) of other guinea pigs.

Firstly, I invited her as a welcome member of my own herd by gently fondling her ears and petting her around the eyes. This has given her a social group identification and a social relationship with me. I used a fleece blanket to make her feel less exposed and safe.

Then I went on to chide her for her biting by pressing her ears the way a mother would discipline her kids, with the tone of my voice expressing my disappointment. If she sat still, I would praise her and make clear that she was still welcome and give her a piggy kiss by stroking her around the eyes.
Gradually with this mix of telling her in guinea pig language what was not acceptable behaviour in combination with positive feedback , her tweaking became less hard. It took a few years before it completely stopped but it was a very gentle 'I really do not like this' tweak that she felt free to do because she trusted me and she had come to use more piggy body language in order to communicate with her.

It took about two months living alongside gentle newly neutered Alan 'Coltsfoot' and weeks of patient slow bonding before she accepted him but they did eventually make a pair.
After his sudden death at a young age, she made friends with baby Melangell 'Sweet Angel' and then via Melangell falling in love with Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' next door with him to have company until she died from old age related issues at ca. 6 years (?).

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and a lot of patience. There is usually a lot of fear and most likely also some social deficits behind her extreme behaviour.

Hopefully with some maturity she will calm down.

I have held her on my lap for a few minutes at a time while gently stroking her ears, but she tends to get very distressed by being stroked, and is much more calm when not touched.

I know she did have ringworm (as did all seventy something others that the rescue received from the hoarder), and possibly also mites. And it was bad enough that several had to be put down due to not having enough skin left and getting infections. So I wonder whether her first experiences of human contact were quite painful and that contributes to her dislike of contact.

I will update as she goes through life. It’s always good go share information on those “odd” situations, hopefully it might help someone else in the future.

I will have to put my parents through some serious guinea pig handling lessons before I leave!

 

[Truffolo]

I use an expandable plastic tunnel and my piggies just walk into it. It's a very comfortable way of carrying them (as long as you can hold it so that the piggy doesn't jump out of it). Now I can carry them around without it, but they still prefer going in the tunnel. If I take the hides out of the cage, they will go into the tunnel quite easily It's a nice way of conveying a piggy if they have arthritis too.