Angry Popcorning?? Piggie "PMS"?

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MercyMainMom

Post   » Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:16 pm


For the last two days, my Tara has actually been going out of her way to pick on my sweet, peace-keeping Bamboo (her "sister"/cage mate). For the first time ever I got to see Tara popcorn several times yesterday...except it wasn't in the happy way that I'm always reading about. :( Instead she was adding it to her new bossy habit of hardcore rumble strutting, biting, chasing, and even mounting poor Bamboo! First of all, let me clarify that I am positive they are both girls, lol. They have always had little squabbles here and there, but the bullying I witnessed last night and this morning is so extreme compared to their normal, petty bickering. Tara is rumbling so loudly in general lately that I can sometimes hear her from the next room over! There are two igloos for them to hide in their cage, but Tara even forces Bamboo out of those if she gets too "bored" and wants to cause trouble. They have a vet appointment I'm taking them to this Friday, so I will bring up this behaviour to the doctor, of course. In the meantime...does anyone have any theories on what the heck is up Tara's butt all of a sudden? Could she be in heat or something? Would she have the energy to be doing all of this if she is sick or injured? Any help would be SO very much appreciated! Thank you in advance. <3

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:19 pm


Possibly she's in heat. If she gets over it in about 24-36 hours, that's probably the reason.

How old is she? Mature sows sometimes develop ovarian cysts which can cause PMS-like symptoms. See https://www.guinealynx.info/ovarian_cysts.html for more info.

P.S. Throw out the igloos or cut another hole in them. They're just invitations for one pig to trap another, and they have terrible ventilation. No hidey in a pig's cage should only have one door.

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MercyMainMom

Post   » Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:38 pm


@bpatters, thank you SO MUCH for the info! I will check her nipples when I get home from work this evening (and check them every day until the vet visit on Friday!) for swelling and/or crustiness. I am SO glad I scheduled this vet appointment when I did, because if Tara is still behaving this way come Friday, it sounds like it would be time for a vet visit anyway!

According to their previous owner (I got them for free from someone on Craigslist) they are "about two years old". I am hoping that the vet will be able to confirm that or at least give me a fairly approximate age guess. She sees exotic animals quite frequently and from what I've heard/read she is excellent and extremely knowledgeable about piggies especially!

P.S. I've been all over these forums for over a month lol, but just now officially joined today. Do you know if there is there a way for me to "tag" another member when I am posting a reply?

Thanks again!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:52 pm


As far as I know, you can't tag another user. You can send them a message by clicking Private Messages at the top of the page.

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PooksiedAnimals
Supporting my GL Habit

Post   » Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:32 am


Don't worry about tagging replies - my experience is once someone shows interest in a thread, they'll come back to read the reply.

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MercyMainMom

Post   » Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:04 am


Thanks, PooksiedAnimals!

Also, bpatters, I forgot to mention that I am planning to cut a hole in the back of each of their igloos for that very reason. My super handy husband will have to help though so we can make sure the edges aren't sharp enough to harm their inhabitants!

The girls seemed to be behaving better when I got home last night. I took them both out (separately) for prolonged lap time on the couch to give them a break from each other. A few tiny halfhearted popcorns from Tara this morning before work, but she looked so silly doing it I just laughed. Before I left for the day I spread their hay into several piles around their cage, so hopefully Bamboo can munch in peace throughout the day today.

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