[Gpdd] [BEHAVIOR] <male - female woouving>

[Lauren Cordeiro]

Hi Ursa,
I am not sure the appropriate age to "retire" a GP from breeding, but at five years of age, your new pig is probably an "over-the-hill" girl. Have you considered spaying/neutering either your male, your female, or both? This surgery does carry risks, probably more so for older piggies, so I would definitely talk to an experienced exotics vet about it. I have a brother and sister pig who just both got fixed and now live together. Before the operation, I would obviously monitor their "together time," but when the male rumblestrutted and showed interest in her, or tried to sniff her butt, she would always get angry or irritated, and run away, snap at him, or, my least favorite, spray pee into his general direction to distract him. (Of course when they did this I would seperate them.) Another behavior I noticed was when Pooh Bear (male) would make his rumblestrutting sound, but run around the floor instead of bothering the female (Piglet), Piglet would follow right behind him. I'm not sure if this was because she is more timid and likes to follow him, or whether she was trying to keep her bum away from his general path. Either way, they are both happy now and fight much less frequently now that there is not so much "sexual tension." Best of luck with yours,
Lauren, Pooh Bear and Piglet