[Gpdd] Behavior: New Pig and fur-eating

[arcochrane at gmail.com]

Hello all, 
I've had a new pig for a couple months now and I'm just now getting around to writing. I adopted her from a young lady who was going off to college and couldn't take her with her. I kept her name because I couldn't think of another one. Her name is Loofa and she is quite the puffball. She has longish curly fur. Poor thing was tiny even though she was 2 years old, was eating rabbit food and didn't have a decent house. Needless to say she is now fat. She is living with my 2 other females Clover and Cresta. Clover is mostly blind now and still has some problems with her back foot since her fracture healed, but she gets around alright. Cresta is still scared of everything but loves Clover. Of course Loofa changed the whole dynamic, Clover was originally the boss pig but now it's Loofa. Poor Clover is a silkie satin and Loofa decided to give her a pixie cut. I've read this is dominance behavior. Cresta's fur is too short to be eaten, but my large male Rocky, who is a Peruvian, loves to  try and stick his head through the cage bars. Needless the say, the hair that likes to grow over his eyes has been eaten. I was surprised to see that dominance behavior over a male, non-cage mate. I started to think maybe she has a mineral deficiency or is just bored? I let her out around Rocky so everyone could eat together and caught her red-handed going after his fur last night. After she ate Clover's fur I thought about separating her from the girls, but then she would be back to living by herself and I really don't want to do that. Besides, they seem to be getting along all things considered, besides the rumblestrutting Loofa likes to do. Cresta is a scaredy-pig and won't stand up to her, and Clover seems to care less about her presence or fur eating. 
Anneli