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Piper the troublemaker - tips please!

CometLucy195

Alpha Buck
Hi, I’ve got my newly bonded trio who are fine. Im gradually increasing their space in the aviary. In the other part of aviary and in the run next to them lives my other trio. Piper is a 3 year old nethie who lives with 2 rex sisters who are 6 and a half. All neutered/spayed.
Piper is such a trouble maker. Whenever they have their runaround tunnel open, he can see the other trio and he sits there staring at them and starts chasing the girls. He won’t let them either in or out of the run but almost guards the entrance. Today, I had the new trio out in a run too and Piper started a massive fight which set off the new trio. I put them all away and things settled down.
Im a bit worried about Piper as he seems to be in a bad mood all the time. He’s healthy, fully vaccinated and neutered. He often chases the girls and is a bit of a bully actually. Ive left them together as I haven’t got the setup to take him out and find him another friend not can I have him inside. He does snuggle with them in the shed and they don’t seem too stressed or anything but I was really annoyed today when he set off the others. Im going to have to alternate their time out which seems a shame as I have 2 runs and it’ll limit their time. All the other 5 seem ok with the 2 set ups.
Any advice on what to do? Some people have suggested I rehome Piper but I’m not sure as I’d be too nervous about where he would end up. He is cute but such a trouble!
 
It's a nethie thing :D They are the tiny small dog who thinks they are a wolf. What you are witnessing is referred aggression. He is protecting his territory and wives from the 'newcomers' and as he can't get them the aggression turns inwards. In time it will lessen when he realises they are not coming into his land BUT you need to cover his line of sight to them for now. Use a tarp or something so he cannot see the other group.
 
I agree with bunslave; it sounds exactly like referred aggression. Blocking the line of sight would certainly help lessen naughty Piper's aggression.

When I had Elphie and Galinda (Elphie's sister, who is at the Bridge) and Athena was out and about, they sometimes had fights through referred aggression. Ultimately, the threat of it between my outside guys was what started off my temptation to merge them all.
 
Thanks all, I’ve hung tarpaulin over the runaround mesh tunnels so Piper can’t see the others except from the run which is further away. No more fights since then and hopefully things will settle down. He’s always been a bit of a bully, I had him neutered as soon as I got him at 2 years old but he never really got over the chasing of the other 2. X
 
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