Is it possible for a goat (small Spanish) to suffer from depression/anti social behaviour?? THIS IS DUMB, right? Here's why I ask: I released my little Spanish doe to the pasture w/the other spanish doe, a Nubian doe and a Boer wether. Now.. they have been in close proximity for over a month now, so I figured she would do okay with them. They went through their little goat aquaintence things.. head butting a bit, etc. THEN she just seems to have disappeared. (Did they shun her to the point of her leaving? This doesn't register with ME since they are Herd nimals..) She was sharing a nice sized pen w/ a very young male before the release. The pasture w/pond is 5 rectangular acres w/5 ac. of woods beyond that ... Where the heck is she???? Having a munching party in the woods or what????? She disappeared around noon Monday (shorly after I put her with the others). I would think she would have to come back to the pond for a drink. Hoping she'll show by tomorrow... If not.. I guess the search is on. Any ideas?
Could this "very nice young male" have bred her? If so then she might be kidding or have kidded and had not wanted to go back with the herd intill she kids? Or could something have gotten her? MotherClucker
I think (MHO) all animals can be depressed! Our female Dachshund has been depressed and with drawn since her mate died in Aug. of 2003. She still looks for him, if we mention his name she jumps up and starts wagging her tail. They had a game that they played--he had a special toy, she would steal the toy and go in the hall and play, shake and toss his toy until he would come and play with her..She would grab the toy and run and he would chase her.. Now about once a week, she gets the toy and runs into the hall to "play" after about 2-3 minutes of play, shaking and throwing the toy, she drops it and goes back to her bed and sleeps for hrs.. We also had a doe that had two kids, when we put the kids in another pen-- went crazy! and finally died two days later.. Our vet could find nothing wrong with her. We sent her to NCSU to the vet. school and they found nothing! DH said he thought she mourned herself to death. Was the goat sick, weak or too small for the others in that pen?
"very nice young male" is WAY too young for that! AND I've only had the two of them for about a month. Yes, something could have gotten her.. BUT the others are all still out and about in the pasture.. having a wonderful time. I just can't belive she would just bolt? Very weird. I figured by now she'd at least come back for a drink from the pond, or company w/the little guy through the fence, or SOMEthing.. weird.
we temporarily had a nubian buck here, as a favor to two different friends...one getting rid of him, the other taking him. he had a very very hard time getting adjusted to our other three goats and our one sheep. would stand in the corner of the goat house, tail down, slightly shivering, etc. then, eventually, they got along great. mr. pickles was here five months before the other woman got him from me. by then he was happy and we were in love with him...but we really couldn't take on a buck here just because he was such a sweetie. when he got to my friend's place and with her nubian/alpine doe, he went through his depression again. i didn't find this out until two weeks later. i warned and warned her, and she said mr. pickles was fine, but then i hear she put him on anti-biotics for being "sick"--she described his behavior to me, and it matched up with his previous depression, which upset me, because i had said i wanted him back if he wasn't "okay" in a few days. my question is, do goats remember each other? he might come back here to visit the ladies, and he was very very good friends with one of my does. i am just curious if anyone has noticed if they remember each other.
