Marty McGee Bennett
08-03-2005, 02:37 PM
Can a younger male learn*"berzerk male syndrome" behaviors from an older male?
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Our first "baby"*had shown all the classic behaviors, head down, tail up, very affectionate, etc.* He has been gelded before displaying any dangerous behavior and the vet assured me that there are no worries of that happening.* He is pastured with a 7 month old who is the only cria his age--we're expecting 2 more any day, but they'll be much younger.* We have not handled him much at all, being afraid of duplicating the problem.* Do I need to worry about him*mimicking inappropriate behavior?* Will the gelding be able to associate well with others in the herd?*
Good for you for gelding this young man as a precaution. I think you did the right thing. However I think that gelding uncomplicates the behavior but doesn't really solve it. Geldings and females can still become pushy unpleasant and even aggressive if their handlers don't set limits. Do you have any ideas about why the first baby showed the behavior that he did? Was he just born that way? Did you try to discourage any behaviors? The reason I ask is that you are a big part of the equation and to the extent that you contributed to the problem you must change your behavior. Simply ignoring an impertinent youngster won't solve the problem. You must be vigilant about your personal space and discourage behaviors such as nibbling on your clothes and inappropriate sniffing... meaning a youngster that feels comfortable putting his nose in your face, armpits, crotch or pulling on your shoelaces. All of these behaviors while seemingly innocuous send the wrong message... a message of take liberties with me I don't require your respect. I think your gelding will do fine with the herd but remember to change your behavior... try to identify anything that you could have done that may have confused the your young male and make sure that you set boundaries for him right along with your other males. I have written quite a lot on this topic. Please refer to the GUILD LIBRARY at http://www.camelidynamics.com/guildForum/forumdisplay.php?f=15 for more detailed resources on this.
I also created a special audio CD that provides a great deal of detail for people who are unsure of whether they have a problem and how to cope when they do have a problem. This CD is available on my website as well.
*
Our first "baby"*had shown all the classic behaviors, head down, tail up, very affectionate, etc.* He has been gelded before displaying any dangerous behavior and the vet assured me that there are no worries of that happening.* He is pastured with a 7 month old who is the only cria his age--we're expecting 2 more any day, but they'll be much younger.* We have not handled him much at all, being afraid of duplicating the problem.* Do I need to worry about him*mimicking inappropriate behavior?* Will the gelding be able to associate well with others in the herd?*
Good for you for gelding this young man as a precaution. I think you did the right thing. However I think that gelding uncomplicates the behavior but doesn't really solve it. Geldings and females can still become pushy unpleasant and even aggressive if their handlers don't set limits. Do you have any ideas about why the first baby showed the behavior that he did? Was he just born that way? Did you try to discourage any behaviors? The reason I ask is that you are a big part of the equation and to the extent that you contributed to the problem you must change your behavior. Simply ignoring an impertinent youngster won't solve the problem. You must be vigilant about your personal space and discourage behaviors such as nibbling on your clothes and inappropriate sniffing... meaning a youngster that feels comfortable putting his nose in your face, armpits, crotch or pulling on your shoelaces. All of these behaviors while seemingly innocuous send the wrong message... a message of take liberties with me I don't require your respect. I think your gelding will do fine with the herd but remember to change your behavior... try to identify anything that you could have done that may have confused the your young male and make sure that you set boundaries for him right along with your other males. I have written quite a lot on this topic. Please refer to the GUILD LIBRARY at http://www.camelidynamics.com/guildForum/forumdisplay.php?f=15 for more detailed resources on this.
I also created a special audio CD that provides a great deal of detail for people who are unsure of whether they have a problem and how to cope when they do have a problem. This CD is available on my website as well.