Bonded sows suddenly arguing?

[Rob Collins]

Hello - here is the story.
2 -x 2 year old fairly boned sows (not super friendly but get along ok)
Introduced a baby sow - this seemed to improve all three.
Cage is big C&C (24 square foot)
I started letting them onto the lounge floor with mats and hay for a day at a time for a change, and into garden then back into the cage. They were fine at first but the two older sows are now going through real stand-offs, submission squeaking and almost getting into fights. What's going on? Has the constant change of scene upset their bond? I thought the changes would make life more interesting for them? But perhaps they just prefer their cage 24/7? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Piggies&buns]

A change in environment can cause upset in some pairs/groups.
Could it also be that they are both in season at the same time?

How long ago was the baby added?
Trios can be tricky so adding a third is not always smooth sailing.
If the original two had issues in their bond before the baby was added, then adding the baby would never improve things. It can in fact make things worse.
Of course this change in behaviour may be due to the changes in environment not necessarily due to adding the baby

 

[Rob Collins]

Thanks for your response. The baby did improve things but really it was all fine until I started moving them. So my question is in essence - does the environment have anything to do with the bond? Can a change of environment (or regular changing) upset the bond? Maybe they are just on heat as after a flare up they all munch and sleep together quietly for a few hours.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes a change in environment can cause issues. It’s something which happens more often in boars (which is why the advice to not clean the whole cage in one go exists) but it absolutely can happen in sows. Piggies are territorial and a change in territory can cause them to attempt to reestablish their bond when they move environment.
That and with the baby having been added they could still be going through a reestablishing caused by adding the baby and the changes in environment just been a bit too much at this point (hence why I asked how long ago the baby was added)

I am still curious about ‘fairly bonded’ and ‘not super friendly but got on ok’. What issues were you seeing between them?
If there were any issues between the sows then adding the baby can still be a catalyst for issues to come to the fore/increase (adding more piggies to a sparring bonded pair tends not to fix problems but instead increase them, even if not immediately). One of the adults can bond more closely with the baby and cause the adult to turn on the other adult.

Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment

 

[Rob Collins]

The baby is not a baby any more more like a teenager. She was added 5 months ago. I think I might just keep them in their old cage and give up on the extended floor time? The dominant one is drinking a lot of water so maybe I’ll go to the vet.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The baby is not a baby any more more like a teenager. She was added 5 months ago. I think I might just keep them in their old cage and give up on the extended floor time? The dominant one is drinking a lot of water so maybe I’ll go to the vet.

Ok - so it is not going to be the initial bonding (that would have been dealt with in the first two weeks they were together), it’s helpful for us to know all timings so we can best advise.
But baby being a teenager now may be causing some disruption.
Keep them in their cage and see if things improve between them. if it does then you may be able to draw the conclusion it is the changes in territory

A vet check is a good idea if you are concerned