Teeth chattering

[piggymad28]

I have 3 sows - Luna (5yrs 11 months), and Rosie and Lucy, sisters who are both turning 2 in December. They live in a 6x2 c&c cage. They've lived together since February 2022.

For the last few days I've noticed Rosie chasing Lucy, resulting in both of them chattering their teeth at each other. Sometimes Lucy will chatter her teeth if Rosie is near her, which I've never observed before.

They have plenty of space to get away from each other, there's hay on opposite ends of the run etc, plenty of hideys. Rosie was a lively teenager but she calmed down a couple of months ago.

 

[Wiebke]

I have 3 sows - Luna (5yrs 11 months), and Rosie and Lucy, sisters who are both turning 2 in December. They live in a 6x2 c&c cage. They've lived together since February 2022.

For the last few days I've noticed Rosie chasing Lucy, resulting in both of them chattering their teeth at each other. Sometimes Lucy will chatter her teeth if Rosie is near her, which I've never observed before.

They have plenty of space to get away from each other, there's hay on opposite ends of the run etc, plenty of hideys. Rosie was a lively teenager but she calmed down a couple of months ago.

Hi

I would recommend to have Rosie checked for a potential small growing hormonal ovarian cyst, which mostly make an appearance from around 2 years (ca. 18 months onwards) until about 4 years although they can occasionally happen even earlier and much later since the high hormone output in sows never stops.
Later in life non-hormonal large fluid filled cysts take over. It's generally the smaller cysts that cause the behavioural problems and - but by far not always - the visible symptoms.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Underlying tensions and conflicts between sows in a group or pair have a tendency to resurface during these times. Hormones were generally the reason I have had to split up the odd feuding sister pair for and move one of them to another group for general peace (one of the advantages of having several groups).

All the best.

 

[piggymad28]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that as I hadn't felt anything unusual in that area when checking her over.

I don't really have the space (or money) for several groups although if I have to I could stack another c&c cage on top. I've had to separate pigs before and they're not at that point (yet).

I will get her checked at the vet.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that as I hadn't felt anything unusual in that area when checking her over.

I don't really have the space (or money) for several groups although if I have to I could stack another c&c cage on top. I've had to separate pigs before and they're not at that point (yet).

I will get her checked at the vet.

As stated - the hormonal cysts are often still very small so you cannot necessarily palpate them. However, if you have feuding sows (in my case often as a result of sibling rivalry) then hormones are often at the bottom of a renewed outbreak even without any other physical symptoms.

You have to assess each situation on its own values as to how serious things are, how big the accumulated grudge potential is and how disruptive and stressful the feuding is for the whole group. Separation is only the very last step when everything else has failed and the whole group is becoming dysfunctional.

In each case with mine, where I had to do it, it was a development months or even years in the making. In one case, one of the sisters took matters into her own paws and moved in on her own with a freshly neutered boar (thankfully just passing the end of his post-op wait). Miaren was #3 on young Llelo's dating list of problematic sows so I didn't mind at all. The two ladies ahead were near unbondable and not likely to succeed but worth another try with a smallish submissive boy who would not make them feel threatened. Sisters Llawen and Hapus were basically bouncing between two groups since Llawen would not accept any piggy that was not in the initial bonding group but she did run acropper of everypig sooner or later. They only came back together in an old ladies' group in the very last months of their nearly 7 years old lives. But I had adopted them as a dysfunctional sister pair from a horrible background; they quite literally had to fight each other for every drop of milk their badly malnourished mother could produce. Hapus needed a spaying op (just days before the first lockdown) but Llawen, who I had assessed a year later due to the pandemic, didn't have cysts required removal on medical grounds.

If the behaviour is not yet right up on the line or crossing it, you can sit it out and wait until a later time to have your hormonal sow vet checked and treated. I would however recommend to start saving up - if you haven't got a well filled fund or insurance - since ovarian cysts are not cheap.

 

[piggymad28]

They're currently lying near each other having just gorged themselves on hay. They will so still eat veggies etc together. Just going to continue keeping an eye on them.

I don't have insurance but I do have a savings pot specifically for vet fees which I add to each month I get paid.

Thanks for the advice. This forum is very helpful.

 

[Wiebke]

They're currently lying near each other having just gorged themselves on hay. They will so still eat veggies etc together. Just going to continue keeping an eye on them.

I don't have insurance but I do have a savings pot specifically for vet fees which I add to each month I get paid.

Thanks for the advice. This forum is very helpful.

Just keep an eye on them and sit it out this time but have her checked the next time it happens, which may be several months or even a year down the line. Right now, it is just something to be aware of and to keep an eye on.

You really should see a vet if a sow has what looks like a non-stop season, is showing visible symptoms as described in the guide link above or the behaviour threatens the group cohesion.