Guinea pigs are generally expressive, vocal creatures that chirp, whistle, or snort when they’re energized, and squeak when they see their owner enter the room, but what does guinea pig teeth chattering mean?
Guinea pigs are delicate and tend to be docile.
They rarely bite but can nip at threatening creatures or individuals that are abusing them.
Guinea pigs are inquisitive and active small animals that can make good companions and one of the most naturally social mammals, and shows amazing behavioral expressions.
And they make noises and expressions to whatever they are feeling at the moment.
If you can find out how to decipher these practices/behavior, it will improve your relationship with your pet guinea pig.
Table of Contents
What Type of Sounds Do Guinea Pigs Make?
It’s important you’re able to comprehend guinea pigs through the sounds and commotions they make since it helps you understand if your pet is in trouble, hungry, content, or just eager to see you as well as your food.
Let’s start with identifying guinea pigs’ sounds.
Wheeking
Wheeking is the sound a guinea pig makes when it’s very hungry so don’t be shocked if they wheek around the time you typically feed them or when they see you bringing some food.
Researchers have inferred that guinea pigs never make these clamors in the wild, presumably for the particular reason that they never have people’s hands feeding them pellets and treats.
Rumble
The rumble is like a murmur, but with a vibrating impact and lower pitch.
The male uses this sound when he is charming the female to mate.
He will begin to squirm his hips and stroll around the female in a subjective pattern.
When the male isn’t attempting to romance the female, the female may make use of a rumble to signal the male that she’s in season and prepared to mate.
Growling
The growl sounds like “brrr, brrr, brrr.”
Like with most creatures, growling is the sound of pain, ordinarily from being threatened by something nearby.
This can likewise happen when there is an intense change in the surroundings of guinea pigs.
Once you hear the snarl from your guinea pig, simply begin petting them to calm it down.
In a matter of seconds, the growl may transform into a wonderful purr.
Shrieking
Hearing a shrieking noise might be troubling to you, but could mean more for your guinea pigs.
It generally implies that your guinea pig detects harm or is feeling agony and discomfort.
For instance, if one of your guinea pigs bites another, you will probably hear a shrieking sound.
It’s essential to promptly take care of the circumstance and sort out the reason for the sound.
Whimpering
A guinea pig’s whimper sounds like a high-pitched moan.
This commotion is expressed when the piggy is being upset or pestered.
If you intrude on their nap, you may hear this sound so simply step away and let them be.
Why Do My Pet Guinea Pig’s Teeth Chatter?
If your guinea pig pounds and chatters the teeth audibly, chances are high that they are expressing annoyance.
In most cases, teeth chattering is sometimes a signal that two guinea pigs are about to start fighting so be alert.
If you recently welcomed/adopted another pet to the herd, then this is something that is commonly seen.
On the off chance that you notice two of your pigs babbling their teeth at each other, you may have to isolate the two animals to permit them to chill off.
What Are Common Guinea Pig Noises When They Are Eating?
Guinea pigs can be vocal pets, delivering a wide assortment of clamors in various circumstances.
If you find that your guinea pig is unreasonably loud when eating, it might indicate an issue in the cage or a looming medical problem.
Hooting
At times, the commotions a guinea pig makes can be characteristic of major issues.
If your guinea pig makes snorting and hooting clamors while he eats or moves about, it may be an indication of a heart condition.
Certain respiratory conditions can make it hard for a guinea pig to clear his lungs, which can lead to loud breathing and laziness.
Your veterinarian can analyze your pig and endorse drugs, if important, to help treat the condition.
Territoriality
If your guinea pig snorts and screeches louder when different creatures come nearby, he could essentially be warning the others away from his food.
In a guinea pig group, one creature normally becomes their leader, and he gets the best food and lodging option.
An alpha pig may eat loudly, hauling his part of the food away from different creatures and snorting or chattering at them to get them to stay away.
Additionally, a guinea pig may make clamors when another creature attempts to move food away from him, however, this may result in boisterous, irritated yells rather than grunts.
If your pet guinea pigs appear to have regular character clashes that last more than a couple of days, it may be an indication of a hormonal issue and you should immediately talk to your vet.
Agony
If your guinea pig is always loud while eating and looks like it’s experiencing issues holding food in its mouth, it may be a sign of a dental issue.
Guinea pig teeth develop continually, and so, you need to give it a regular amount of feed to bite/chew to keep them worn out.
If a molar gets congested, it can make it hard for a guinea pig to easily close his mouth, and eating might be abnormal and excruciating.
If your guinea pig is experiencing difficulty with his teeth, take him to a little animal veterinarian as soon as you can.
A veterinarian skilled in treating a guinea pig will experience little difficulty recording or cutting your pet’s teeth to reestablish his capacity to eat peacefully.
Happiness
Most guinea pig sounds are the pig communicating his satisfaction to the world.
When a guinea pig is exploring his current environment, he normally makes burbling and snorting noises, and these may continue over into snack time.
If the snorts are low in pitch, and your guinea pig can eat comfortably, then the noises are simply harmless.
What Are Common Guinea Pig Illnesses?
Guinea pigs, just like any animal fall sick but you may not observe any indications of sickness until your guinea pig is dead.
Since cavies hate antibiotics, you would have to closely observe your animal so you’d know the best way to get your pet through sickness.
Respiratory Disease
Respiratory sickness, especially pneumonia, murders more guinea pigs than any disease.
Bacterial kinds of pneumonia are the most well-known, however, a guinea pig may catch the illness caused by an adenovirus.
Symptoms of respiratory disease include nasal release, breathing issues, hunger misfortune, sniffling, fever, and conjunctivitis, or “pink eye.”
Take your pet to the vet if he shows any of the systems above
Treatment can keep an early respiratory sickness from evolving into pneumonia and can save your guinea pig’s life.
Diseases that cause pneumonia-like symptoms and can likewise be lethal like Bordetella bronchisepta and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Gastrointestinal Disease
Guinea pigs can’t vomit, so diarrhea is an indication of a gastrointestinal issue.
Not only will your cavy become dehydrated from diarrhea, but he may also quit eating and become torpid.
In serious cases, your vet can give your cavy intravenous liquids.
Introducing a lot of roughage in your pet’s eating routine can prevent watery stool.
Ensure your guinea pig consistently has grass or timothy roughage accessible, alongside fresh, clean water.
Dental Problems
Your guinea pig’s teeth develop persistently for the duration of his life.
If he doesn’t get sufficient fiber in his eating regimen, comprising of roughage, his teeth will not wear out.
This prompts malocclusion or tooth misalignment.
Influenced guinea pigs slobber and can’t bite their food accurately.
As guinea pigs can’t produce Vitamin C in their bodies, it makes them easily susceptible to dental infection.
Abscesses can form in his tooth roots which can spread contamination to different parts of his body.
Your vet can file the teeth and suggest the correct eating routine for your cavy.
Cancer
Older guinea pigs frequently develop tumors, which may or may not be threatening.
Trichoepitheliomas typically form at the base of the tail and are normally favorable.
These skin tumors can be taken out surgically.
If your cavy begins looking scruffy or becomes paralyzed, he could be experiencing lymphosarcoma, the most widely recognized kind of tumor in cavies.
There’s no cure, and affected animals can die within days after diagnosis.
How To Care for Guinea Pig’s Teeth?
Guinea pigs have enormous, steadily developing teeth that require attention and care to keep them solid.
As a mindful owner, it’s left for you to determine what to look for and how to focus on your guinea pig’s teeth.
You should deal with dental issues quickly as inadequate tooth care can easily spread.
Without appropriate dental care, your guinea pig may suffer from starvation.
Significance of Teeth Care
Since a guinea pig’s teeth are continually developing, you need to take adequate care so that the teeth don’t become too long to prevent eating.
If the teeth become too long, the guinea pig won’t be able to eat food and this may cause starvation.
What to Look For?
Pay proper attention to your guinea pigs’ dietary patterns.
Changes in its dietary patterns might be the reason for tooth issues.
When you perform a weekly health check, look out for teeth issues and ensure that they are all equal, that there are no breaks, and that the teeth aren’t stained.
Finally, weigh your guinea pig regularly.
If your guinea pig’s weight begins to drop, there could be an issue with her teeth that is keeping her from eating well.
Focus on the Teeth
Give bite toys, bite sticks, and even canine rolls to help keep your guinea pig’s teeth at the right length.
You ought to likewise give an eating regimen high in nutrient C to keep the teeth solid.
Carrots, apples, and cabbage are nutritious increments to your guinea pig’s diet that likewise help the teeth.
Regular clipping of the teeth isn’t suggested, as it can meddle with the guinea pig’s dietary patterns.
When to Seek the Help of a Vet?
If your pet suffers tooth issues, then a veterinarian’s help may be necessary.
If your guinea pig’s teeth become excessively long, they should be managed, which your vet should do to prevent injury.
You likewise need to look for veterinarian consultation if you notice an adjustment in your guinea pig’s dietary patterns or harm to the teeth.
Why Does My Pet Guinea Pig Have Puffy Cheeks?
A few rodents, for example, squirrels or hamsters, leave food in their cheek pockets, giving them a puffy appearance.
This is not good for your guinea pig.
If your pet’s cheeks seem puffy or swollen, take him to the vet for consultation and treatment.
Abscesses
Abscesses are bumps formed from diseases or infections.
If your pet gets chomped by a cage mate or experiences a stabbing from a splinter or other object, a sore can show up.
Those puffy cheeks may be a result of a sore in your guinea pig’s mouth or jaw.
The bump is delicate, so touching it can cause your pet agony.
Your cavy may likewise seem lazy and quit eating.
Your vet will clean out the abscess and recommend antibiotics for your pet.
Since mouth abscesses are harder to treat, your guinea pig may need to remain at the vet for a couple of days until healing starts.
Bumps
Officially known as cervical lymphadenitis, “protuberances” are abscesses framing in the guinea pig’s lymph hubs along the neck and under the jaw.
The latter can give an appearance like that of puffy cheeks.
They differ from regular abscesses as they explicitly influence the lymph hubs, so the disease can spread all through the body rapidly.
Other than the swellings, other symptoms include head shifting, eye and ear diseases, and pneumonia as the microorganisms spread.
The usual microbes associated with lumps are the Streptococcus zooepidemicus, and they can be easily transmitted from contaminated guinea pigs through coughing, cuts, and scratches.
Burst or speared abscesses deliver thick discharge.
In addition to antimicrobial treatment, your vet may carefully eliminate the abscess rather than just spearing and cleaning it.
Dental Problems
Your pet’s teeth develop persistently for the span of his life, so it requires a steady dietary intake of grass and timothy roughage as these filaments keep his teeth from wearing out.
Malocclusion happens when the teeth are misaligned due to uneven wear.
Sharp points on the teeth can infiltrate and can cause damage within the mouth, causing the swelling of the cheeks.
Another symptom is drooling, the condition is often referred to as “slobbers.”
Because he’s in agony, your pet may quit eating and lose weight.
Your vet can manage the congested teeth, albeit the seriously affected teeth could require extraction.
Sores and Tumors
Although this is not common, the puffiness on your guinea pig’s cheek can be a result of a pimple or tumor.
Benign or dangerous tumors happen all the more frequently in older guinea pigs.
Your vet can do a biopsy to decide the idea of the lump.
Skin tumors can be taken out or removed surgically, as can lump-sacs filled up with secretions – albeit the latter may be harmless.
Final Thoughts
Guinea pigs can communicate through non-verbal ways using body language.
Ideally, you become more acquainted with what’s typical for your guinea pigs so you can spot changes in their development and stance.
This way you can act on these pieces of information and know what’s going on with them.
So next time you notice your guinea pig’s teeth chattering, you would know what’s wrong and how to resolve it, it’s important you know how to deal with guinea pig teeth chattering
Guinea pigs are prominent pets, particularly for families, due to their magnificent demeanors.
They are social, keep a daytime plan, and once in a while nibble when they are pushed to do so.
Always be mindful and know the signals and commotions a guinea pig do to understand them
