Teeth chattering

Louisemck312

Louisemck312

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Hi everyone, I have had my 2 female 10 month old guinea pigs for a week now, they’ve settled in well and have been getting on great but today I noticed they’ve been chattering their teeth quite a bit at eachother, which is sometimes followed by them chasing one another and just seeming pretty pissed off with eachother overall lol. In between these angry episodes though they’ve been in their hideaway together and have been happily eating their veggies/hay together without bother, it just seems to be at random moments! I’m so on edge waiting for them to fight one another, is this just me worrying too much over nothing? Is this common? Help appreciated! x pic included of them eating ‘dinner‘ together after their little ‘episode’ 😂
 

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Teeth chattering isn’t ‘common’ as such. How long does it go on for, and does one of them squeak in submission? Given they’ve only been there a week they’re still settling their hierarchy so it could be that. Have a read of the guide linked below.

How big is their cage and do they have more than the shelf thing that came with the cage as a hide?

I know it’s not what you asked about but that is quite a lot of carrot to give them
 
Siikibam said:
Teeth chattering isn’t ‘common’ as such. How long does it go on for, and does one of them squeak in submission? Given they’ve only been there a week they’re still settling their hierarchy so it could be that. Have a read of the guide linked below.

How big is their cage and do they have more than the shelf thing that came with the cage as a hide?

I know it’s not what you asked about but that is quite a lot of carrot to give them
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your response! Haven’t noticed any squeaking, other just chatters their teeth back lol. Their cage is 140x60 but going to get a C&C cage because I know they should have more space. They have 5 hideaways in total, plenty to go around!

Thanks for the heads up about the carrot, I’ve read so many varying suggestions on how much to give them I just wasn’t sure.
 
I wouldn't be too concerned myself. My female guineas used to have arguments sometimes which involved running around and "complaining" squeaks. Occasionally the submissive guinea would spray urine at the dominant one, to tell her to back off! They never hurt each other though. As they got older there were less arguments and no urine spraying. I think your fear that they will launch into a fight is unlikely - I never had a serious fight between my two pigs during 7 years of owning them.

When guineas chatter their teeth I read it as a sign of frustration. I just have one guinea left now and she does it from time to time.
 
Do all the hideys have two exits? A one exit hidey can mean one piggy traps the other inside it and that can cause a point of tension. I would either cut another hole in that plastic shelf part that comes with the cage or remove it altogether and then only keep two exit hideys.
 
:agr: If they're feeling backed into a corner the teeth chattering is a desperate attempt to get some personal space. It is a proper threat though - and it shouldn't be something we expect to hear all the time. I've only ever heard this on initial introductions when everyone is puffing up and trying to look hard. I have a similar cage and took out the moulded shelf because of the single exit. If you have the type where the shelf is in 2 pieces (see pic below) you can just take the front off but in my other cage it was a one-piece so I've replaced it with a board cut to size to fit on top (it's braced with 2 brackets so it can't fall on them) then I drape a small towel over the top (pegged to bars) so it's a bit like a tent. This way they feel covered but can dash out through the wall if threatened. My girls, Zara and Louise, are mature and closely bonded but they each like their own side apart from in the dead of night! If you want to have a go at cutting another hole in the shelf and it goes a bit wrong you can buy the bits separate from the manufacturer x
piggy cage.webp
 
LizzyHoy said:
I wouldn't be too concerned myself. My female guineas used to have arguments sometimes which involved running around and "complaining" squeaks. Occasionally the submissive guinea would spray urine at the dominant one, to tell her to back off! They never hurt each other though. As they got older there were less arguments and no urine spraying. I think your fear that they will launch into a fight is unlikely - I never had a serious fight between my two pigs during 7 years of owning them.

When guineas chatter their teeth I read it as a sign of frustration. I just have one guinea left now and she does it from time to time.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much x
 
Piggies&buns said:
Do all the hideys have two exits? A one exit hidey can mean one piggy traps the other inside it and that can cause a point of tension. I would either cut another hole in that plastic shelf part that comes with the cage or remove it altogether and then only keep two exit hideys.
Click to expand...

All except that one do yes. I never thought of that! Thanks for the advice :)
 
Free Ranger said:
:agr: If they're feeling backed into a corner the teeth chattering is a desperate attempt to get some personal space. It is a proper threat though - and it shouldn't be something we expect to hear all the time. I've only ever heard this on initial introductions when everyone is puffing up and trying to look hard. I have a similar cage and took out the moulded shelf because of the single exit. If you have the type where the shelf is in 2 pieces (see pic below) you can just take the front off but in my other cage it was a one-piece so I've replaced it with a board cut to size to fit on top (it's braced with 2 brackets so it can't fall on them) then I drape a small towel over the top (pegged to bars) so it's a bit like a tent. This way they feel covered but can dash out through the wall if threatened. My girls, Zara and Louise, are mature and closely bonded but they each like their own side apart from in the dead of night! If you want to have a go at cutting another hole in the shelf and it goes a bit wrong you can buy the bits separate from the manufacturer x
View attachment 164594
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for your help! X
 
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