Teeth Grinding And Cage Chewing

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Olivia96

Olivia96

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Hi! I have a female pig who is about 9 months old. I have had her for 6 and she's pretty comfortable with me now, she purrs when I take her out and occasionally I'll catch her sleeping with her eyes closed :). But I've noticed over the past couple of months that she grinds her teeth and chews on her cage a lot and I'm not sure why. I thought maybe she was annoyed with me or something, because she especially does it whenever she hears a bag rustling and thinks she's about to get fed. I have seen a few things about teeth grinding being a signal of a health problem though, so now I'm kind of worried. Is there any way to really tell? She has pellets available at all times and I give her hay in the mornings, and she also has a chew toy hanging from her cage and a tunnel that she chews on. I guess I'm really just wondering if this is normal behavior or if I should be worried?!
 
Firstly :wel:

Some piggies do this to get your attention so you'll feed them!
I'm sure more of our members will comment when they wake up. My piggies weren't in cages so never had this happen.
We'd love to see pigtures of your little one and know their name :love:

Glynis x
 
Hi!

Panda is gorgeous! Is she your only piggy? Teeth grinding/low chattering and cage gnawing when waiting for food can be gestures of impatience when waiting for food. Especially single piggies are more prone to them.

As your piggy is still pretty young and these issues are strictly tied in with the feeding ritual, I doubt that you need to worry about tooth problems. However, if you are worried and would like confirmation, please see a vet and have especially the pre-molars checked, as they are the ones that tend to overgrow and form spurs. Have a look: Are her front teeth slanted or uneven? This is usually a sign that something at the back is not right. Please be aware that front teeth, especially the bottom ones always look too long for newbies and vets that have no experience with guinea pig dentals; if they are even with an even edge, they do not need any treatment, as they are self-sharpening.

Please weigh her weekly as part of her regular health regime.A slow, but steady weight loss can be the first sign of dental problems.

A good diet with plenty of hay (up to 80% of the daily food intake) is the best way of keeping the crucial back teeth ground down and the guts operating perfectly.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
 
As of right now yes, she is a single pig :( I am hoping to get her a friend here in the next couple of months though.
I have looked at her front teeth and they are pretty even, definitely not overgrown. I will start weighing her regularly though to be sure. Thank you!
 
My galaxy does this but usually only when I'm facing him, it's like he's trying to say something to me lol
 
We have a piggy that grinds her teeth to say "put me down. I want a wee", another that says "now you've got me, where's my treat?" and a few of them make more of a scissor noise than a grinding noise, they are sharpening their teeth as I approach them with their veggies.
 
Isn't funny how they have their own personalities? Haha. I think she mostly chews on the cage to say "hey, I heard you rustle that bag and I'm not gonna stop until I get some food". I've also noticed that sometimes she likes to rest under her bed instead of in it. She does some funny things image.webp
 
I have a mixture of bar chewers, teeth chompers and water bottle rattlers - they only do that when I arrive in the piggie room with veg and the message to me is 'Get on with it!' The boys who are 'between' cage mates and so single at the moment are defo worse for these habits. Hope you can find her a friend - she is lovely btw
 
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