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Why does my guinea pig chatter his teeth at me?

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Marlon The Guinea Pig

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This is my first time posting here but I've had my guinea pig for about 7 months and he is around 9 months olds. I did loads of research before getting a guinea pig and read the guineapiglopaedia over and over. Almost every time I hold my guinea pig he chatters his teeth at me for no apparent reason. I know he is warning me to back off so I put him down but then he just climbs back up my arms or even hurls himself off tables to get back to me (so far I've managed to catch him-he can jump suprisingly far). I'm confused. If he doesn't want me to leave him alone then why does he chatter his teeth at me? He even chatters at me when I'm not petting him and he is just sitting on my chest as well as when I DO pet him. I've noticed that he does chatter his teeth if I listen to music/switch on the tv or even when I or someone else is talking! So I usually try to keep very quiet when I'm holding him. But even when there is NO noise he often starts chattering. I just don't know why he does it. I've tried everything. The towel trick didn't help and he is definitely used to me because I spend up to 3 hours a day with him because he doesn't have another pig to talk to (the breeder I got him from told me he doesn't get along with other males). I feed him lots of different fruit/veg, lots of pellets and hay, take him outside for ages so he can eat grass and get exercise and he has a big cage. I don't see what I'm doing wrong! What can I do to make him stop chattering at me? I love him so much and it makes me really sad when he chatters at me. Has anyone else experienced this with a guinea pig?
 
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My pig does this when I don't give her the veggies straight away! People on this forum told me it's just because she is a moody pig haha! I don't think your doing anything wrong so don't worry! Maybe your pig is just naturally a moody pig like mine. You said he climbs straight back onto you which shows he trusts you and loves you! I don't think you've got anything to worry about, you sound as though your doing everything right!
 
Two of my girls I've had for three years and they still teeth chatter at me sometimes and they'll nudge me or kick me away if i tickle them somewhere they dont want to be tickled. They're always tellingme off :)) so i wouldnt worry too much about him chattering.
I would try and find him a friend though, sadly breeders and petshops don't know what they're talking about a lot of the time, guinea pigs need friends of their own kind. You should try taking him boar dating at a rescue this way he can pick his own friend and trust me they're a LOT happier when they have piggy friends. I'm no boar expert though so hopefully someone with more experience can offer you some more advice.
 
Hi, my piggies tend to do this when they wamt veggies. I jokingly say that they are "sharpening thier teeth" ready to eat

K
 
both my boys and crystal have been know to chatter their teeth at me, but I dont tend to take any notice of them as they can be grumpy when the mood takes them. The worst one is lupin when I spot clean the pen, I thought he was chattering at me, but I realised its actually the brush he doesnt like so I have left it still for him to sniff and see it as no real threat, he has calmed a little bit down but he still will chatter his teeth from the safety of a hide :))
 
Awww lol! He just sounds like a bit of a grump bless him, I wouldnt worry.

As previously said, he clearly loves and trusts you to jump back into your arms :(|)
 
one of our pigs will chatter at us if we give the others hay/veggies/pellets first and hes last! he gets very grumpy if not first in line :))
 
He sees you as another piggy so he's just chattering at you like he would have a friendly bicker with one of his own kind!

He obviously adores you so you've done all the right things.

He would benefit from a friend though. Although pet shops and breeders often say males are better kept alone, really they should be kept with one of their own kind and watching them interact is so interesting not to mention hilarious at times!

Try speaking to your local rescue who can help him pick a friend he's comfortable with by a process called boar dating or you could consider getting him neutered and finding him a wifeypig!

I would advocate getting to know your local rescue though as they can give you advice and support as well as giving a piggy a well deserved new start! Here's a link to some very reliable, trusted rescues, there hopefully is one in your area. If not sometimes people can help 'piggy train' your new piggy to you.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=209994852075231951564.0004b8fd9391b4257d8eb&msa=0
 
Our girls will teeth chatter when on our laps and they need a wee. It's just a way of telling us that they want to go home to do their business.
 
I think maybe he is just a bit of a grump, he always tries to climb back onto you so maybe he just dislikes being held and would rather be out being able to roam instead of being held and stroked.

Guinea pigs cant talk so teeth chattering and all the other quirky noises and body language that they use are their only ways of telling us that they like/dislike something.

Guinea pig rescues can help you to get him a friend, they will match up the right piggies for you. I have 2 boars, one was meant to have been unable to live with another male but they both live together and seemingly enjoy each others company :))
 
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