What does it mean if a guinea pig chatters its teeth?

Answer 1

Rabbits chatter or grind their teeth for two different reasons. The two different sorts of tooth grinding look and sound very different from each other, although it might take some experience to recognize the differences.

One Reason: Rabbits grind their teeth because they like what you are doing, and they are very comfortable and pleased e.g. when you're stroking it, giving it a head massage etc. This sort of grinding sounds like a purr - the teeth are lightly and quickly chattering in a rhythmic fashion.

Another Reason: Rabbits also grind their teeth because they're in pain or extremely uncomfortable. This sort of chattering is more like a crunching or grinding than chattering; it's louder than the purring sound, and it's not rhythmic. If your rabbit's in this much pain, something is seriously wrong and it needs help from the vet immediately.

If you're not sure which sort of tooth grinding your rabbit is doing, look at other body language:

A rabbit in pain has, for example, glassy eyes, a hunched or unusual posture, depression (hiding, not moving or else greatly reduced activity levels, not responding to a chipper "hello" or a favourite treat), and/or GI stasis (no pooping or eating) and dehydration.

A happy rabbit recently was, and is soon again, hopping around, munching hay, using the litter box, interacting with its environment (playing, exploring, smelling, scratching), and interacting with you (responding to your voice, making eye contact, moving its ears around) -- unless, of course, it's the rabbit's bedtime (usually middle of day, and on and off overnight), in which case the rabbit looks comfortable.

Answer 2

A "buzzing" sound in a rabbit probably means the rabbit is content -- usually, this sound will be made when you're petting the rabbit. This noise is made by the rabbit gently chattering its teeth. Some people call this behaviour "tooth-purring" because it sounds somewhat similar to a cat's purring and is made for the same reasons (happiness).

Rabbits scream, grunt, growl, and buzz at times. They are expressing their pain, fear, discomfort, or pleasure just as a cat may hiss or purr depending on how it feels. There may be many reasons for the buzzing sound, like grinding of teeth if it is nervous or in distress, or it could be purring because it is happy to be petted. Humans sometimes have difficulty understanding the sounds until they become very familiar with their pet, but such sounds should not be ignored so the owner can look for the problem if the rabbit is in distress.

Different rabbits "vocalize" in different ways. Some rabbits are very vocal and make noises all the time; other rabbits are very quiet and hardly ever vocalize at all. The key to understanding what your rabbit is doing (and why!) is to read about general rabbit behaviours, and spend many hours observing your individual rabbit. See the link below for more information about rabbit communication.

Answer 3

Although "chomp" is not the word normally used, this question may be asking about the gentle rhythmic tooth grinding (or tooth "purring" as some people call it) that rabbits do when they're happy and content, like when they're being petted and cuddled by a human friend, or groomed and licked by a rabbit friend. This kind of tooth grinding is different from the tooth grinding rabbits do when they're in pain: that sort of tooth grinding is usually non-rhythmic (irregular), louder than tooth "purring," and crunchy or gritty sounding -- it's also usually accompanied by other signs of pain (such as a hunched up body posture, hiding, and/or glassy eyes).

Answer 4

If your rabbit chews when it hasn't eaten food, then it's probably eating a cecotrope. Rabbits make two kinds of droppings: feces, and cecotropes. They usually eat their cecotropes right from their anus. Cecotrophy (eating cecotropes) is a form of reingestion, kind of like cows chewing the cud.

If it's not cecotrophy, the appearance of chewing could be a sign of mouth irritation and dental problems. Keep an eye on your rabbit and look for other signs of ill-health. If you think your rabbit might be sick, bring it to a vet with experience and knowledge in treating rabbits. See the related links below for more information.

Answer 5

it means the pig is either giving a warning to you (the care taker) or to another pig or animal that made it mad

Answer 6

dont worry your rabbit is not in pain or mad at you when your rabbit makes a buzzing sound it is when its happy or at peace, the buzzing sound is like a purr because it sounds like a cat purr.