Can teeth chattering be a good thing?

[AwesomeAsterix]

My piggy, Asterix, sadly lost his brother/best friend, Rusty, in January. It really took a toll on both of us, honestly. They were both 1 and a half in at the time.

So, slowly but surely, I've been trying to get back into regularly being out with Asterix and giving him someone to be around.

This evening, I came to his little house and called his name, he came running out and stood up so he could look over the base of the cage. I crouched down and talked to him a bit, with him sniffing and leaning in closer to me.

I took this as a really good sign, and tried to see how he'd react to me making the low squeaks he and Rusty used to share as they talked to each other across the cage. He responded with a sort of chitter/teeth chatter and I've always heard that's the sign of an grumpy guinea pig or something along those lines.

However, he'd always generally make that noise anyway, when he's sat in his little house later on at night and when he used to relax with Rusty (which was a happy friendship with barely any problems).

I don't see how I could have annoyed him, as he was the one who came into my space and even when's i made the noise, he would carry on being inquisitive and curious in what I was doing.

Do you think the noise is a good thing or a bad thing, then?

 

[Pearl and Zip]

R.I.P. Rusty

Don’t know. Teeth chattering is not always because they are grumpy or impatient. It could be to wear down his teeth.

Or maybe you said something upsetting in guinea pig language.

I really have no idea.

 

[DM030819]

@AwesomeAsterix Teeth chattering is a sign that they're being grumpy but I don't always take it as a bad sign.

I sometimes view it as a positive sign, in that they're more comfortable around me and so will express their opinions/feelings.

For example, my Podrick has always been a scaredy pig. He always ran away and hid when I was around. I could hear him rumbling when I wasn't there but he was silent whenever I appeared. Now he's 4 and definitely come out of his shell. He'll potter around and he chatters his teeth at me when I'm too slow at bringing their veg or if he wants a treat and I'm not being a good slave and giving him one.

My outgoing pig, Jon Snow, chatters loads when I'm around. He's so opinionated, the little monster. He was doing it to the vet when we went last week and she thought it was funny and said he was telling her off (she's a really experienced piggy vet so she knows when it's a bad sign)

 

[AwesomeAsterix]

@AwesomeAsterix Teeth chattering is a sign that they're being grumpy but I don't always take it as a bad sign.

I sometimes view it as a positive sign, in that they're more comfortable around me and so will express their opinions/feelings.

For example, my Podrick has always been a scaredy pig. He always ran away and hid when I was around. I could hear him rumbling when I wasn't there but he was silent whenever I appeared. Now he's 4 and definitely come out of his shell. He'll potter around and he chatters his teeth at me when I'm too slow at bringing their veg or if he wants a treat and I'm not being a good slave and giving him one.

My outgoing pig, Jon Snow, chatters loads when I'm around. He's so opinionated, the little monster. He was doing it to the vet when we went last week and she thought it was funny and said he was telling her off (she's a really experienced piggy vet so she knows when it's a bad sign)

Aw, thanks for replying! Both Jon Snow and Podrick sound like cute lil piggies!

I'll just have to see if Asterix has anything more to say!

 

[AwesomeAsterix]

R.I.P. Rusty

Don’t know. Teeth chattering is not always because they are grumpy or impatient. It could be to wear down his teeth.

Or maybe you said something upsetting in guinea pig language.

I really have no idea.

Oh, I really hope not! Haha, I guess I'll have to see if he says it again, taking notice of what I was doing. Maybe he's just wanted to be vocal?

 

[Dindypig]

I agree that teeth chattering isn't always a bad sign. there are subtle differenses in the sound depending on the guineas mood.

 

[Emmamarie123]

My piggies teeth chatter if I take to long to get the veggies ready lol

 

[Dindypig]

My piggies teeth chatter if I take to long to get the veggies ready lol

That is the sound of teeth sharpening. A scissor sound sksksksksksksksks rather that angry teeth chattering chchchchchchchch. Watch out for the other subtley different one when they are on your lap.

 

[Little Piglets]

If it does it constantly, every time, then something might be irritating him.

I had a female as a kid (like 30 years ago FWIRW) that constantly chattered (didn't know what it meant back then, so I'd mimic back by chattering my teeth, probably confusing the poor thing into a frenzy) and the body language + chattering suggested it definitely had an issue with me.

My recent little black boar male, was getting lap time several times a day while trying to get it used to me and it being petted. If he skipped the short "purr" sound (like say you pet a certain region of upper back) and went straight to lower jaw slacking away, it was a definite "stop" petting there.

I've experimented with my boar a little, and discovered certain higher-frequency sounds like some whistles, chirps, etc. (by me) cause him to instantly "purr", so he clearly didn't like it, and I played a whistling pig video that seemingly upset him to the point he straight-up peed on me (only time thus far) and was kinda introverted for the next 30 hours, however I can mimic "wheeking" fairly spot-on with a short whistling through the teeth (I did it in a pet store once w/o thinking and an employee came running thinking the guinea pigs were in distress ) which can get him wheeking instead despite other sounds causing irritation. Clanking a fork in the sink, or say a TV show/movie where they keep making a certain sound effect, I've heard him "purr" at that too. While not 100% certain, I *think* a purr is a lesser warning than slacking the teeth away.

It's possible he might have had an issue with the sound you were making. If it were me, I'd pay attention to see if he does it routinely when you make your sound effect. I have heard mine "purr" 10' away, instantly after hearing the TV sound effect, which then went on 2 more times i.e. the purr kept happening immediately after the TV sound. Just observe