Should I be concerned about teeth grinding?

[april]

Hi, my youngest Degu is grinding her teeth and I'm just wondering what that signiifies? She's about 5 months old and otherwise she's fit and active! She has plenty of wooden chews etc. to wear her teeth down.Thanks!! ;D

[Sunshinemeg]

is she grinding her teeth and making a chattering noise? if so, its a sign that something has made her cross. Chattering teeth is a warning. So if you or another degu is doing something that is causing a degu to chatter its teeth, its best to stop, and let them calm down!

[april]

Thanks Meg,can always rely on your advice.Promise I haven't done anything that I'm aware of to annoy her, I've only noticed it when I have been sitting down reading etc. and all of a sudden I hear her- I have heard her make that chattering noise too. Think they may be disagreeing about who owns what,i.e toys/nuts. 95% of the time they are very happy with each other thankfully!

[rie73]

I have noticed too that my degus grind there teeth - it is usually when I am talking to them (it sounds like they are responding back). Who knows!!!!!!

[Sunshinemeg]

It can be a really simple thing that is making them chatter. Marmalade would chatter if he was out of his cage and I stopped him going too near the edge of the sofa or something. If I stopped him going where HE wanted to, then he would get cross!

And for some unknown reason, whenever I have Gromit out for a cuddle (I get them out singuarly for easiness!) he will walk right over to andy, chatter at him, then walk away. Andy hasnt done anything to him, he just doesnt seem to like him for some reason!

[Sunshinemeg]

It could also be that she thinks you arent giving her enough attention, and is chattering at you for daring to do something other than devote all of your time to her!!!

[diet otaku]

yesterday i had rumble and frenzy out on my shoulder and rumble was being SO GOOD, i was just showering him with attention. he was letting me pet him, scritch under his chin, etc. when i got frenzy out and was trying to keep him under control, rumble started to chatter at me. XD so i had to give frenzy to greg and pay more attention to rumble!

[Aimeelou]

I call the the teeth grinding "grumbling" now! My lot tend to do it when one is fast asleep and another wants to cuddle!
Funny enough, my girls dont seem to like Aaron looking at them, even if hes just giving them their food! Funny little sods!

[deguqueen]

I actually have this problem with my degus as well. I know the difference between chattering their teeth and what I think to be grinding.
My degus rarely chatter their teeth, just when they get over excited but ALL THE TIME, they are grinding their teeth and I wonder why as well. Is it a bad thing? Are their teeth hurting them or is it just something that Degus do?

[diet otaku]

could it be they aren't finding enough interesting things to chew on to wear their teeth down? my degus will often get bored with a new chew-toy and ignore it completely, and then walk around chewing things they aren't supposed to to wear their teeth down.

[deguqueen]

Yeah I buy them blocks and wood chews and they don't chew anything. They just put it all in their sand box. I never see them chewing on anything.

[jsandland]

Gimly will also grind his little orange teeth when he is sleeping on me, he loves kisses and to be pet, when I stop or digby comes out on me too then he will chatter, he is a little ham, where digby is a little grump but he is such a loyal little degu, he loves his mom.

[jsandland]

I think that atleast with my degus that they just like to chew on things, i have several diff. wood toys in their cage but the second they see something new, they want to chew it. i think that digby has almost chewed off all of the tags on the back of my shirts.