Teeth Clicking

[Chibigirl]

Recently Beaker has been making a noise that sounds like she's clicking her teeth together. I was wondering if this is normal or if she's grinding her teeth or something. She has plenty to chew on, a pumice stone, a lava ledge, and two kabobs filled with lava stones and wood chews. Not to mention all the chewing she does on her hay, wooden shelves, and wooden house. I'm taking her to the vet on monday for her first check up, just hoping to clear up some weekend worries before then. Any information would be helpful, Thanks!

 

[aashly23]

My girl does a sort of grinding sound with her teeth at times and there are tons of things for her to chew on also. Actually she chews more than my boy does. My boy does not do this and the boy I had before didn't do it either. She doesn't do it all the time just every once in a while. Also some times I make a clicking sound with my tongue and they will make the sound back to me like they are talking to me but I don't think they are doing it with their teeth.

 

[Brittany]

Mine will sometimes grind their teeth when they are mad. One of them also grinds in her sleep on occasion. Do your chins do it randomly? Or is it associated with something in their environment?

 

[Chibigirl]

She's sleeping next to me right now and does it every once in awhile. When she's awake its pretty random, I haven't noticed anything that she does it in response to.

 

[Bethany2386]

One of my boys does it when he is trying to attack me or getting ready to. I think he does it when he's mad. Lol

 

[Chibigirl]

lol She has yet to really be mean to me. The only time she ever barked at me was when I first got her home and was having problems getting her house into her cage. She was pretty angry that she didn't have a hiding spot to get away from me. Now when she's angry at me she'll just slap my hand away from her, its actually pretty funny. The last time she clicked at me was after a random romp around her cage, then she jumped up to the ledge at my eye level and clicked.

 

[mishellyshel]

one of my boys does that "chatter" with his teeth. my other boy has malo and in the beginning before we got meds he would grind in pain. the "chatter" is definitely different than the "grinding" sound.

 

[Chibigirl]

How can you tell the difference between the chatter and the grinding? Is the grinding something they do constantly? If it is then I doubt she is grinding. I really hope she doesn't have malo

 

[Brittany]

Anytime one of my chins changes their behavior slightly I always freak out and think there is something wrong. I had owned my first for almost 2 months before I saw him laying on his side. I thought for sure he was dying and rushed him to the emergency vet. I swear they're trying to give me grey hair sometimes =) If you're really worried about malo try checking her teeth.

If she's eating, pooping, and acting normally and doesn't appear to be in any emergency situation then try to just enjoy the next 48 hours and wait to see what the vet says. With that being said you know your chin better then anyone, if she seems distressed or sick and you don't think it can wait until Monday then use your best judgement about taking her to an emergency clinic. Goodluck!

 

[Brittney]

My boys do that when they are grumpy with either me or the other one. It actually hurts my ears when they do that. Sounds like nails on a chalk board. Ugh, makes me shudder just thinking about it.

 

[Chibigirl]

She eating and playing and being her normal self so she's probably fine. It seems the longer I have her the more talkative she is getting so she's probably just fine. I'll let you know what the vet says Thanks for the info.

 

[Chibigirl]

She's now pawing at her mouth constantly and rubbing it along anything she can find. The clicking noise has gotten more frequent, she does it almost every 3 minutes. I looked at her front teeth and they look normal but the way she's scratching her bottom jaw i'm worried it's the roots. I felt along her jaw and didn't feel big bumps but there were some there. All the vets here are closed on sunday and so far I haven't found anywhere I can go that's open today. It worries me that researching this topic has told me that nothing can really be done for genetic malo and most of the recommendations is that the chin be put to sleep . Does anyone else's chin paw their face? She's eating the same way she ate since I brought her home. She leaves little stubs of the pellets behind in her food dish, I've never seen her finish her food. She doesn't have any of the symptoms like drool, wet fur, and loosing fur around her mouth. Isn't six months young for malo to show?

 

[Stackie]

Pawing at the mouth constantly means there is something going on- whether it be tooth spurs, malo, something stuck in her teeth, or a cut in the mouth among other things. She'll need to be examined by a vet, so first thing tomorrow get her an appointment and take her in to see what's going on. Keep a close eye on her eating..if she stops, you'll have to step in and start feeding her Critical Care.

 

[Chibigirl]

She's been eating, I just saw her take some pellets. I'll plan to spend my day around her cage today until I can get her seen. I've called three emergency hospitals and none of them will see chins, I'm still trying.

 

[Stackie]

Do you have a regular vet that you go to? She doesn't necessarily need an emergency vet now so long as she is still eating. Like I said, if you have a vet that sees chins, call them tomorrow and make an appointment to get her checked out.

 

[Chibigirl]

She has a vet that I'm bringing her to tomorrow, unfortunately tomorrow is a walk in day from 4pm-7pm so I'll be there with her at 4 tomorrow. Hopefully it is something minor.

 

[Chibigirl]

Hi, people wanted me to give an update on Beaker after her vet visit. Her temperature and breathing are normal. The doctor looked at her front teeth and molars and said nothing looks over grown but her gums look a little sore and he says it looks like she bit down on her gums a little. Since she's eating he says I shouldn't worry and it should fix itself. To check up on her he wants to see her in a month to weigh her again and make sure she's not loosing weight. As of right now she weights 1.2lbs. Overall they said she looks like a beautiful and healthy little chin. The only thing now is that her face got wet from having her mouth examined and she's not very happy with me for taking her to be poked and prodded hehe.

 

[Brittany]

Glad she's doing well except for the gums. Hope they clear up soon!

 

[Chibigirl]

Thanks

 

[Stackie]

I would have requested x-rays. A full tooth examine can't be achieved without them. If she continues to exhibit symptoms, I would request them.