Goats are one of the most expressive animals. It is often said that goats have the intelligence of a three-year-old. These beautiful animals use their intelligence in very creative ways, and therefore they are very good at making their caretakers understand how they feel about something.
That’s why one should pay attention to slight changes in their behavior as that might be their way of informing you about something. One very prominent manner by which goats tend to communicate with their owners is by grinding their teeth. Goats can convey many things to other goats by grinding their teeth, and they apply the same logic to humans. This article will help you what your goat might be trying to tell you by grinding its teeth. Following are some everyday things goats convey through teeth grinding.
Why do goats grind their teeth?
The main reason baby goats grind their teeth is to express pain, pre-labor, and boredom.
1. Expressing pain
Some pain types are easy to detect, such as pain caused by cuts or open wounds. Other kinds of pain are harder to detect, such as internal pain. Fortunately, due to goats’ expressive nature, it can be really easy for a goat lover to see whether their goat is in pain or not. Goats generally express their state of pain by grinding their teeth. They also show other signs like listlessness, keeping their head lower, and showing signs of irritability. A goat grinding their teeth might be one of the biggest signals that your goat is in pain.
You should immediately check for any visible cuts or injury marks whenever you notice your goat grinding its teeth. If you don’t find any such marks, then it’s almost certain that the pain your goat is experiencing is due to some internal condition. It can be anything from parasitic infections and kidney stones to internal bleeding and normal headache. You should immediately give your veterinarian a call if you fail to determine the cause of the pain.
2. Pre-Labor.
It is said that God made a portion of heaven just for mothers in order to pay them back for the pain they went through during their labor. Labour is not an easy thing, no matter if you are a human or a goat. In addition to that, pre-labor can also hurt a lot. Goats express the fact that they are undergoing labor contractions and the pain that comes with it through the grinding of teeth as well. Your goat may grind her teeth for days before giving birth as her body will be undergoing many changes. Goats also tend to show that they are in labor through other means, such as throwing their head back and opening their eyes wide open as they go through a labor contraction. They also tend to paw the ground and rearrange their bedding.
3. Other minor reasons.
Mostly goats grind their teeth while chewing the cud as it helps the process of digestion. Some goats also do this just out of boredom and to gain human attention, while others may develop a bad habit of grinding their teeth without any reason at all. A goat that is bored might also grind their teeth to get your attention. This is also one of the main reasons why goats headbutt people.
Why do baby goats grind their teeth?
Baby goats grind their teeth for very similar reasons. Baby goats also require a lot of attentive care from the second they are born. This is a very vital time in their life, as the mother must provide the proper nutrients and protection to help the goat develop properly.
Baby goats will therefore grind their teeth when they are in need of their mother’s milk, or if they feel threatened by something. They might also grind their teeth to communicate with their siblings or with other goats.
