Baby goats have a wide range of strange behaviors. While most of them are natural and harmless, there are some that you should try to prevent or discourage. That is the case for teeth grinding. Sometimes, it might be hard to tell if your baby goat is grinding their teeth or just chewing on some food.
You should try to get close enough so you can either see if there is anything in their mouth, or possibly hear the sound of teeth grinding against each other. You should also look for other changes in behavior that might signal that your goat is uncomfortable. In order to fix the problem. It is important to know why baby goats grind their teeth in the first place.
Why do Baby Goats Grind Their Teeth
Baby goats grind their teeth for 6 main reasons: overfeeding, pain, lack of sleep, parasites, boredom, and anxiety.
Overfeeding
One of the main causes of baby goat teeth grinding is overeating. Baby goats have small stomachs, so it is easy for them to eat too much at one time, especially if they are excited. This usually happens when you let a baby goat eat unattended and they eat as much as they want. This can cause bloating in your baby goat, which in turn can cause vomiting or diarrhea. This can onset a variety of symptoms, including twitch as well as grinding their teeth.
Pain
Another main reason baby goats grind their teeth is because they are in serious pain. This could be from a cut, bruise contusion, or even a disease in their foot. The baby goat will grind their teeth as a way to cope with the pain. If you think pain is causing your baby goat to grind their teeth, you should look for other changes in behavior such as whining or difficulty moving.Â
Lack of sleep
Your baby goat might also start grinding their teeth if they haven’t gotten enough sleep. It’s very important that you provide your baby goat with an environment that is comfortable for them to sleep and rest. You can learn more in my article on why do baby goats sleep a lot?
Parasites
Internal or external parasites can also cause a baby goat to grind their teeth. The itching and pain caused by parasites can be unbearable for a baby goat. Baby goats are also more susceptible to parasites than over goats. You should frequently check the stool of baby goats to make sure there are no parasites present. If you find a baby goat that has parasites, you should separate them from the rest of the pack immediately.
Boredom
Just like humans, baby goats are susceptible to boredom. Similar to how humans have random ticks and behaviors we do unknowingly when we are bored, a bored goat will also grind their teeth. There is a chance that the goat doesn’t even realize they are grinding their teeth. You should try to stimulate the baby goat as much as possible in order to avoid boredom.
Anxiety
Lastly, a baby goat that is struggling with anxiety will also grind their teeth. This could be a result of getting rejected from their mother, or from being ostracized from the rest of the goat kids. They could also be anxious of another animal that is present. You should do everything you can to help a baby goat acclimate itself into the trip of goats.
