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Hello I am new to owning guinea pigs so I need some advice;

Today I kept hearing my new baby piggy Raven sneeze and he'd use his little paw to run over his nose, I know they can get sick obviously and I have checked for any signs of a runny nose but him being black and tanned it's really difficult and I only got him yesterday so he is just getting used to being around me and being handled by me.
Is there anything to worry about?

I was thinking it could be the bedding... I heard that woodshavings could cause problems in Guinea Pigs and that's what I was given to use, I am going to change the bedding tomorrow just in case
 
I would keep a close eye on him. You can tell when their nose is really runny because it will get crusty around the nose and bits of hay will stick to it. If its a uri generally their eyes get crusty as well. When I used shaving and carefresh my piggies would sneeze a lot as well so it may be just from that. If he is being active and running away from you that is a good sign he is feeling good :)
 
Hey, yes he is running away from me when I come to get him just like my other does and this morning was sort of skipping around his cage happily.

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate now I know what to keep on the lookout for:)
 
Hi there, where did you get him from and does he have any company? I'm thinking that its a possibility he does have an infection ( if he was from a pet shop or breeder with other guineapigs he might have recently been exposed to infection) so youd need to keep an eye out for that - sneezing could just be down to the bedding though - best to change it today to something else ( lots of good suggestions on these forums as to what is best but for now you can use a layer of newspaper wiht fresh hay on top and change it every day until you get something absorbant. Check the hay you have is dust free as well. Just make sure he is eating and drinking well as guineapigs can disguise illness very well and go down quickly - if he starts to look at all "puffed up" or lethargic or stops eating then get him to a vet asap. As you are new to piggies id start looking for a good cavy savvy vet nearby anyway ( not all vets are good with guineapigs - you need to find an exotics vet or check the reccomended vet thread here on the forums) get the number ready near your phone so its always there if you ever need it. ;)
 
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