Coughing/choaking

[kerry]

I rescued two 2 year old guinea pigs from a lady about 7 months ago. I immediately took them to my vet for a once over and she was happy that they were healthy and gave them a clean bill of health.

However recently one of the girls keeps coughing/sneezing/choaking. I cannot define what the noise is specifically because its over so quickly and I hardly see her do it. She sounds like she coughs once, although it could be a sneeze or she could be choaking. The noise only happens maybe once a week, usually when there are veggies around.

She does not have any snot around her nose or dribble. Her eyes are clear and shiny. Her breathing is completely normal and does not make a noise so I'm certain its not a chest infection. She is happy and active and eats everything and anything, her poos are a little runnier than the others but as suggested ive cut down on the veg she gets.

Could it just be a cough without any health problems? None of my other pigs have ever done this
..

 

[Wiebke]

Is she doing while eating or soon after meal? In that case, it is just greediness when stuffing herself.

 

[kerry]

Is she doing while eating or soon after meal? In that case, it is just greediness when stuffing herself.

Always when I put the veg in the hutch. I hope it is just that, any way I could stop her from eating so fast?

Its not like she has any competition for food, she lives with her sister and there is plenty of food between them. I always spred the veg around the hutch so they have to move for it and the pig in question grabs a bit of veg and runs off with it. Silly thing

 

[Wiebke]

Always when I put the veg in the hutch. I hope it is just that, any way I could stop her from eating so fast?

Its not like she has any competition for food, she lives with her sister and there is plenty of food between them. I always spred the veg around the hutch so they have to move for it and the pig in question grabs a bit of veg and runs off with it. Silly thing

It is very difficult to change her eating behaviour; hopefully she will start to eat more slowly over time when the knowledge that she is safe and secure and has no longer to make a dash to get enough to eat. Perhaps, fedding less but more often may help?

 

[kerry]

It is very difficult to change her eating behaviour; hopefully she will start to eat more slowly over time when the knowledge that she is safe and secure and has no longer to make a dash to get enough to eat. Perhaps, fedding less but more often may help?

I will try that. At the moment I fill the food bowl before work in the morning and then when I get home I sit with them and hand feed them veg and top up the food bowl.

Ill try half the veg in the morning and half when I get home