Guinea Pig 'losing Her Voice'?

[LizzyHoy]

Hello all,

I have recently noticed that when my guinea pig Denise does her food wheek she has a couple of goes first which come out as an air sound before she finds her voice and does the usual noise. It's a little bit as though she loses her voice for a moment.

She doesn't seem troubled by it and I haven't noticed any signs of illness, I'm just interested in whether anyone else has heard this from their guinea pigs? She's about 4 years old.

Interested to hear your experiences!

 

[Wiebke]

It is not at all uncommon for older piggies to lose their big wheek. I 've had several who this has happened to, most noticeably my Taffy.

 

[LizzyHoy]

Aw, that's cute. I haven't come across it before. Do you think they realise they aren't making the sound they are aiming for?

 

[Wiebke]

Aw, that's cute. I haven't come across it before. Do you think they realise they aren't making the sound they are aiming for?

They notice, but it has never stopped Taffy from wheeking for her food, even if it was just a hoarse whisper!

 

[Freela]

Several of my pigs got hoarse as they got older. I know for sure that Sundae lost the upper register of her 'wheek' in old age. She would still wheek for food and her ears would still wiggle, but it was more of a wheeze than a wheek!

 

[Claire W]

My Erika started losing her wheek at a young age. Emma who's now at the very leat 5 years old is starting to lose her wheek