Hooting..

[Jane000]

Hello, so I have a year old guinea pig male, who for a few months now has sometimes been making a hooting sound at night/morning which only lasts a couple minutes, which is then followed by a sneeze which resolves the sound. His cage is in my room so I'm always with him, and know what he's like, and he never makes this sound any other time.
I've done some research on hooting and obviously I'm worried now. But he's otherwise very healthy, has a stable and consistent weight and no other symptoms. He's a popcorny, happy pig.
I really don't want to think about heart problems. Is it possible that it could be something else ? For example my house is quite damp and beginning to get more mouldy, therefore we're moving house pretty soon. Or could it be an allergy? I've recently started using fleece, and that's when I started to hear this noise. I know that seem bizarre as fleece is suppose to be the safest. But could it be the things that I'm washing the fleece with? I use non-bio, non scented products. I may try something else, or another brand.
I'd really like to hear what you all think,

Thank you

 

[Swissgreys]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

Obviously it is hard to say without hearing the noise, but it does sound like it could be related to the damp conditions - it sounds awful (for you and your piggy) and it's good to hear you are able to move somewhere better soon. You clearly know your piggy well and are doing everything right with him (weighing etc).
I really doubt it could be the fleece, unless of course it is damp all the time because of the surrounding environment?
What bedding was he on before?
You could always try switching back to the old bedding until you move, or washing your fleece without any detergent and adding a little white vinegar for rinsing.
To be honest though I doubt the fleece is the problem, and it is more likely yo be the environment, so hopefully it will clear up when you move.

 

[Jane000]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

Obviously it is hard to say without hearing the noise, but it does sound like it could be related to the damp conditions - it sounds awful (for you and your piggy) and it's good to hear you are able to move somewhere better soon. You clearly know your piggy well and are doing everything right with him (weighing etc).
I really doubt it could be the fleece, unless of course it is damp all the time because of the surrounding environment?
What bedding was he on before?
You could always try switching back to the old bedding until you move, or washing your fleece without any detergent and adding a little white vinegar for rinsing.
To be honest though I doubt the fleece is the problem, and it is more likely yo be the environment, so hopefully it will clear up when you move.

Thank you !
I was using carefresh bedding for a while which was quite expensive thus why I switched to fleece but I didn't have problems on it, so I may try and switch to carefresh again to see if it improves. Before that I use to use shavings, where he was always sneezing and just didn't react with it well at all.

 

[Deleted member 114675]

I can't see how it could be the fleece either. It is more likely your guinea has picked up an infection. Could you get him checked by a vet to see if he needs antibiotics?

 

[Claire W]

My Edward hoots when he is irritated by dust. He was however checked over by my vet before that conclusion was made.

I suggest a vet visit just to rule out an infection or any other nasties

 

[gizzy]

Any sort of breathing problems /noises , even without any other symptoms could be a warning that somthing is very wrong with your pig ,
If it were my pig l would take him /her to a vet as soon as possible, as even the mildest respiratory problems can escalate into somthing that could make your pig very pooly, very quickly! ,!!

 

[Reenie]

I agree that a vet visit is in order, but I also wonder if the damp is the issue, and perhaps the carefresh was absorbing some of the moisture out of the air around him which is why the problem has only arisen since you changed to fleece?

 

[VickiA]

Please would you have your piggy seen by a vet. Hooting (even occasional) can be the sign of respiratory infection or other illness. One of my piggies hooted and it was an indicator of heart trouble. Please let a vet check him over.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, so I have a year old guinea pig male, who for a few months now has sometimes been making a hooting sound at night/morning which only lasts a couple minutes, which is then followed by a sneeze which resolves the sound. His cage is in my room so I'm always with him, and know what he's like, and he never makes this sound any other time.
I've done some research on hooting and obviously I'm worried now. But he's otherwise very healthy, has a stable and consistent weight and no other symptoms. He's a popcorny, happy pig.
I really don't want to think about heart problems. Is it possible that it could be something else ? For example my house is quite damp and beginning to get more mouldy, therefore we're moving house pretty soon. Or could it be an allergy? I've recently started using fleece, and that's when I started to hear this noise. I know that seem bizarre as fleece is suppose to be the safest. But could it be the things that I'm washing the fleece with? I use non-bio, non scented products. I may try something else, or another brand.
I'd really like to hear what you all think,

Thank you

Please have your piggy checked by a vet, but in your case, I would expect more an allergy or sensitivity of some sort than a respiratory illness although your vet may want to treat for one to make sure that there isn't an issue there firstly. Allergies/sensitivities are usually diagnosed by default.
As your boy is not displaying any of the other signs of heart disease whatsoever, I would not unduly worry about this angle. Hooting as a symptom for heart disease has unfortunately made it into the online "syllabus", but hooting has generally more to do with a slightly blocked nose that is cleared with a sneeze. In combination with damp conditions, I would rather look whether there is a connection there and discuss it with your vet.

As your boy is hooting repeatedly and it is not just a one-off, it is worth having him checked out by a good vet to make sure that none of the nastier angles applies.

 

[Jane000]

Thank you all for your replies!
I really appreciate it, and when I move house within this month, and if things don't change with the environment, I will get to a vet.

If I may ask, what other symptoms are present with a heart condition? To look out for just in case x

 

[gizzy]

• Apparently little research has been done on guinea pigs with heart problems, but here
• Is some symptoms listed in guinea lynx pages
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• Labored breathing
• Cough or wheezing
• May produce a "hooting" sound
• Chronic upper respiratory infections (URIs)
• Fluid in the lungs
• Reduced activity, lethargy
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Malocclusion
• Enlarged heart on x-ray
• Ear margins may become necrotic from poor circulation
  (necrosis on pink ears appears as black margins, on black ears as white margins)
• Bluish or pale mucous membrane color
• Difficulty coming around after being put under anesthesia
• Deep sleeping, easy to pick up (does not run away)

 

[Freela]

It's very possibly just something in the environment, especially if it resolves with a sneeze. That said, it's worth a vet check, as Hadley had hooting intermittently last fall which did clear with a course of antibiotics (well, two... did not improve with the first, switched antibiotics and then it cleared), indicating there was likely something bacterial underlying it.