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Is Sneezing Normal?

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PlausiblePiggie

PlausiblePiggie

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For quite a while my guinea pigs have been sneezing every so often. I don't hear it happening that frequently though- I could hear a single sneeze two days in a row or there could be a few weeks going by when I wouldn't hear any at (that's not to say it doesn't still happen when I'm not around of course).
The piggies have been on woodshavings but today I finally changed them to fleece so I thought it could be to do with dust in the woodshavings? I heard a little sneeze tonight although they are now on fleece.
So yeah, I'm a little concerned and not sure if occasional sneezing is something to be worried about or not so I thought I'd ask on here :)
 
PlausiblePiggie said:
For quite a while my guinea pigs have been sneezing every so often. I don't hear it happening that frequently though- I could hear a single sneeze two days in a row or there could be a few weeks going by when I wouldn't hear any at (that's not to say it doesn't still happen when I'm not around of course).
The piggies have been on woodshavings but today I finally changed them to fleece so I thought it could be to do with dust in the woodshavings? I heard a little sneeze tonight although they are now on fleece.
So yeah, I'm a little concerned and not sure if occasional sneezing is something to be worried about or not so I thought I'd ask on here :)
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Guinea pigs sneeze every now and then; that is normal. They often sneeze as part of their 'piggy washing' routine to clear the nose. An irritation in the nose, like dust, pollen or a bit of hay stuck in the nose can trigger a sneezing fit to help get it out.

You only need to worry if frequent sneezing (and that is way over 5 sneezes a day!) persists and is not a one off. It is more often caused by dust, pollen or dry air (radiators/air conditioning) than a URI, but I would recommend to see a vet in that case anyway because URI is a serious illness. Other options are usually only considered if a course of antibiotics doesn't clear the problem and if no other URI symptoms manifest.
 
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I have 5 piggies and they sneeze from time to time and it's nothing to worry about. However, if they sneeze a lot more than is usual it could mean a URI which means it is quite serious and needs a trip to the vets.
 
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