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Is This Bloat, Fat Or Something Else?

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CarnivalPiggy

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi. I'm currently having a small freaking out session because it's 1:20 am and I realised I think my guinea pig(s) might have bloat.

I've been doing some late night guinea pig searching and found a lot more about bloat than I though there was. My guinea pig, Minja, looks big and I can't tell if this is bloat or she's just fat. I tried tapping for hollowness but I still couldn't tell.

This is what she looks like (I'll probably put Ginny and Teddy in below posts just to check). She eats normally, drinks as well but I haven't had the time to hold her much today or yesterday so I couldn't tell if her poop is going normally. I think she's also having trouble sneezing as she makes a few (sometimes more than a few) weird sounds before sneezing. Could that be a cold? I think I've been overfeeding them as well with the lettuce (not iceberg, romain I think).

This might have been unneeded but I just want to make sure.
Sorry about the bad takes for the pictures.
She looks much more bloated stretched out, but she won't do that now.
 

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Relax! She looks absolutely fine :) .. my girls tummies are much bigger than that hehe. Believe me, you would know about it if she has bloat as it comes with a lot of other symptoms. If you're concerned you can always take her to a vet tomorrow. X
 
Thanks ^^ I'm under a lot of stress so worry is hitting me too, heh. Your (I'm assuming) guinea pig looks so cute in your profile picture! :)
 
Aw don't worry. As long as she is displaying no symptoms and is eating, drinking and toileting fine she should be ok. The size of her is completely normal from those photo's.

And thank you, yes that's my Pebbles :)
 
I agree she looks fine, sometimes reading stuff online can make you worry unnecessarily. If she had bloat she would be off her food, lethargic and possibly sitting facing the corner. My Millie is prone to bloat and I know straight away if she is becoming ill as her behaviour changes even if it is only subtle. As for the sneezing, what does the noise sound like? could it be described as hooting at all? (bit like a duck)

What is she bedded on? some pigs are allergic to dust from some types of hay or wood shavings.

Would you be able to update your location on your profile, as it helps us advise you. If you are a minor just the country would be fine.
 
Thanks for the answers. Minja eats healthily (think she eats too much sometimes hehe), I haven't seen her face the corner either. No lethargic. I extended the pen two days ago and she was scampering around, same for yesterday ^^. The sneezing starts off as a small sound, then going up louder and louder till' she sneezes. It does sound like a duck, maybe a bit softer.

<< Changed it.
 
Hooting can be a sign of a heart issue but it is usually followed by a cough. If she keeps doing it I would get her checked by a vet. Don't panic though, heart issues are treatable with medication. Other symptoms include:

Laboured breathing
Nodding when breathing
Blue nose and lips
Random coughing, especially when eating
Recurrent respiratory infections
Failure to gain weight
Bumblefoot
Abdominal bloating
 
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