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Loud Sneezes But No Other Symptoms?

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JoannaMarie

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Hi

First of all, I have to admit to you guys that I did something I know none of you will approve of. I got a little guinea pig from Pets at Home. I can't drive and there are no approved rescues in my area, and the rescue I got my other guinea pig from in Nottingham was definitely not legit, as she sold me a sick guinea pig (my lovely boy Ted cost me £600 in vet bills over the six months he lived after I got him). She told me she'd bought them for 50p each from a market the day before and she sold them to me for £25! Muggins here paid it too!

After Ted's death Alan had been really sad and I wanted to get him a friend and there was no way I could get to Doncaster to the nearest approved centre. I apologise to you all I know I shouldn't have gone to pets at home but I wanted Alan to be happy.

My new boy is called Monty, he's about 7 weeks old and is lovely. I've had him for a couple of weeks now and from the day I've got him he's sneezed quite loudly, quite often. He's eating well, running around, I'm constantly checking his nose and eyes for runniness but nothing so far.

Is this something I should be concerned about? Alan sneezes quite a lot too but not half as loud as Monty. Do I take Monty to the vets just in case? What other symptoms should I look for in case it's a URI?

I can't think of any cleaning products it could be, I no longer use wood chippings for bedding and they only have dust free timothy hay from Wilkos or Burgess.
 
my Gladys sneezes on and off but seems fine in herself... don't think people won't help or advise you just because you went to pets at home x
 
I am sure that everyone on here will respect you for doing the best you could with the resources you have available to you. Life isn't perfect, and you can clearly offer a wonderful loving home to a guinea pig. And most importantly you are doing something to make your boy Alan happy - something we all understand.

I also have a 'sneezer' and initially I watched her like a hawk for any signs of illness, but I guess she is just sneezier (is that even a word?) than the other 2.

I think 2 weeks is the standard incubation period for most illnesses, so if you have had him longer than that and he is otherwise happy and healthy then it may just be one of his little personality quirks. :nod:
 
I know piggies can have allergies too, all you can do is keep an eye out. I once had a winter white hamster allergic to virtually all types of bedding, the vet ended up recommending that she live only on paper towels, I wish I had known about fleece back then :)
 
we understand life is not perfect,you rescued a piggie that is a good thing and a friend for your exsisting piggie.if you unsure i would take them to the vets,sometimes piggies from shops can have illnesses,but usually because more are kept together in one place.good luck with your piggies.
 
Does his nose look wet, or does he snot when he sneezes? If he does it could be a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) but if not it might just be that he sneezes. If it's not constant then he might have an allergy or might just be what he does.

Try having a look at his nose after he sneezes, see if anything came out (They can be quick to wipe it away themselves)
 
Don't worry, no one is going to abuse you for putting the welfare of your guinea pig above the rescue vs pet shop issue. I completely understand (to tell you the truth I have also bought a pig from P@H in the past, but don't tell anyone :whistle:)

The sneezing could be an allergy, it could be the start of a URI, or it could be nothing to worry about. I think the key here is to keep a close eye and look out for any symptoms getting worse. If you don't weigh your pigs regularly (weekly), it would be a good idea to start as weight loss is often the first sign of illness. Any loss of more than 100g in a week is cause for concern.
 
I agree with the others, don't beat yourself up, you did what was right for Alan at the time. I'm so sorry you lost Ted. Just keep an eye on him for now and watch out for other symptoms as mentioned above.
 
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