New Guinea Pig- Sneezing And Shaking Head?

[Amanda Ferrara]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this, but keep looking up guinea pig symptoms and they don't all match up with what my pig is experiencing.
So, I got him about a two weeks ago from Petco, and he's two months old. He did great for the first week, but now he's acting kind of weird. I take him out for about two hours every day. His cage consists of newspaper as the bottom layer, with newspaper shredding and Katee bedding. I give him the hay that was recommended online as well as natural pellets. I give him a slice of orange or a carrot per day as well.
A few days ago, he started sneezing. I looked it up, and people said it was normal for some sneezing. He is doing it more now, and I'm not sure why. Sometimes, I see some mucus come out (like snot), but not every time. Starting two days ago, he started shaking his head violently every once in a while. I inspected his ears and I see no mites, nor does he have major signals of a cold... is what he is doing on the normal side? I really wasn't expecting to have to take him to the vet so soon, nor do I have the fundings to do so. I'll take him, if need be though.

 

[Adelle]

If there is mucous he may have an upper respiratory infection so i would recommend a vet trip. He may meed some meds to ease his breathing x

 

[Amanda Ferrara]

If there is mucous he may have an upper respiratory infection so i would recommend a vet trip. He may meed some meds to ease his breathing x

The thing is though, there really isn't much at all. I've only seen any about 3 times, and it's very little

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this, but keep looking up guinea pig symptoms and they don't all match up with what my pig is experiencing.
So, I got him about a two weeks ago from Petco, and he's two months old. He did great for the first week, but now he's acting kind of weird. I take him out for about two hours every day. His cage consists of newspaper as the bottom layer, with newspaper shredding and Katee bedding. I give him the hay that was recommended online as well as natural pellets. I give him a slice of orange or a carrot per day as well.
A few days ago, he started sneezing. I looked it up, and people said it was normal for some sneezing. He is doing it more now, and I'm not sure why. Sometimes, I see some mucus come out (like snot), but not every time. Starting two days ago, he started shaking his head violently every once in a while. I inspected his ears and I see no mites, nor does he have major signals of a cold... is what he is doing on the normal side? I really wasn't expecting to have to take him to the vet so soon, nor do I have the fundings to do so. I'll take him, if need be though.

Please have your piggy checked for a potential ear infection and/or respiratory infection. Only a vet can really check what is going on and how serious it is. Any yellow/green mucus is caused by a respiratory infection and needs checking. Any repeated violent head shaking also needs investigating. Neither potential condition should be trifled with. All we can do via the internet is make educated guesses, but we cannot replace a vet, especially if an antibiotic is needed.

If the symptoms have come on within two weeks of you buying your pet and the vet can confirm that they are not recent, you may be able to claim back the vet cost by presenting the vet bill/letter from your vet together with the sales receipt.

Please be aware that too much orange/any fruit will lead to cheilitis, a fungal or bacterial lip infection, and that carrots are fattening and too sweet, so you could cause diabetes in the long term due to a too sugary diet.
You can find out more about a balanced long term diet for a healthy long life here: Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

 

[Wiebke]

PS: As we have got members from all over the world, you can help us a lot in adapting any advice for conditions and US/Canadian brands if you please added your country and state/province to your details. Click on your username, go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!

You may find our information bundle for new owners helpful. It contains lots of information on a number of topics that we get asked about frequently by new owners: " Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners

 

[Amanda Ferrara]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I just called the vet down the street from me and he'll be going in on Saturday. Thanks again!