its currently super late and i’m freaking out! this is the second time in like 2 months that i’ve noticed this, but my pig’s normal chatter is so deep and gravelly. i created an account just to ask about this, i can’t find anyone talking about this. it sounds almost similar to velcro, i thought she was ripping at seams of her pads before i sat down to listen. she sounded normal this morning, throughout the day, and now it’s super deep. it genuinely sounds like it hurts. shes walking around, getting water, and eating like normal, i’m just really scared and don’t know what to do here.
Hi and welcome
Please accept that our forum is UK based, so you have been posting during our nighttime.
Please try to take a deep breath. As long as the the weight and appetite are still fine, you are not dealing with an incipient life threatening problem. If it is passing and just occasionally off and on, it is likely caused by a temporary obstruction of the airways.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
Here is how you can do a quick home check of the airways. It is not conclusive but it can help allay your anxieties and help to judge how urgent a problem is.
Wiebke's Rules: Precise How-to Guidance and Quick Panic Breaker Health Checks
Please hold your ear against the nose, the throat and the chest.
Any noises in the nose are usually caused by often minute partial obstructions to the very small air passages but they can sound very alarming. In the throat, they could indicate a respiratory infection (especially any raspy and crackling breathing).
The one that is an emergency are the lungs; especially any clicking in the chest area, which are sign of a potential pneumonia (water in the lungs). As long as the lungs are clear, your piggy is not in any danger of life.
Some piggies do lose the use of their big food wheek for good, without it being a problem. It just comes out very hoarse and faint. Otherwise, general hoarseness can happen very occasionally in older piggies.
A piggy that is repeatedly losing their voice may be worth vet checking during normal opening hours; but please brace that your vet may not be able to find anything if there aren't any other symptoms for a bacterial respiratory infection (URI).
It could be just part of a sensitivity to hay dust or the home environment - and that is a very wide field indeed. It is also something that can wait until regular opening hours. But mostly it is one of these things that just happen and where there is no treatment but also no real impairment to the quality of life.
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs
These guides here may help you or anybody living with you if you are in a panic:
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide
I cannot tell you what exactly is going on but I can hopefully help you to not panic.
