Sneezing

[Tessa Marie]

About 4 days ago i had gotten a male guinea. Ended up getting promoted so I went out and got him a buddy since i could no longer give him the 2 hours of attention he needs a day for being the only guinea. Everything was fine. Went to work and they were left alone for 7ish hours. When i got home my new guinea has started sneezing frequently and two of the times sneezed out white snot.and randomly has a clicking/weezing sound before sneezing. Yet, He's been running around the cage, chatting up a storm, cuddling my other along with eating a drinking. I feel like hes drinking more than eating but then again he only takes 2 licks, goes eats some pellets and hay and repeats. Is there any way i can help him get better from home? I'm out of a car so i can't really get him to the vets.

 

[Wiebke]

About 4 days ago i had gotten a male guinea. Ended up getting promoted so I went out and got him a buddy since i could no longer give him the 2 hours of attention he needs a day for being the only guinea. Everything was fine. Went to work and they were left alone for 7ish hours. When i got home my new guinea has started sneezing frequently and two of the times sneezed out white snot.and randomly has a clicking/weezing sound before sneezing. Yet, He's been running around the cage, chatting up a storm, cuddling my other along with eating a drinking. I feel like hes drinking more than eating but then again he only takes 2 licks, goes eats some pellets and hay and repeats. Is there any way i can help him get better from home? I'm out of a car so i can't really get him to the vets.

Hi and welcome!

If your little one has got URI (upper respiratory tract infection), that is in guinea pigs a bacterial (and not viral) infection and requires a prescription-only antibiotic to cure it.

Unlike humans, guinea pigs can't breathe through their mouths, so any obstruction in the airways is always very audible. Yours sounds rather like an irritation, which is then sneezed out. However, we cannot replace a vet diagnosis, as we are by law not qualified to diagnose without an examination. We can only help to tell you when to see a vet and show up possible avenues of pursuit.

What bedding are you using? Are you using air conditioning, air fresheners, perfume, scent sticks etc., which can all cause breathing issues.

You can place a bowl of steaming water next to the cage to help ease the breathing, but that is just a supportive measure and not a cure.

Since we have members and enquiries from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice straight away to what is relevant and available where you are, including climate, brands etc. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down together. Thank you!

 

[Tessa Marie]

I'm using the aspens bedding, perfumes and all that i use out of the room but I do have my air conditioning on. I'm using fresh Timothy hay (doesn't look dusty nor is moldy) and am feeding oxbow pellets for young guineas. Only thing throwing me off is really the the white snot that came out like twice. He has nose crusties but very little.

 

[Wiebke]

I'm using the aspens bedding, perfumes and all that i use out of the room but I do have my air conditioning on. I'm using fresh Timothy hay (doesn't look dusty nor is moldy) and am feeding oxbow pellets for young guineas. Only thing throwing me off is really the the white snot that came out like twice. He has nose crusties but very little.

It can be just the dry air from airconditioning, hay or havings dust, pollen etc. he is reacting to.
At the moment, it doesn't sound like a fully developed URI, where the mucusy crusts around eyes and nose are typically yellowish or greenish. Try to see whether moister air eases the symptoms (hence the bowl) and be prepared to see a vet as soon as symptoms get worse. Make sure that the guinea pigs are not in direct line to the air blast from your A/C unit. An untreated URI can really kill, hence all the caution. If in any doubt, any vet will prescribe an antibiotic, just to make sure, before he will look at other avenues.

This link here contains US based medical information. Typically you want to see at least two symptoms from the list: Guinea Lynx :: URI
I would strongly recommend to switch to weighing daily at the same time in the feeding cycle, instead of the regular weekly weigh-in, in order to get the most comparable results to keep a close eye on his food intake. the need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat. As hay should make up to 80% of the daily food intake, watching a guinea pig eat can be therefore deceptive. It is vital with a developing/potential URI to step in with syringe feeding/water top up as soon as the weight loss surpasses 30g1 oz - or any other illness as well, especially if takes several days to get an appointment at a good vets in the US. Because metric (US) and imperial (UK) measurements differ (though using the same names) and can lead to confusion and misleading advice, we are using grams to express any weight, as they are the same everywhere.

You may find these links here helpful:
Recommended vets for your state: Guinea Lynx Records :: Topic - Veterinarians: Ohio
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
First Aid Kit For Guinea Pigs
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
You can find lots of tips, as well as information on alternive bedding via this link here: " Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners