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Sneezing

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paul1979uk

paul1979uk

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Hola! Charlie has been a sneezer for a few months now, just the occasional sneeze and no other problems. This morning he's sneezed a fair bit, about 5 times in a couple of minutes, but then went back to his normal rate of once every 5 minutes or so. He hasn't had any other problems, has always been running around and popcorning, always eating. In fact last night he was going crazy and was running around even after 'lights out' squeeking, wheeking and talking to himself as well as scoffing louder than anything i've ever heard.

Are they just sneezey sometimes? Could it be the hay? Or should we get him looked at?

Ta.
 
paul1979uk said:
Hola! Charlie has been a sneezer for a few months now, just the occasional sneeze and no other problems. This morning he's sneezed a fair bit, about 5 times in a couple of minutes, but then went back to his normal rate of once every 5 minutes or so. He hasn't had any other problems, has always been running around and popcorning, always eating. In fact last night he was going crazy and was running around even after 'lights out' squeeking, wheeking and talking to himself as well as scoffing louder than anything i've ever heard.

Are they just sneezey sometimes? Could it be the hay? Or should we get him looked at?

Ta.
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My boy came to me with sawdust, he was sneezing LOADS and tbh it worried me! He was my 1st pig since I was little (so those were my mum's pigs really, not mine)

Took away the sawdust and he improved rapidly... a few now and then but that's normal. When he sticks his face in his muesli bowl and gets a snoot full of the finer bits at the bottom he does sneeze a bit more often rolleyes but I think he's worked out, to eat nicely, not like a little piggy :p

Sorry its not of more help but if he keeps on sneezing and sneezing a lot, I'd get him looked at... just to be on the safe-side if nothing else. If he's still eating, drinking and doing everything else as normal, so, if he's not sitting by himself not wanting attention etc, I'd not be too worried. I'd still probably at least call the vet just to make sure, though - but thats me :)
 
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Wiiiiieek! said:
My boy came to me with sawdust, he was sneezing LOADS and tbh it worried me! He was my 1st pig since I was little (so those were my mum's pigs really, not mine)

Took away the sawdust and he improved rapidly... a few now and then but that's normal. When he sticks his face in his muesli bowl and gets a snoot full of the finer bits at the bottom he does sneeze a bit more often rolleyes but I think he's worked out, to eat nicely, not like a little piggy :p

Sorry its not of more help but if he keeps on sneezing and sneezing a lot, I'd get him looked at... just to be on the safe-side if nothing else. If he's still eating, drinking and doing everything else as normal, so, if he's not sitting by himself not wanting attention etc, I'd not be too worried. I'd still probably at least call the vet just to make sure, though - but thats me :)
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We've taken him to the vet a couple of times and he's been fine but they've given him antibiotics once. I'm afraid the gf is going to look like a hysterical mother :)) He just sneezed again for the first time in a few minutes. It's either hay getting up his nose (his cage is lined with it, it's everywhere), dust from his dry food which he really gets stuck into and practically climbs into the bowl or he's unwell. I need to decide really but he's lying here now next to me chatting to us, looking around and now he's started exploring the bed again, always right to the edges of course otherwise he wouldn't be the worlds naughties guinea pig. He's also eaten shed loads of cucumber this morning and some dry food so he appears okay.

I don't know, I guess I don't want him to go the same way as his brother so i'm worrying more than normal.
 
What do you bed on?

Could you have had a particularly dusty batch of hay?
 
hi i have a pig when i first got him who sneezed all the time. With the help of the forum inparticularly laura and a trip to the rodentologist i began to eliminate things and his sneezing improved so now for david (who still sneezes every now and then) he has :

Fleece Bedding only.
i use dust free hay (get it from animal magic pet supplies online)and this is confined to a kitchen space (not scattered round his cage)
i feed him ready grass but in a bowl
 
Dodge sneezed loads when I got him, so we moved him onto shredded paper. Now they are all on it and all of them rarely sneeze now.

It is also lovely and absorbant and now I am even getting it free from work!
 
Well if I tell you the layers from the bottom up.

A sprinkling of "Cage Fresh Granules".
A few sheets of newspaper.
A healthy layer of hay which he burrows in and builds his own tunnels in
A thin layer of Timothy Hay for him to eat.
On his shelf is a layer of fleece. Theyre washed and a clean one is put up there after each clean (2-3 times per week).

The hay says "dust extracted" but that doesn't sound the same as dust free. There are still little bits of hay in there that could cause it. It could be his dry food which could have bits of dust in it. Who knows, he hasn't done it for a while now, oh there's one now, but before that it was a while before he sneezed. It was just this morning that he had a bit of a sneezing fit. I'm sure i'm just worrying unnecessarily.
 
Hay/dust sounds like the prime cause..however if your piggie is inside in a centrally heated house then it could also be a combo of the hay/dust and drying out of mucus membranes that makes him sneeze more.

Low shallow dishes of water near radiators can increase the humidity....
Vicks vapour bath (on tissue with hot water in perforated sealed tupperware) can help the sinuses
Hay can be freeze-thawed (x3) in your domestic freezer to reduce mites....

Not a lot but HTH
x
 
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