Sort Of Odd/silly Health Questions From A Newbie Piggie Owner

[Kevin_Haae]

So I've bought two piggies from a pet store (no adoption agencies around me as far as I know), and while they seem happy, I wanted to ask 2 things about their health.

First question: how often do piggies sneeze typically? my piggies have been sneezing a bit more then I'd expect. I have them in aspen shavings (I'm aware they're less then great, I found out after buying them and plan to switch bedding as soon as I get paid). So I assumed it was the shavings perhaps making them sneeze from the dust, but wanted to ask and be sure. They're sneezing multiple times a day, each day. I looked up the symptoms of respiratory infections, and they show no other symptoms other then the sneezing and are both eating fine (a lot, actually. they eat like.. well. pigs lol)

and the second question: What consistency is their poop suppose to be at? I spot clean their cage daily with a doggy bag, since they always poop in the same place I just pick it all up in the doggy bag, and I noticed their poops are surprisingly hard. I'm not sure if that's completely normal or not, and just wanted to check. I feel silly for asking something like that, but like other animals (dogs and cats) change in consistency of their poop can in fact mean somethings up.

I don't know about any small pet vets around here, but I'll do some research about ones in my province to see if they are indeed sick, if I have a place to take them I can afford.

I've only had them for a week or so, and they haven't let me hold them yet. So i'm unsure about their weight. But if I end up taking them to the vet, i'll definitely get them weighed there.

I appreciate any help, cheers!

 

[Wiebke]

Guinea pigs usually sneeze about 5 times a day in order to clear the nose, usually when they give themselves a piggy wash. If the sneezing is not just a one-off fit from something irritating stuck in the nose but not as frequent as sneezing every few minutes, then I would look whether you have got an irritant in the environment, seeing how expensive Canadian vets are.
This can range from wood-based bedding, dusty hay, dry air (radiators/air conditioning), air fresheners and perfumed skin products, scent stick and smoke. It is a process of trial and error.

See a vet for URI (bacterial respiratory infection) if the sneezing is frequent and persistent and if you notice other URI symptoms like crackly breathing, regular coughing that doesn't happen at mealtimes, yellow/green crusts on nose and eyes, rhinitis, loss of appetite/weight and finally heavy breathing and lethargy.
Regular sneezing can also be a symptom of an allergy, but this can only pursued after you and your vet have excluded an URI, as that is one of the major killing diseases.

Recommended piggy savvy vets in Canada: Veterinarians: Canada - Guinea Lynx Records
Guinea Lynx :: URI

 

[Wiebke]

Fresh poop should be firm, but not hard; it dries out quickly in a matter of hours, however!

If it is hard when very fresh out of the body, then your piggy may be very mildly dehydrated.
All About Drinking And Bottles

 

[Kevin_Haae]

Fresh poop should be firm, but not hard; it dries out quickly in a matter of hours, however!

If it is hard when very fresh out of the body, then your piggy may be very mildly dehydrated.
All About Drinking And Bottles

thank you so much! I assume it was just a bit dried out then, since I always clean the cage out at the end of the night. they have plenty of water, and drink often, so I don't think it's dehydration. I use wood based bedding right now, but will be switching soon, so I'll see if that fixes the sneezing. If not I may have to head to the vet. I cant imagine how much it'll cost though, as just taking my cat for basic deworming was 90$. So I imagine for a small animal like a guinea pig it'll be much more.

 

[Freela]

Welcome! Pigs do sneeze occasionally without being ill, and often will also sneeze while grooming themselves. You want to watch for nasal discharge, wet eyes, heavy breathing, and general signs of being unwell, like not eating well and sitting puffed up in the corner. As for poop, normal guinea pig poop is basically a solid little pellet. It is firmer than a dog or cat (down to the difference in diet between a carnivore like a dog or cat and a strict herbivore like a guinea pig.) You do want to keep an eye on consistency, as guinea pigs have delicate digestive systems and diarrhea is a medical emergency. But firm little pellets is exactly what you want their poop to look like, so you're good!

I'm also in Canada (though the opposite end of the country, I'm in Ontario.) When you're looking for a vet, you want to seek out a vet that advertises as dealing with exotics or pocket pets (this is vet-speak for anything not a cat or a dog!) and then you can inquire as to how often they see guinea pigs. Having an exotics vet who sees rodents makes a HUGE difference and it's good to find one before you need them! Cost is also going to vary between vets. My experience thus far is that my vet (who is amazing!) charges less for a checkup for a small animal, but the costs of treatment/surgery are quite high in Canada, from a couple of hundred dollars for a basic abscess lance and drain to a projected thousand and change for major abdominal surgery. It's worth shopping around since difference vets have different rates, and it's good to know what's available when it's not a crisis situation! I have found that having a vet with guinea pig experience is well worth paying for (and ironically, my exotics vet actually charges less in most cases than a previous vet who I had to see in an emergency who didn't do anywhere near as good a job!)

 

[Tiamolly123]

Hi & Welcome to our Friendly Forum.
Mine sneeze, it's normally when I've put fresh hay in. The other thing is one of my piggies eats very quickly & that sets her off. You can get dust free hay, that sometimes helps.

 

[Merab]

Hello and welcome.
There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to our beloved piggies.
We are learning all the time and if you don't ask the questions then you won't know of a particular situation is normal or not.

It's surprising how many answers we get from other peoples' questions too.

Looking forward to pics of your piggies

 

[Kevin_Haae]

Hello and welcome.
There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to our beloved piggies.
We are learning all the time and if you don't ask the questions then you won't know of a particular situation is normal or not.

It's surprising how many answers we get from other peoples' questions too.

Looking forward to pics of your piggies

I have some pics if you'd like to see them! ^^ They're very happy piggies right now. And I'm so glad everybody on this forum is so nice, I felt so weird asking things like 'whats the average consistency of their poop' but turns out thats not all that weird to ask!

heres my two piggies! Their names are Max and Nikki!

Nikki:

Max:

 

[Betsy]

Hi and to our friendly forum. Its a good idea to put money aside each week or each month into a "vet fund" so that you have money around if needed. Typically piggies are always ill and need to be seen when it is most inconvient for us ie at the weekend. Then you don't have to worry so much about the vet bills. I sell on ebay to fund my piggies. Otherwise the vets bills would send me into the red! I have 5 piggies and most of the time they are healthy. Back in October last year I phoned the vet so often the receptionist knew my voice and they said "who is it this time?"! October was a very expensive month - well the vet has to pay off his student loan somehow! I must have made a significant payment that's all I can say!

I originally bought 2 girlies but one had a surprise shop litter 35 days later! Only I can buy a "Buy 2 get 3 free" on April Fools Day!

 

[Wiebke]

thank you so much! I assume it was just a bit dried out then, since I always clean the cage out at the end of the night. they have plenty of water, and drink often, so I don't think it's dehydration. I use wood based bedding right now, but will be switching soon, so I'll see if that fixes the sneezing. If not I may have to head to the vet. I cant imagine how much it'll cost though, as just taking my cat for basic deworming was 90$. So I imagine for a small animal like a guinea pig it'll be much more.

Some daily sneezing is normal (as explained above), so I would not worry unless your piggies are sneezing about 15 times per hour and it doesn't stop after a few hours or if they are showing other URI symptoms.
If I were you, I'd rather save up to see a vet when your piggies really need it; from what you have told me before, that is not the case.

 

[Kevin_Haae]

Some daily sneezing is normal (as explained above), so I would not worry unless your piggies are sneezing about 15 times per hour and it doesn't stop after a few hours or if they are showing other URI symptoms.
If I were you, I'd rather save up to see a vet when your piggies really need it; from what you have told me before, that is not the case.

Alright! thank you very much. I am definitely going to be saving up for any vet trips, I just got a bit paranoid, since I know URI's are extremely deadly ;; I am just a worried new piggy dad lol Thank you a bunch! I'll try switching their bedding and see if that fixes it, but if not unless they show other symptoms ill try not to worry!

 

[Merab]

What lovely piggies.
Please keep posting pics.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Welcome to the forum. Definitely no such thing as a silly question. I've seen many times the question about normal size of poops on this forum once I even took a picture of poops from two of my late piggies next to a tape measure to show the variation in healthy pigs (Jemima's were always so small which is why I always knew it was her pooping in the veg and pellet bowls). A piggies poop can tell you a lot