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What should you hear in their chest?

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Joey&Gizmo

Joey&Gizmo

Adult Guinea Pig
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I listen to my two boys chest regular to make sure they sound normal. I listened to Joey's and hear nothing but his heart beating. Gizmo however i can hear his lung inflated and deflating when he is breathing. Is this normal? He doesn't have any rattles or clicking. His breathing rate is the same as Joey's. Gizmo is the one with the flatter nose and he can sometimes have noisy breathing, i did post about this before and it comes and go like an allergy. He has no symptoms of a URI such as runny eyes/nose, can anyone help?mallethead
 
Yes he is fatter but Joey weighs 50g more than him! But Gizmo the fatter one moves alot more and eats all day long!
Is it normal?
Gizmo weighs 1250g
Joey weighs 1300g
 
they are good weights and i wouldnt be worried,i think each piggy just has different breathing!
mine have been checked out numerous times and the vet says they sound healthy,
so if your really worried pop into the vets just to make sure x
 
I used to really worry about Africa because when Leo started dying his breathing changed, to a slow draw in and fast blow out, what I didn't realise is that it was his heart, going slower then a humans =[ Africa had some funny breathing a little while back but someone told me to buy olbus oil because he sounded as if he was suffering with hayfever, i cut down his hay and made him smell some of the oil haha (which is funny, *** he smells like it afterwards for a litle while, he enjoys it) and he's better now. I think you should only really worry when they look as if they are struggling to breath and or have a slow heart beat. I want a book about guinea pig bodies to study it, so I know whats normal (where bones are and such). x
 
Beautifulmess said:
I used to really worry about Africa because when Leo started dying his breathing changed, to a slow draw in and fast blow out, what I didn't realise is that it was his heart, going slower then a humans =[ Africa had some funny breathing a little while back but someone told me to buy olbus oil because he sounded as if he was suffering with hayfever, i cut down his hay and made him smell some of the oil haha (which is funny, *** he smells like it afterwards for a litle while, he enjoys it) and he's better now. I think you should only really worry when they look as if they are struggling to breath and or have a slow heart beat. I want a book about guinea pig bodies to study it, so I know whats normal (where bones are and such). x
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it may have been alcesterpigs who recommended the olbas oil and it does work great although are you sure you should have cut the hay down? i know it would have been the source of the hayfever but they really should eat as much of it as possible,was it only a short term cut down?
 
Thanks ever so much for putting my mind at rest both of you. I do worry alot about them and my OH always says they are fine but i treat them like my babies and worry about every little thing. I know this isn't healthy! He dosent have trouble breathing as he breaths just like Joey, i know this as i stared at them for about 15 mins to make sure he was ok.:p
I have tried the olbas oil and Gizmo isn't a fan of it but i make him do it every now and then. Ive also heard that a single does of sudafed can be given, is this correct?
 
I only used hay in his case, e.g nothing else but newspaper on the bottom, because of not having any vet bed or puppy pads and Leo reacted to wood shavings so I didn't want Africa getting the same problems who he hasn't developed them in the time Leo did. Anyways, so after I just started using hay Africa got this weird breathing thing. So I swapped to half fleese and half hay and used the olbas oil only twice and he is well better =] he has hay for his bed and topped up in his dangly ball everyday, so he should have enough to eat. (y)
 
Maybe it was the bedding that you were using before and the fleece is better?
Ive thought about changing bedding as i use megazorb and was thinking of using fleece too. Do you just cover the bottom of the cage with newspaper and put the fleece on top?

I will be making them a c&c cage soon or after christmas so may try fleece then. Ive got all the grids etc to make the cage but have to sort out the christmas decorations first and see if the cage and tree will fit!:p
 
Joey&Gizmo said:
Maybe it was the bedding that you were using before and the fleece is better?
Ive thought about changing bedding as i use megazorb and was thinking of using fleece too. Do you just cover the bottom of the cage with newspaper and put the fleece on top?

I will be making them a c&c cage soon or after christmas so may try fleece then. Ive got all the grids etc to make the cage but have to sort out the christmas decorations first and see if the cage and tree will fit!:p
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For my fleece, I bought cheap bath towels (for less than £1 per towel) and put them on top of a layer of newspaper. That way, I don't have to change as often as if it was just newspaper.

We have to move our Christmas tree to another corner this year, as Twr Gwich is too big to move! rolleyes
 
Wiebke said:
For my fleece, I bought cheap bath towels (for less than £1 per towel) and put them on top of a layer of newspaper. That way, I don't have to change as often as if it was just newspaper.

We have to move our Christmas tree to another corner this year, as Twr Gwich is too big to move! rolleyes
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How often do you have to change the fleece and towels? I have a feeling that the cage will have to wait till after christmas8..., but I'm hoping I'm wrong.:{
 
I do not have a stethoscope so i place my ear next the chest area, i know this isn't ideal but its the best i can do.
Should i invest in a stethoscope or is the method i use ok?
 
I bought it anyways, its good for me to have to listen to the heart beat its better than me ear! :)
 
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