wheazing piggie

[Laura M.]

My guinea pig wheazes when he breathes through his nose, and he keeps biting me - not just a 'put me down' type nibble, he full on bites me for no reason. He is more calm than the others, and he usually loves cuddles. His top tooth seems a bit longer than the others' top teeth - are any of these incidents linked? What do I do?

 

[sport_billy]

If you have any concerns over the wheezing, Then please see a vet to get it checked out. Is he wheezing all the time or for instance just after he’s had high and may have some dust on his nose.

In regards to the tooth is he eating okay?

As regards to the biting, guinea pigs will often bite when they are scared or feel nervous and that is their way of telling you that they don’t like something like that, we had a guinea pig who used to bite - she had the confidence To tell us she didn’t like something as opposed to just sit there and feel petrified like some guinea pigs do before they gain your trust. In a way it is actually a compliment to show that I trust you enough to tell you they are still scared and vulnerable about things. We just used to interact with them all in the cage where she felt safer or when we had on our laps we would have her on our laps in a cosy and she was much happier that way

 

[Laura M.]

If you have any concerns over the wheezing, Then please see a vet to get it checked out. Is he wheezing all the time or for instance just after he’s had high and may have some dust on his nose.

In regards to the tooth is he eating okay?

As regards to the biting, guinea pigs will often bite when they are scared or feel nervous and that is their way of telling you that they don’t like something like that, we had a guinea pig who used to bite - she had the confidence To tell us she didn’t like something as opposed to just sit there and feel petrified like some guinea pigs do before they gain your trust. In a way it is actually a compliment to show that I trust you enough to tell you they are still scared and vulnerable about things. We just used to interact with them all in the cage where she felt safer or when we had on our laps we would have her on our laps in a cosy and she was much happier that way

I think the wheezing is OK now, and he is eating normally, he was always a greedy boy!

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea pig wheazes when he breathes through his nose, and he keeps biting me - not just a 'put me down' type nibble, he full on bites me for no reason. He is more calm than the others, and he usually loves cuddles. His top tooth seems a bit longer than the others' top teeth - are any of these incidents linked? What do I do?

Hi and welcome

You may want to have to have your vet checked to make sure that there is no problem.
Recommended UK vets: Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
REcommended vets in some other countries: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

Is it just one incisor that is longer or both top incisors? How are the two bottom ones - are they slanted, jagged or inwards pointing? If they are nice and straight and meeting with top incisors to self-sharpen, there is no problem. If that is not the case, then there is most likely a problem somewhere in the dental system, either with that one incisor or at the back of the mouth.
Please monitor his weight and his eating more closely. Check whether he can still pick up and chew veg and pellets. If he is eating noticeably slower, picking up food but dropping it or dribbling saliva, then these are signs of dental problems.
In order to monitor his hay intake, which should be over 80% of what he eats and which you cannot control by eye, you will need scales.
This guide here tells you exactly how to do this: Weight - Monitoring and Management

The wheezing can be from hay dust, pollen or other environmental factors. However, any vet is likely to treat for URI if there is the least suspicion, simply because it is a potential killer.

As for the tweaking, you can find advice in this link here: " Biting" And What You Can Do