Hey everyone! New pig owner here and I've done tons and tons of research before getting my current little guys. Ollie and Marlowe. I'd say they're 1.5 to 2 months. So these two are super active. Eat and drink great. One even popcorns all the time. My concern is. Both of them make plenty of their noises, however one of them seems to not be able to wheek. When he tries it's like he's just blowing out air but sometimes a little bit of a wheek comes out but not much of one. They also sneeze sometimes but it's not super common. just here and there and it's both of them. I'm super worried and have myself thinking it's a URI and I called and made a vet apt. But in the meantime I was wondering if this not wheeking was something else and I'm over thinking or if I should get more worried? Thanks!
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Young Guinea Pig can't wheek?
- Thread starter Michael07
- Start date
Hi! Some piggies don't come with a big wheek or they lose it at some point and only get a hoarse sigh out. Nothing to worry about.
If you have any worries about their health, then please see a vet. Keep in mind that guinea pigs often sneeze when they give themselves a piggy wash as part of clearing their nose.
Thank you. I do plan on taking them to the vet anyway to make sure all is well with them. I thought maybe the sneezing was because of the Aspen bedding but I plan to switch to fleece as soon as it comes in the mail. One of the reasons I'm so worried is because one of the guinea pigs they were in the tank with at the store had a URI when they arrived but they noticed right away and treated it. Anyway in the future my pigs will only be coming from adoption
it can well be that the URI has played a role in your piggy losing its wheek if it is the same but I have had this happen in several of my own piggies without any illness in play.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Looking just now I see a little bit of crust in his nose that has developed. Of course the only small animal vet around here wont be open until monday. I'll have to see what I can do for now but other than that he seems fine and happy
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Check with the vet but if there’s nothing wrong he may just not have much of a wheek.
Let us know how you get on at the vets.
My Merab lost her wheek and for the last year of her life whispered as loud as she could.
I also have a youngster who rarely ever wheeks and when she does it’s a quiet little wheek.
Welcome to the forum- please can we see pictures
Let us know how you get on at the vets.
My Merab lost her wheek and for the last year of her life whispered as loud as she could.
I also have a youngster who rarely ever wheeks and when she does it’s a quiet little wheek.
Welcome to the forum- please can we see pictures
dannif_piggies
Adult Guinea Pig
As mentioned above, check with the vet but if nothing can be found it's not an issue for them not to have much of a wheek. As @Merab's Slave said that her Merab lost her wheek, so has my Honey, and this happened probably about 2-3 years ago (she's 6.5), and Honey too just has basically a whisper when she does try. This was check when it happened but has been cause by not identifiable reason and it doesn't seem to bother Honey so I wouldn't worry too much if I were you
The crusts you have to be wary of are the thick yellow and green ones on eyes and nose; they signify an advanced untreated respiratory infection. A little transparent whiteish one is simply a dried sneeze from getting rid of a small irritant in the nose, like some hay dust or pollen and is not an emergency.
My Taffy lived for two years without her big wheek as one of the longest lived ones from her particular rescue from horrendous circumstances; she was 6 years old when she died from age related problems.