New guy and cavy

[NickM]

Hello everybody! I am new here to the forums and fairly new to cavies. My first little guy, two month old Chester, is here in his home, enjoying life with me. I began to learn a lot about these wonderful animals and I hope I do my best to keep my first healthy and happy with me. Being a newbie, I am going to have a lot of perhaps annoying questions. I may as well start with one I'm having a problem with. I can not tell if my little guy is sneezing or not. Only when I play with him up close, he sometimes lets out a little whiff of air that sounds like a very very soft sneeze. I never hear him make the noise any other time. He tends to do it only when I am holding him up by his rump and petting him. But when he is left alone, he only squeaks normally. He is perfectly healthy otherwise, looks great and eats and potties regularly. Anyway, I hope to meet everyone and look forward to future chats. Bye.

[Tulia&Susie]

Hey there and welcome to the forums. I love the name Chester by the way. But a small amount of little sneezes are ok because sometimes they get dusk or something up there and just sneeze. But if it's an over amount it may be an URI(upper respirtory invection). In that case I would bring your little boy in for a vet checkup just to make sure everything is going ok.

[Terekins]

Welcome to the forum! You should consider getting a scale to weigh Chester, particularly if you suspect he may be sick or are just unsure. Any loss of weight should be taken seriously, according to what I've read here. As for sneezing though, like Tulia said, they do sneeze every once in a while. One of my pigs has always coughed every now and then too, as though she's almost chocking. It used to make me really nervous, but I've become familiar with what is normal for her (she'll usually do it after drinking, for example). He's super cute!

[seagirl96]

Welcome! Your little guy is very cute. If you see the slightest sign of crusty eyes or nose then run, don't walk, to your vet. Probably he is just sneezing like we all do. Or maybe he doesn't like your cologne?

I have one pig that usually gives a cough after drinking, like she's choking. She seems to drink too fast. My dog does it too! I also have one piggy who is a sneezer. She's two & has done it all her life. She is sensitive to dust.

[NickM]

Hello again and thanks for the replies! I am not worried too much about the little nose noises hes making, its rare and he looks very healthy. But he did have a little incident today. He urinated quite a bit when I picked him up today. He got it all over his bottom and his underbelly and he smelled very bad. I decided to give him a gentle wash with shallow plain water in a small tupperware. I splashed the water on his belly and gently wiped it. He squealed like he does when hes happy, I hope I didn't scare him?Most of the yellowish discoloration went away and some of the smell passed too. I was nervous so it only lasted a minute or two in order to slightly clean him up. I dried him very thouroghly He still smells like urine quite badly and I feel he needs a good washing. Did I do the right thing so far and how should I clean him up tomorrow? Thanks a lot!

[MirandaAngelic]

Hey there! I'm new as well, just posted my intro in fact! Your little guy is awfully cute! I'm glad you asked about the sneezing. My little baby tends to sneeze frequently, too. The first few weeks I was terrified, I thought I had already given her pneumonia-- I got strep throat myself one week after bringing her home and went around wearing an OSHA approved mask for a week! So any little sneeze and I was so afraid I was killing her. But, six weeks later, she still makes little sneezes everyday. She is happy and healthy, so I am just assuming she is like me and gets to sneezing every once and awhile.

I do check her eyes and nose everyday for discharge....although I'm not entirely sure what I am looking for, especially on her nose-- anyone have any hints on what to look for?

[pignewton]

You can bathe Chester with a bunny shampoo. Just make sure he is kept warm until completely dry - don't let him catch a chill! You may want to check out Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Your Guinea Pig under grooming for instructions. It's a good site to have bookmarked since it has lots of care info.

[seagirl96]

The bathing method my pigs like & stay calm with is easy. I use the same temperature water I would be comfortable in, not too cold & not hot, and put about an inch of water in a dishpan. Any Moms reading this know to test with your elbow. I lower the victim gently, back legs first & hold front of piggy. If a piggy is very calm & okay with the whole idea, I have lowered the front feet and allowed a little wading about. I use my hand or a cup to pour water on the smelly one, then use a TINY amount of shampoo. I never wash the head or face. Rinse with hand or cup. My piggies have allowed me to rinse under the faucet after they find that a bath doesn't hurt. Just make sure the temperature is pleasantly warm. Make sure to rinse well so no soap is left. Apply fluffy towel and bonus carrot!