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Sneezing Help! Is it the Hay, Bed, or something Serious?!

Danivia

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Hello all!
I joined this site yesterday when I noticed that my new guinea pig started sneezing. Now I know it is shamed upon to buy and Guinea Pig instead of adopting and worse that I got her from PetCo.... but please bear with me, she was as cute as a button! Her name is Ruka, I got her on Wednesday and she is about 6-7 weeks old- I'm not 100% sure, she is 6 inches long. But anyway, I had put her in her new home with, also very young ,Izzy. They get along and popcorn all the time but now I'm just worried that this sneezing is somethings serious. Ruka sneezes either when she is around her Timothy Hay or her Cuddle Cup (It is made of Felt not Fleece- could that be a problem?). She rubs her nose whenever she sneezes and I'd just like to make sure... I already had Izzy's sister Mona pass and now I'm overprotective and very scared for my Ruka...Please Help!
 

Inle_Rabbit

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The cuddle cup should be made of fleece. Felt will stay wet when the guinea pigs wee on it and it also deteriorates when wet. Felt is also made up of fiber strands that could be harmful to the guinea pigs if they eat it while fleece is not.

Since you got the guinea pig at Petco and the big chain pet stores are known for selling sick and injured animals I would take both guinea pigs to the vet. It is very, very common for guinea pigs coming from PetCo and PetSmart to have upper respiratory infections which are deadly to guinea pigs and can only be treated by a veterinarian. Pet stores selling sick guinea pigs is one of the many, many reasons we advocate adoption rather than buying. Read more on URIs here: https://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

What did the other guinea pig die of?
 

Melissa123

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Since you got her at Petco, she could be getting the start of a URI. I would take her to a cavy savvy vet- not a dog and cat one- just to get a good check up anyways.

My boys will sneeze once in a while- especially if the hay is dusty. I try to shake the hay away from the cage before putting it in they rack.
What type of bedding do you use? Do you use anything scent in or around the cage? Is she having any other symptoms? You should be weighing your piggies weekly so you can track a weight loss early.
 

Danivia

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Mona died mysteriously Moday, she was breathing rapidly and she didn't really sneeze as much as Ruka. She was find at 6 a.m. when my mom checked on her and fine at 8 a.m. when I checked on her. Then I went in at 10 a.m. to grab my headphones and looked over and she was laying on her side dead.... I don't knowif it was URI or not, but she seemed fine until Sunday morning.
 

Inle_Rabbit

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Guinea pigs are prey animals which means that when they are ill they hid their symptoms. This is why weighing them weekly is very important. One of the first noticeable signs that a guinea pig is ill is that they will loose weight. A small food scale should be all you need to weigh them. You can usually find these at grocery stores and stores like Target or Walmart. URIs and other illnesses can kill guinea pigs very quickly which is why it is important to get them to a vet as soon as you notice something is wrong.
 

Danivia

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Alright, I'm trying to schedule Ruka an appointment.. but just to be seen is $47. Plus I need to convince my parents to take me, which is proving to be a problem! I'll have to get in touch with Care Animal Hospital again. Oh! Do you know if URI is contagious?
 

Inle_Rabbit

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Yes, URIs are contagious.

Sadly, taking guinea pigs to the vet is often expensive. They are not cheap animals when they become ill but the sooner they are treated for a problem the more likely they are to recover.
 

Danivia

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Alright! Got an appointment for 10:55. Off we go and Thank you so much! I'll tell ya how it went
 

aspecht

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Care Animal Hospital, why does that sound so familiar?! LOL! But anyways, if you got the animal at Petco, is it still within the 15 day guarantee period?
 

Danivia

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Yes, a 15 day Guarantee if they seem sick or off in anyway.... I just got back and the vet gave me a oral antibiotic for lil' Ruka, she didn't seem to bothered buy it! :D My parents are running out for vitamin C supplements because they don't like Bell Peppers and we have no oranges. They only bad thing about my visit to Care Animal Hospital is the Vet tech assistant who held poor little Ruka by the head almost... I didn't appreciate her at all! But the actually vet helped a lot and I now know how Ruka likes to be picked up. : ) Oh, can anyone tell me how to tell if a Guinea Pig purr is bad or not- I read that there is a bad purr and a good purr! Thanks~
 

Pawesomepet

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Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the shorter purrs are usually when they are scared nervous and the longer ones are good usually when you pet them or scratch in a spot they like you'll hear the longer purr.
 

Danivia

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Alright, that would make more sense... Little Ruka adores it when we scratch her rump! Haha Izzy likes her face scratched :D
 

GuineaLoveer

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I would take both your piggies to the vet just to be safe seeing as URIs are contagious
 
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