General Guinea pig sick !

Do they have any discharge from their noses? Crusty eyes? Are they lethargic, or do they wheeze or crackle when they are breathing? Are they eating, pooping and peeing normally? Do you weigh them regularly as you should, and are they losing weight?

These are all things we need to know to help, and they're also things you need to know yourself. The best way to know if your piggies are sick is by weighing them on a regular basis so you'll know if they are losing any.

Do your pigs like to dive in the hay? IF they do, that could explain the sneezing. I have a little fella that I got in May who had a chronic sinus infection that got worse and worse. It took several months to get rid of it, but it has been gone now for three months. He likes to dive in the hay, and he still sneezes and snorts constantly.

I don’t see anything come out of their noses. Sometimes they will use both hands and rub they’re nose after they sneeze every once in awhile they eat poop and pee normally too. I never weighed them before but when I pick them up, I don’t notice any weight loss. I put bay in their bay rack and sometimes around the cage. There is often bay scattered on the floor that they sit in and eat.

The very first, and biggest, piece of advice I will give you is to go and buy a digital kitchen scale that measures in grams. Get a tupperware container large enough to hold an adult pig, and start weighing your pigs once a week. First thing in the morning, roughly the same time before they really start eating for the day. Keep track of their weights. I use an app I got from the Google Play store to keep track.

Knowing if your pigs are gaining or losing weight is your biggest tool, other than getting to know them and their habits.

If you pick them up and notice that they've lost weight, then it's often significant enough weight loss that it's already a massive problem. I've had several ill pigs in the last couple years and for me, it got to the point where I knew them well enough to know just by picking them up if they'd lost any weight or not, even if just a little bit. But that was weighing them daily, twice a day for weeks on end. You will really not notice a weight loss just by picking your pig up under most circumstances

Ok I'll buy the scale now. Do you think they have URI or something else. I read online that once they have symptoms they will die in 48hours. But they have had symptoms for 3 weeks

If they are eating and drinking normally, have no discharge from their nose and don't have crusty eyes, and they aren't lethargic and sitting in a corner with their fur puffed, you're probably ok. If they aren't wheezing or crackling when they breathe, that's good.

You probably have dusty hay and that's causing them some issues. Good quality hay for piggies is an absolute must, but even good hay can sometimes be dusty. Still, you see your piggies every day so no one can judge them but you. I understand taking them to the vet is expensive, but if they happen to need it and you don't take them they'll likely not survive. They depend on you for that and you must be prepared. The question isn't IF a guinea pig will need a vet, but WHEN.

Right now I'd say monitor them closely. And also, plan for one day taking them to the vet. I put $50 away weekly for my boys in case I need it. And boy, have they needed it. It's just good.practice.

When i get really close sometimes u can hear a small noise when they breathe. It sounds like theyre sniffing for food.

Sounds normal. That's probably exactly what it is. Simon actually snorts at me from time to time when he's asserting himself.

BTW the hay I use is Kaytee natural harvest timothy hay. Is that bad?

Kaytee isn't great. We only recommend Oxbow products and KMS for hay and pellets. They're about the best quality you can get.

Does they hay explain the coughing?

If the hay is dry, that could explain it. Any hay you buy in a bag at a store is more apt to be old, dry and dusty. You'll usually get much better hay by purchasing it in larger quantities.

In the meantime if you have to use the hay you have, you can get some of the dry dust out. Take it outside and transfer it to a large box or bin. Pull it apart and fluff it to get the dust out. Oxbow hay is good quality, and although it will cost more, your guinea pig will also eat more of it and waste less.

Here's my personal advice because I had a very similar experience... My babygirl had a URI but luckily I caught it in time for my other baby to not get sick. I honestly recommenced taking both to the vet. My vet costs was about $50 all together for the checkup AND meds. It could possibly be the hay, because the hay I use makes them sneeze a couple of times a day, but they also belly jump into it and cuddle with it. I think the vet is the safest and best option. Also, they most likely will not die within 48 hours if their symptoms aren't fatal. I was panicky as-well when I read that about mine.

ok. Im real scared. Just a 10 min ago he started sneezing and he sneezed like 5 times in a row, and he was pointing his head up while sneezing. I scheduled a vet appointment tomorrow

Allenf said:

ok. Im real scared. Just a 10 min ago he started sneezing and he sneezed like 5 times in a row, and he was pointing his head up while sneezing. I scheduled a vet appointment tomorrow

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Did you happen to notice if he had just dove into the hay pile? Was there any discharge?

I dont know if theres discharge. He wipes his nose area with his hands after though. And it was during the time he was eating hay