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Sneezing 5 month old sneezing since adoption, how to help her?

ThePiggieLover

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Hi!, My baby, Button, has been sneezing since we got her (at 1 month) she has no other symptoms (no nasal discharge,no dull eyes/coat,no abnormal behavior, she is eating) and is acting COMPLETELY normal aside from sneezing I'd say 15-20 times a day. Her bedding is fleece. Her cage mate is not sneezing. Anyone have any idea what is up? Or how I can help her? Sneezing seems to be getting worse and more frequent.
 

MerryFriarTuck

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Hi!, My baby, Button, has been sneezing since we got her (at 1 month) she has no other symptoms (no nasal discharge,no dull eyes/coat,no abnormal behavior, she is eating) and is acting COMPLETELY normal aside from sneezing I'd say 15-20 times a day. Her bedding is fleece. Her cage mate is not sneezing. Anyone have any idea what is up? Or how I can help her? Sneezing seems to be getting worse and more frequent.

One of my piggies did almost exactly the same thing! ( except it lasted only about 3 weeks )

He was the same age when we got him, about a month. He also acted fine in every way: no discharge, clear breathing, active, and eating well. We talked to our vet, and they thought he was ok as long as there were no other symptoms. I think it could have been two things:

1. Possibly stress? After a couple weeks, when he had settled in and got used to us/his cage/etc, the sneezing got better, then stopped.

2. We had a normal, guinea pig size water bottle for him. When he was young, his mouth was too little for it, and every time he drank he was getting a face full/nose full of water.We added a hamster sized water bottle as well, and he always chose it. He stopped getting water on his face and it seemed to really help!

I don't have any experience with a truly sick piggy, so I can't say 100% sure it's the same thing happening to Button. I've heard switching the type of hay can help, especially if it's a dusty variety, but I don't know if it's true. Hope this helps! :)
 

bpatters

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It's possible she's allergic to her hay, or the hay is dusty.

You can try rinsing the hay off, but you'll have to be diligent about removing it after a couple of hours because it can easily grow mold.

Or, you can try a different kind of hay.

If you're buying it in small sacks at the pet store, that's usually the oldest, driest hay around, and can cause problems. If you can find some good fresh green hay, it would be worth trying.
 

MerryFriarTuck

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We used to get Kaytee Timothy hay. It could get really dusty toward the bottom of the bags. We switched to Oxbow timothy hay, and it's much fresher, softer, and not dusty at all. We buy their bulk (I believe it's 50 lbs ) box, our piggies love it!
 

ThePiggieLover

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We used to get Kaytee Timothy hay. It could get really dusty toward the bottom of the bags. We switched to Oxbow timothy hay, and it's much fresher, softer, and not dusty at all. We buy their bulk (I believe it's 50 lbs ) box, our piggies love it!
Right now I use Kaytee but I am definitely going to switch to Oxbow. Hopefully Button will decide it is tasteful and will change her sneezing habits.
 

bpatters

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Anything Kaytee is pretty much crap. But buying hay online is WAY cheaper than buying it in a pet store, and buying from a farmer is WAY cheaper still. In Minnesota, you should be able to find a farmer with hay. If you buy online, Small Pet Select and American Pet Diner are both good, and you might be able to get boxed Oxbow sent to a store for pickup.
 
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