Coughing Gagging motion with mouth?

[bonthelittlepig]

Hello! For the past few days one of my guinea pigs has been making a rather odd gesture with his mouth. It’s in between a sort of gagging motion (without hunching over) and a chewing motion, as if he were eating peanut butter, and usually followed by chewing. It’s usually while he’s eating, like he’s trying to get something out of the back of his mouth. He has been acting completely normal, eating fine, drinking fine and pooping fine but i wasn’t sure if this was anything of concern. Thanks!

 

[Soecara]

Sounds like he might be getting some food stuck in his back teeth. I've seen my guinea pigs do it very rarely. If it keeps up or he develops other symptoms it might be worth getting him in for a check up to check his teeth.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Yep. Good bet he may be developing dental issues. How old is he and what is his diet like?

 

[bpatters]

Don't put off the dental visit. Find a good exotic vet with rodent dental experience and get him checked out. If his molars are giving him problems, they will NOT get better, and things will only continue to go downhill.

 

[bonthelittlepig]

Hello! sorry for the late update, everything is good!
I have kept an eye on him for the past couple weeks, and he is doing just fine. I haven’t seen the gagging thing since, even when eating. Seems like he most likely had something stuck in his teeth that he was trying to get out and finally did. We did not take him to the vet because everything seemed fine and i did not notice anything concerning, but that doesn’t mean i have completely cleared him. If any other symptoms had arose and he was acting stranger than usual i would not hesitate to take him. I’ve still been keeping watch over him and haven’t noticed anything else at all out of the ordinary. His incisors are normal and he’s eating and drinking and pooping fine. Will still keep a look out if anything else pops up, however!
thank you so much for all of the advice, it really did help a lot!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

It sounds as though you may be right, and he did have something stuck. But to be on the safe side, you should be weighing him at the very least weekly. Weight loss is the first indication of a health problem with a pig. Get yourself a digital kitchen scale that measures in grams, and make sure his weight stays stable