Odd cough-sneeze-snort-a-ma-jig

[candypigpig]

So after a couple of months of questioning where we were going to be moving to, I've made a nice roomy cage (2x3) for Sanchez. He loves it (though he was in a 2x5 for a good long time. that was before Thadius died). Though lately I've been hearing him do this snort/cough/sneeze noise, and its gotten even more loud tonight. I havent chaged his diet, room temperature, haven't added anything to water, no new pig that might be sick, litterally nothing has changed (besides the bigger cage). Is he doing this because he is sick or just to be funny? His rump kind of does this jump thing when he does it, like you or I would when we sneeze. Any ideas?

 

[this_lil_piggy]

It could be that he is sniffing more since he is in a new environment and has a lot to take in and explore, so maybe he is getting some bedding and hay dust up his nose with all the new checking out.
I would watch him closely though...if he continues to cough/sneeze more than a time or two a day or gets any goop in his eyes/nose then I would have him checked out.

 

[rubies1883]

It might just be hiccups, which should pass. It also may just be a noise your pigger learned to make and has fun making. My vet said that sometimes happens. One of my piggies will just be sitting around and making sounds like he is clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

 

[Fay]

It could also be that he's eating to fast! My piggies sometimes eat too fast and make a snort sound but only rarely. What kind of pellets you feed him? If it has things like seeds and nuts then get rid of it as it could be that he keeps choking on them which could kill them. If you notice your pig digging into the food to quickly and thus eating too fast then try spreading the food more throughout the day so he isn't starving once he gets his food! If however you notice he does this when not eating and starts doing it more regulary it could be that he has a URI or gets dust or hay particles in his nose. Make sure the hay hasn't got too loose little parts in it and that whatever bedding you use (tell us which) isn't too dusty. If you notice any other odd behaviour like less eating, less moving, more crusties in the eyes then see a vet immidiatly. Either way it still might be a good idea to take him to the vet right now to get a check up as well to make sure his lungs and heart sounds alright.

I also hope you find a friend for him soon!

Let us know how it goes.

 

[this_lil_piggy]

I had never heard of a guinea pig hiccuping before. Since they can't vomit, I assumed they couldn't hiccup either. I found a post on GL (Guinea Lynx :: Topic - Hiccups?) and followed the link that was provided there (The Peter Gurney Guinea Pig Pages - Heaving hiccups) to get the information below.

I have put heaving hiccups in because though it is nothing more than an defence mechanism guinea pigs have to clear air blocks, or something which, to use the proverbial term, 'Has gone down the wrong way,' it is very alarming to see the first time around.
The guinea pig will heave up as though it is about to vomit, only it is far more violent and traumatic than the same kind of thing seen in humans. The whole body rocks forward, and I have even seen a couple fall over sideways with the sheer force of it.
The reason it is so much more of a forceful spasm than that seen in the human kind is because it cannot vomit!. In essence anything that goes down it throat can only come out through the back end, the animal's digestive system is designed that way.
The guinea pig can have five or six of these spasms and they can get more violent as they progress, then suddenly there is a hiccup, a cough sometimes and that's it, all over, and it will go back to what it was doing before the heaving started.
By this time, of course, the owner is as likely to be about the throw a wobbly her or himself. I certainly did the first time I saw it. I can only suggest a good stiff Scotch as an excellent restorative, for the owner, that is!

Interesting. I never woulda thunk it.
For ages now I have heard this coughing coming from my boar cage. I never could catch who it was coughing so I harassed them all, checking them daily for weight, consumption, any facial discharge. I never notice any coughing through the day, so I was baffled as to why I would begin hearing coughing at night every night..and then it dawned on me that I was hearing this chorus of coughs after I had put veggies in the cage for the night time feed. It isn't just one pig...all 4 boars cough once or twice each during that veggie time. It is strange sounding, almost like they are coughing and sneezing all at the same time. Whether it is a cough, or a heaving hiccup I am not sure, but I am certain it is a result of them competing to eat the most the fastest.
Their morning veggies, and any treats they get during the day are always given by hand so there is no bulk of veggies to try and eat up the quickest. They are each handed pieces and retreat to opposite corners to eat it up. I have tried scattering their veggies through the cage, and placing them in a line along the cage floor for the night feed but it doesn't help much. They just all scurry around faster trying to keep up with what the other 3 are eating.
I have a little shallow plastic basket that I put their veggies in now, and I am just sure that I don't cut any veggies into small chunks or shreds where they may be able to get too much in their mouth at a time. With everything in larger pieces at least they have to bite off what they can chew. Oddly enough they don't do this cough if I happen to sit by their cage during veggie time either. I guess maybe because they are distracted with coming to the side to see if I am going to hand them something extra, that they aren't as spastic about eating more than each other from the basket. I don't always have the time to sit by them during the night feed though. Silly pigs.

 

[candypigpig]

For substrate I use fleece with towels and care fresh underneath. for pellets I feed him timothy hay pellets. He gets timothy hay in a box (so he has to work for it..not too hard though!) and about a cup of vegies every night and treats though out the day. One thing I did notice last night was that he had gotten into the hay box, he knocked it over and burrowed into it. I didnt even consider that the cough sounds could have been from eating the hay too fast!