Sneezing Sneezing Guinea pig

[Willie]

Hi,

We have 2 guinea pigs and one of them started sneezing a few days ago, i'm
not sure if it's a bad thing or not. He's still very playfull and doesn't have any
nasal discharge, i read that some sneezing is (as with humans) normal.
I just want to be sure, that's why i'm asking here. He sneezes a few times a day.

Could he be allergic to the bedding we use? We use a combination of pellets, sawdust and normal hay.
I was thinking of using corbo instead of the sawdust, but i'm not sure if it would be
suitable because it isn't as soft as sawdust.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

It may be URI since they are from a pet store https://www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

 

[Willie]

Thanks, I did find the same link you gave me.
The thing is that it's just an ocasional sneeze, he does eat and drink. I just put fresh hay
in their cage and he was the first one to start eating
He looks healthy and is playfull. I'm not sure if that kind of behaviour would fit if he has URI? Or am I wrong?

 

[Peggysu]

What kind of bedding are you using. What is the sawdust?

 

[Seonta]

If you do some searching to read about URI's and illnesses in guineapigs in general you will learn that they do not "stop playing", running, etc. until they are seriously ill. This is because, and I am saying this in words that many members on here have used, guinea pigs are prey animals and prey animals who act sick are more easily targeted by predators.
Sawdust is not good to use as bedding, hay is also not good as bedding, it's good for food but not for bedding. This is because if they are peeing and pooping on it and then eating it, it's not healthy... yet alone sanitary.
If you are wanting a "soft" bedding you should look into the fleece threads about using fleece as bedding.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Sawdust can cause respiratory problems. Change the bedding to something that is not dusty and if he still is sneezing then a vet visit is in order. Also sometimes the only symptom of a URI can be sneezing.

What is corbo? I've never heard of it.

 

[Dichotomy83]

It "could" be from the sawdust.
Or maybe even from dust in the hay.
It also could be from eating too fast.

Actually, my boar Pepper has a weird quirk and will let out a single sneeze/cough sometimes when he gets really excited.



BUT it could also signal illness or a URI. Truth is you wont know until you take him into a cavy savvy vet to get checked out.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Eating too fast causes choking and coughing, not sneezing.

 

[Willie]

What kind of bedding are you using. What is the sawdust?

It doesn't say, we use it for our hamster and he seems happy with it.

I'm not really comfortable using fleece, it doesn't seem natural and i dont think
I should use something i'm not comfortable with.
One of our pigs tends to chew on our towels when we let them sit with us, we
use towels because they tend to pee on us
We stop them from chewing, but if i put something like that in the cage i can't
keep track of them when/if they start chewing.

Corbo is made from corn (not the kernels, but the centre itself), i'm not sure
how to explain this so i added a picture of it.
I was planning on buying it tomorow and use it as a replacement for the sawdust and
see if he would stop sneezing.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Corn cob bedding isn't suitable for guinea pigs.

Fleece is one of the healthiest bedding there is for our cavies. It does require more maintenance than any other bedding though.

I would suggest getting rid of the sawdust stuff, don't use corbo and get some type of bedding that is made from recycled paper products such as carefresh or yesterday's news.

 

[lissie]

Corn is not a good bedding. Try paper based product. Are you in UK? I did a google search for Corbo and only found it on UK sites. If you're in UK, try megasorb horse bedding.

 

[Willie]

Megazorb or CareFresh may swell when wet, so if ingested it can cause a
problem blockage or choking etc

I read this in the "The Fleece Project: The Study", so i guess using that as a replacement
is out of the question.

I'm from The Netherlands, I did find "Yesterday's news" in a webshop. So I'll look for it
in a store tomorow. But can they comfortably walk on it? They look like pellets.

 

[KingBoris]

I would recommend fleece, my 13 boys are on it and its great.
Its soft on there feet, looks great, great for hayfever/dust allergies which 3 of my pigs have and have dramatically improved since I took them off hay bedding, they sneezed alot too, It's also cost effective as you pay for the fleece and then only the liquid to wash it each time.

May I also make a small comment that its possible seeing as they were from a petshop they might be sick.
Goodluck

 

[Seonta]

I'm not really comfortable using fleece, it doesn't seem natural and i dont think
I should use something i'm not comfortable with.

Not to be offensive but: If you are feeding them hay from a bag that is not "natural" either.

 

[akstrohm]

Carefresh is safe to use. Yes, it could cause a problem if ingested, but this is very unlikely.

Other options include aspen, kiln-dried pine, yesterday's news, and fleece. No type of bedding is "natural"--the kind of guinea pigs kept as pets doesn't even live in the wild, and their ancestors lived on dirt, grass, rocks, etc. which would not make a good bedding indoors. Rather than worrying about what is natural, focus on finding something safe, comfortable for the pigs, and convenient.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

It's a very slim chance that pigs will eat carefresh, megazorb or other beddings.

You cannot compare domesticated cavies with their wild cousins. The ones we have as pets don't have to fend for themselves nor are they allowed to roam free as their wild cousins. Most of our pet cavies would not survive if turned loose.

 

[Willie]

Not to be offensive but: If you are feeding them hay from a bag that is not "natural" either.

Like I said, I wouldn't be comfortable using it. Would you use something for your
pets if you had any doubts or felt uncomfortable? I bet you wouldn't.

I know I can't judge because I haven't tried it, but I also haven't tried all the other options
out there that i do feel comfortable about (even if you may think that comfort is misplaced).

Besides, it wasn't my intention to compare domestic pigs with the ones that live in the wild.

 

[Peggysu]

Fleece is so easy to use it's not even funny. Also it saves a ton of money. I'd have no money if I didn't use fleece. Yes it's high maintenance, but I hated cleaning loose bedding from the cage it was always such a mess. Now I just roll it up and take it outside to shake it out and then through it in the wash.

 

[2pigs2kids]

Just curious- what about the fleece makes you uncomfortable?

 

[Willie]

One of our piggies eats the towels we put him on when we take him out of the cage, so the reason
I'm not comfortable using fleece as a bedding is that he might chew on/eat it and I doubt that
would be healthy.
I know a lot of people do use it, without any problems. But IF something happens I would be
the one having to deal with it.