sorry another question...sneezing

Question
I wrote to you the other day about my gp`s red eyes,well she seems to be doing great,still a little nervous but then iv only had her a week,well the thing is i had her out for a while yesterday & today and she seems to be sneezing quite a bit,in every other way she seems fine,shes not kept near a draft,and i but warm bedding in her house,im not sure if the back rooms to cold for her,i keep two hamsters in there and there fine,could it be the hay or sawdust?any ideas,thanks again Jo.

Answer
Hello Jo,

Some sneezing is completely normal, just as with humans. However, if your guinea pig is sneezing all the time, or is sneezing a lot in combination with other symptoms, she may then have a bacterial infection or other illness.

If she is sniffling, wheezing, constant sneezing, runny nose then your guinea pig probably has a bacterial infection or other illness. If it doesn't clear up on its own in a day or two, take her to a vet because she may need to be given antibiotics before she will get better. Make sure your vet never prescribes Amoxicillin, because it's deadly to guinea pigs and some vets don't realize this. If the vet prescribes any sort of antibiotic, you should give her a supplement of lactobacillus acidophilus (you can find this in health food stores) or live culture yogurt, so that the antibiotic doesn't kill the good bacteria in the stomach that enable digestion. Also, make sure she has plenty of water and that the room is kept at a constant comfortable temperature, neither too warm nor too cold.

Remember though that the occasional sneeze is completely normal, also she could be sneezing due to an allergy of some sort. If she shows any of the signs of illness above then watch her a few days and see if it doesn't clear up. If not then take her down to see an exotic vet.

Take care now and I hope this helps,
               Jules