Sick Guinea?

Question
My guinea s high pitched  excited about treats  squeek is sounding raspy.  I don t know if it was from  over  squeeking lately because of treats or if it s because she is sick/has a cold?  I have heard her sneeze twice over the past few days.  Other than that.. things seem to be normal.  She s eating lots of carrots and lettuce.. (been treating her to more because I m afraid she  is  sick).  Doesn t seem to be drinking or eating pellets as much.. but may be because she s full from the veggies and getting h20 from the veggies too.  Do you think I should take her to the vet for the raspy squeek?  Her other noises.. her purrr and her happy/quiet squeek are normal.

Answer
Hi Dev,

I think the diet needs to be refined a little first. Lettuce, carrot and pellets don't make for a very good diet, and may be contributing to any illness she may have.

Some good every day foods:-

*Lettuces - romaine, endive, escarole, radicchio, mizuna, lamb's lettuce, rocket, red leaf/lollo rosso, red batavia etc. AVOID ICEBERG though, as this is mostly water with poor nutritonal content.
*Cabbages - only a couple of leafs a day.
*Chard - swiss and red are popular.
*Coriander/cilantro - a good handful a day contains lots of Vitamin C.
*Peppers - red, orange, yellow and green. No seeds or stalk to be fed.
*Corn husks and silks - the green leafy bit and stringy bit of corn-on-the-cob
*Courgette/zucchini.
*Cucumber.

Carrots should be limited in the diet due to the high calcium and vitamin A content.

How often do you feed veggies? You should give your guinea at least one handful of veggies every day. Personally I feed mine a lot more than that - between them my four get one plate of veggies twice a day. The minimum is one handful though. Also aim to offer at least 3 different veggies every day for variety.

Also ensure that your piggy has lots and lots of hay 24/7 - hay is essential in their diet and they need it available to them constantly.

Does your piggy live outdoors? Is she exposed to draughts? Has she recently had a bath? All these can contribute to respiratory illness.
If the appetite has decreased then I would get her checked out at the vets. I can't say if she is ill as it's hard to diagnose her without seeing and hearing her. A vet is your best option. Don't leave it too late either; if it is a respiratory illness it needs treating sooner rather than later.

Best Wishes,

- Laura