sneezing etc.

Question
We have 2 guinea pigs (one we got 3 weeks ago -about 8 weeks old, and one we got 1 week ago- about 6 weeks old). One has been sneezing, so we changed the bedding from pine shavings to carefresh. He is still sneezing, possibly less, but has not stopped.  Now our second pig has eye and nose crusties.  we are making sure they are not near any drafts.  Is it a cold?  Will they get better on their own?  What can we do? Any info. would be greatly appreciated. Andrea

Answer
Hello Andrea,

The best best is taking them to your vet immeadiately. It sounds as though htye both have a "cold". More likely they have one of the many eyes/nose/ears infections that GPs are prone to that we can call a cold. If not aggressively treated with antibiotics, the GPs can quickly become bad off.

I doubt that the pine bedding is a problem. Most GPs are completely content in pine. Some people dislike using cedar and I have never had the need to. Artificial bedding made from recycled paper is best but expensive. Drafts can be bad for GPs but temps above 55 F suit GPs just fine.

In the future, after this issue is taken care, if you ever see symptoms in one GP, make sure to quarentine it from your herd. GPs illnesses are highly contagious in such a social little animal.

Good luck to you and I hope I hope I helped,
Ryan
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