Choking On Water Normal?

[BaaaaL]

Hey!

I have two guinea pigs, both female, about 4 months old. Sometimes they start choking/coughing while drinking/eating, and they resume their activities a few seconds after. Is this normal if they are being too greedy? I am certain they do not have any illnesses, as we have taken them to the vet a few days back for some sneezing, where they were checked out by two of the best exotic pet specialists in the country (diagnosis said they are fine, some minor nasal mucus was attributed to dusty bedding, which we are trying to eliminate atm). They are otherwise fine, eating all the time, wheeking, popcorning, etc. Most of the posts say this sort of thing happens to them, but I'm still somewhat concerned. Thanks!

 

[Kallasia]

If it only lasts a few seconds they are probably being greedy like you say. My Binky will occasionally eat a piece of kale or cucumber so fast he does a high pitched cough (scaring me every time!) and then carries on as though nothing happened!

 

[BaaaaL]

Yeah, it is usually either a single cough, or a series of 3-4 coughs separated by a few seconds, but they do not show any different behavior afterwards. They are extremely greedy though, knocking the bowl out of my hand when it's pellet-time, and wheeking like maniacs every time the fridge is opened.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey!

I have two guinea pigs, both female, about 4 months old. Sometimes they start choking/coughing while drinking/eating, and they resume their activities a few seconds after. Is this normal if they are being too greedy? I am certain they do not have any illnesses, as we have taken them to the vet a few days back for some sneezing, where they were checked out by two of the best exotic pet specialists in the country (diagnosis said they are fine, some minor nasal mucus was attributed to dusty bedding, which we are trying to eliminate atm). They are otherwise fine, eating all the time, wheeking, popcorning, etc. Most of the posts say this sort of thing happens to them, but I'm still somewhat concerned. Thanks!

Some guinea pigs are greedy eaters, especially if they come from a background where food has been scarce and something that needed to be gobbled down as quickly as possible to get a fair share of. As your piggies are settling in more and getting regular meals without too much competition, this is hopefully eventually going to settle down.
Perhaps you can train them to eat veg from your hand to help slow them down?

If this is a regular and sustained thing over a long period, coughing when eating can in some rare cases be an indicator for heart or swallowing problems, but generally only in connection with other indicators and not on its own. As yours have just had a thorough vet check, this has already been eliminated.

 

[BaaaaL]

Thanks, that's reassuring! Their back teeth have not been checked, but I believe they are too young to have growth issues with those. Especially, since they mostly do this while drinking, not when chewing solid food. Generally, what other symptoms would I need to keep an eye out for in the case of swallowing and heart issues? I guess one would be loss of weight or weird breathing, but not sure of any others.

EDIT: They are store-bought pigs, so the competition theory is actually making a lot of sense.