“Cooing”?

[RosieLily]

Hi,

I was searching this topic on the forum but found a wide range of answers from quite a few years ago, so I thought I’d post it again.

Lily is a very vocal pig, sometimes, every few months, she starts “cooing” like a little pigeon. She almost sounds like she has a sore throat. It usually starts at night and lasts for max 24h, then she’s back to sounding normal. Vet checks etc detected nothing, ever.

It has happened a couple times. What does it mean? Could it be her airways are disturbed and she needs to have a good sneeze or is there another explanation?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I was searching this topic on the forum but found a wide range of answers from quite a few years ago, so I thought I’d post it again.

Lily is a very vocal pig, sometimes, every few months, she starts “cooing” like a little pigeon. She almost sounds like she has a sore throat. It usually starts at night and lasts for max 24h, then she’s back to sounding normal. Vet checks etc detected nothing, ever.

It has happened a couple times. What does it mean? Could it be her airways are disturbed and she needs to have a good sneeze or is there another explanation?

Thanks for reading.

View attachment 216820

Hi

Unfortunately, without an audio of the sound, it is near impossible for us to tell you what is going on because how people describe sounds is very individual and can be easily misunderstood. Hooting, as which it may be more regularly reported, is in the vast majority of cases just a transient slight obstruction in the nasal ariways.

If you have concerns about respiratory issues, please see whether a bowl of steaming water by the cage can help and whether the heavier heating/drier indoors air due to less airing could be contributing. You can also hold your ear against your piggy's nasal area, the throat and the chest to get an idea where the sound is coming from. Nasal sounds are generally not much to worry about; they usually resolve themselves and only need attention if they persist. Any sounds from the chest, especially crackling, rasping or clicking or heaving breathing should be seen promptly by a vet.

Guinea pig airways are very narrow, so the least obstruction - like a little hay dust - can cause some rather alarming and rather varied sounds. In older piggies the airways can become a bit more flaccid and they can be more sensitive to drier indoors air in the winter.

I hope that this helps you.