Does my guinea pig have a heart condition?

[vvipb]

Hi, I’m new to forums and stuff so bear with me.

So a couple hours ago, I woke up in the night and heard a weird short moaning sound that kept repeating coming from my guinea pig cage, I got my two guinea pigs out (both females) and realised one of them kept on making a hooting kind of sound.

For some context, I got my guinea pigs about a month and a half ago, and I’m pretty sure they are just a few months old. My other guinea pig (Nix) seems fine.

The guinea pig that is making the sounds (Leda) seems otherwise fine. I’m pretty sure she is eating normally, and I think she might have gained a bit of weight but it’s hard to tell since she is so young and is growing.

A couple things that might be worth mentioning is every time I get Leda out of the cage and put her on my lap, she gets loads of random jolts. And she does it more when you stroke her, it’s like she can’t control her body, kind of similar to tics, and she might just be popcorning but I’m not sure.
The second thing is her cage mate, Nix, sometimes bites her. It’s not a serious aggressive bite, it’s more like Nix is asking for personal space because Leda as gotten too close to her. They aren’t bad bites, because Leda has never gotten marks or cuts from them. Just thought that was worth mentioning cause it might be linked to stress, I don’t know?

Anyway, the thing I’m getting to is I researched the noises Leda was making and it said it could be because of a heart condition, respiratory infection and/or kidney problems. There’s probably more causes but those are the ones that I saw the most.
So I was wondering what other people thought and what I should do about it.

I’ve attached links to some videos of the noises Leda was making.

 

[Freela]

That hooting sound can be indicative of a heart problem, but it can also be indicative of a blocked nose or a respiratory issue. If she seems otherwise well (eating well, not sneezing, no eye or nose discharge, etc.) I would try to cut down on dusty hay or bedding and see if it improves. If there are any other symptoms or if it persists for longer than a few days, it's worth a vet check. Once Hadley had on-and-off hooting like that and ended up being treated for a respiratory infection (no other symptoms, just occasional hooting that kept on recurring.) Hope this helps!

 

[Siikibam]

Please have your girl seen by the vet. But, as mentioned above, also make sure they’re not on dusty bedding and the hay is dust extracted.
Vet Locator

 

[Claire W]

Welcome to the forum It could be hay dust irritating her nose as they have such sensitive airways but do have her seen by a vet if it continues

 

[LillyB]

One of my girls was making a very similar noise a few weeks back, which disappeared as soon as she sneezed. It was such a forceful sneeze that it made her jump and she sat blinking at me for a while wondering what had happened! We have have now changed our piggies hay to a dust free hay to avoid the irritation up her nose. Fingers crossed this seems to have worked and we haven't heard the noise since! I hope this works for you - good luck

 

[Kellykels]

I'm having this trouble with my Womble at the moment (Feel free to compare nosies of breathing on the thread "Womble's mysterious symptoms ") He's been treated for a respiratory infection twice with antibiotics, decongestant and painkiller. He also gets nebulised once a day. But we are probably going to take him for a chest x ray at the exotics since it keeps reoccurring.

It was a chest infection the first time and it probably is a upper respiratory now too. But something keeps causing it to come back.

 

[Kellykels]

Hope it gets sorted for you and hope it's something that is easily sorted like hay dust.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I’m new to forums and stuff so bear with me.

So a couple hours ago, I woke up in the night and heard a weird short moaning sound that kept repeating coming from my guinea pig cage, I got my two guinea pigs out (both females) and realised one of them kept on making a hooting kind of sound.

For some context, I got my guinea pigs about a month and a half ago, and I’m pretty sure they are just a few months old. My other guinea pig (Nix) seems fine.

The guinea pig that is making the sounds (Leda) seems otherwise fine. I’m pretty sure she is eating normally, and I think she might have gained a bit of weight but it’s hard to tell since she is so young and is growing.

A couple things that might be worth mentioning is every time I get Leda out of the cage and put her on my lap, she gets loads of random jolts. And she does it more when you stroke her, it’s like she can’t control her body, kind of similar to tics, and she might just be popcorning but I’m not sure.
The second thing is her cage mate, Nix, sometimes bites her. It’s not a serious aggressive bite, it’s more like Nix is asking for personal space because Leda as gotten too close to her. They aren’t bad bites, because Leda has never gotten marks or cuts from them. Just thought that was worth mentioning cause it might be linked to stress, I don’t know?

Anyway, the thing I’m getting to is I researched the noises Leda was making and it said it could be because of a heart condition, respiratory infection and/or kidney problems. There’s probably more causes but those are the ones that I saw the most.
So I was wondering what other people thought and what I should do about it.

I’ve attached links to some videos of the noises Leda was making.

Hi!

The vast majority cases of hooting are just from a partial small temporary obstruction in the nose and will disappear within a few minutes or hours at the most; usually with a big sneeze as hay or other dust is often at the bottom of it. Guinea pig airways are very narrow and they are not good mouth breathers, so every little obstruction in the airways can sound rather dramatic.

The link between hooting and heart disease is one of these never really proven things that have made it into the online collection of urban myths and continue to be handed around and upset especially people with anxiety unnecessarily. If there is a link, the hooting should be repetitive and persistent and be coupled with other symptoms of heart disease, none of which you have mentioned. To be honest, while we see heart piggies on here (it is not quite as common as you may think but it does happen), so far we haven't come across a clear link between hooting and heart disease in nearly 15 years of existence and in this time literally tens of thousands of piggies passing through here.

If the hooting is not going away anytime soon or is happening very often or if it is becoming raspy or crackly (potential symptoms of URI), please review your hay brand, bedding and potential irritants in the room and see a vet if none of these measures does help.
Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)