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Guinea Pig Puking After Eating :(

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Mirandapayne

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My guinea pig has been making strange gag like sounds after eating for the past few weeks now. I glanced and it wasn’t a huge concern in the beginning, I didn’t even know it was after he was eating. But today I’ve noticed he was puking while making these sounds. It wasn’t that much, but he puked about 3 times in small amounts. I tried picking him up but he’s made it super obvious he doesn’t wanna be touched so it’s hard to tell if he’s lost weight. I’m freaking out, I don’t have a vet for him. It’s hard to find a vet around here that treats guinea pigs. Help please
 
What is it eating, and u should really visit a vet if it isnt any in your town then u should go to another town.
 
Mirandapayne said:
My guinea pig has been making strange gag like sounds after eating for the past few weeks now. I glanced and it wasn’t a huge concern in the beginning, I didn’t even know it was after he was eating. But today I’ve noticed he was puking while making these sounds. It wasn’t that much, but he puked about 3 times in small amounts. I tried picking him up but he’s made it super obvious he doesn’t wanna be touched so it’s hard to tell if he’s lost weight. I’m freaking out, I don’t have a vet for him. It’s hard to find a vet around here that treats guinea pigs. Help please
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Firstly guinea pigs are not capable of vomiting so what you are seeing leaving your guinea pigs mouth is not vomit- could you describe a little more on what it looks like etc.

Secondly, it is normal for a guinea pig to cough after eating or during as they sometimes eat a little fast or get bits stuck- if it is happening alot then it isn't normal.

I would see a vet asap. It could be that your guinea pig is just coughing after eating but the not wanting to be touched could be a sign he/her is in pain. The only other thing I can think that could potentially be wrong and would need sorting by a vet is the teeth- the back molars might be overgrown or causing issues with chewing.


Is the guinea pig able to eat at all? It is important that guinea pigs keep their gut moving and eating alot during the day is neccessary for this. If no eating is occurring and you are not yet able to see a vet then you may have to syringe feed some mashes up pellets until the vet is seen.


Do you live in the UK or US or somewhere else? We may have other members living in your country who could recommend a vet.
 
Mirandapayne said:
My guinea pig has been making strange gag like sounds after eating for the past few weeks now. I glanced and it wasn’t a huge concern in the beginning, I didn’t even know it was after he was eating. But today I’ve noticed he was puking while making these sounds. It wasn’t that much, but he puked about 3 times in small amounts. I tried picking him up but he’s made it super obvious he doesn’t wanna be touched so it’s hard to tell if he’s lost weight. I’m freaking out, I don’t have a vet for him. It’s hard to find a vet around here that treats guinea pigs. Help please
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Hi! Your guinea pig REALLY needs to see a vet. Guinea pigs, like all rodents, don't have a vomit reflex. If stuff comes out of the mouth again it means that it cannot go down the right way for some reason (overgrown back teeth, thrush in the mouth, blockage etc.) and that it is a serious problem.

Guinea pigs eating too greedily can cough after a meal if things have gone down the wrong way, but they are generally not bringing up food.

Here is a video how you can pick up your boy and weigh him without touching him: How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
 
Like other rodents, guinea pigs do not have a reflex to allow for vomiting. So what you are seeing is not your guinea pig throwing up. It sounds to me as though there is something preventing your guinea pigs from properly chewing and swallowing, and I would be very suspicious for overgrowth and other issues of the rear molars. Now is the time to research and find a vet that has experience in treating guinea pig dental issues (look for a vet that bills themselves as working in 'exotics' if you are in North America- guinea pigs are considered an exotic pet in vet circles!) If there is no one who has done guinea pig dental treatment, see if anyone has done rabbit dental work, as the issues are often similar. Dental problems are not going to resolve themselves and your piggie really does need an expert assessment and treatment at this point.
 
What is your guinea pig eating? What brand of food? The food could be too large and your pig may be having trouble trying to consume it. Hard to say. I'm sorry there is not a vet in your area but if there is any way to get to one, I would highly recommend it. I wish you and your piggy the best of luck.
 
LaurenKaye said:
What is your guinea pig eating? What brand of food? The food could be too large and your pig may be having trouble trying to consume it. Hard to say. I'm sorry there is not a vet in your area but if there is any way to get to one, I would highly recommend it. I wish you and your piggy the best of luck.
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I’ve changed it to just plain pellets when I noticed this but it did not change anything. However, I observed him eating today and despite him taking longer to chew than his brother he seemed fine. Should I still be concerned?
 
Jesse's pigs said:
Firstly guinea pigs are not capable of vomiting so what you are seeing leaving your guinea pigs mouth is not vomit- could you describe a little more on what it looks like etc.

Secondly, it is normal for a guinea pig to cough after eating or during as they sometimes eat a little fast or get bits stuck- if it is happening alot then it isn't normal.

I would see a vet asap. It could be that your guinea pig is just coughing after eating but the not wanting to be touched could be a sign he/her is in pain. The only other thing I can think that could potentially be wrong and would need sorting by a vet is the teeth- the back molars might be overgrown or causing issues with chewing.


Is the guinea pig able to eat at all? It is important that guinea pigs keep their gut moving and eating alot during the day is neccessary for this. If no eating is occurring and you are not yet able to see a vet then you may have to syringe feed some mashes up pellets until the vet is seen.


Do you live in the UK or US or somewhere else? We may have other members living in your country who could recommend a vet.
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He was coughing up a brownish liquid. Maybe spit and chewed up pellets? I noticed today he can has been eating normally just taking a while to chew, comparing to his brother. I have not heard him coughing up anything today but I was not home for a few hours today. I’m in the US in upstate New York.
 
If his chewing seems slow or abnormal this means he may have a serious problem with his teeth.
He really does need to be seen by a vet as soon as possible, as tooth problems in guinea pigs can get out of control very quickly.
Can you search on vets in your area, and call a couple to find out if they see guinea pigs?
 
You need to get your piggy to a vet. ASAP if something is blocking his airway, or if his back teeth have over grown his tongue. It must be a vet, there is nothing you can do. Good luck.
 
Mirandapayne said:
He was coughing up a brownish liquid. Maybe spit and chewed up pellets? I noticed today he can has been eating normally just taking a while to chew, comparing to his brother. I have not heard him coughing up anything today but I was not home for a few hours today. I’m in the US in upstate New York.
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It sounds like overgrown premolars. When they overgrow they form a bridge and trap the tongue so your guinea pig can no longer swallow properly. It is basically slowly starving to death. Salivating and chewing very slowly and letting food it cannot process fall out of its mouth are strong indicators of dental problems; if saliva is mixed with crud, then it can be coloured.

Please start syringe feeding and watering your guinea pig asap. You need to do sow slowly and in small batches so it can swallow what you give, about 1/10 of a 1 ml syringe (which you can get from a pharmacy). If you feed mushed up pellets before you can get hold of recovery formula, then you need to prep the syringe as shown in our guide. You can feed liquidised veg, but please keep in mind that 80% of the daily diet should be hay to prevent gut problems - and your piggy is likely not getting that. That is what the hay based recovery powder is for.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

However, this is only a supportive measure until your piggy's teeth have been sorted, which is usually taking some time even after the original treatment. You need to see an exotics vet with experience in either guinea pig or at least rabbit dentals, so it won't cheap. :(
Recommended vets for NY: Veterinarians: New York - Guinea Lynx Records
 
The teeth problem would be a good point. His teeth may be overgrown and he can't fully process the food into his mouth. Does he have chew toys like wood in his cage available to him? If he doesn't then he will need guinea pig safe toys like that. they should be labeled to help with teeth.

Until then, if his teeth are the problem, a vet can trim them.

Sorry I'm just replying now. How is he doing?
 
My guinea pig, Pipey, made weird noises a couple times once and then spat in his mouth, and chewed. What happened?
 
I agree with everyone else, your piggy really needs to see a vet. Sending healing vibes.
 
Freela said:
Like other rodents, guinea pigs do not have a reflex to allow for vomiting. So what you are seeing is not your guinea pig throwing up. It sounds to me as though there is something preventing your guinea pigs from properly chewing and swallowing, and I would be very suspicious for overgrowth and other issues of the rear molars. Now is the time to research and find a vet that has experience in treating guinea pig dental issues (look for a vet that bills themselves as working in 'exotics' if you are in North America- guinea pigs are considered an exotic pet in vet circles!) If there is no one who has done guinea pig dental treatment, see if anyone has done rabbit dental work, as the issues are often similar. Dental problems are not going to resolve themselves and your piggie really does need an expert assessment and treatment at this point.
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Guinea pigs are not rodents
 
Guinea pigs are in fact part of the rodent family and I don’t know why some people have such a problem with that. All rodents are cute and cuddly, I’ve had loads ranging from rats, gerbils, hamsters and a degu

But this is an old thread from over a year ago and this isn’t the question the OP was asking ;)
 
Then why aren't rabbits rodents? The rabbits look so much like guinea pigs, hamsters and rats.🐇=🐀?
 
NuggetPipey said:
Then why aren't rabbits rodents? The rabbits look so much like guinea pigs, hamsters and rats.🐇=🐀?
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Rabbits (lagormorphs) are very closely related to rodents, but scientists have decided to classify them in their own category (along with a couple of similar species) because of very subtle differences in their teeth. I have heard that some scientists think that cavies (including guinea pigs) also deserve their own category because of differences between them and other rodents, but as of right now they are still classed as rodents.
 
Guinea pigs should get their own category, because rodents are usually mice and rats that scurry around your house, eat all the food, and have incredible sharp teeth. I hate the label "rodent" for guinea pigs.
 
NuggetPipey said:
Guinea pigs should get their own category, because rodents are usually mice and rats that scurry around your house, eat all the food, and have incredible sharp teeth. I hate the label "rodent" for guinea pigs.
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A lot of animals fall under the 'rodent' category... not just rats and mice, but hamsters, gerbils, degus, kangaroo rats, beavers, capybaras, maras, squirrels, chipmunks... they are actually the largest branch of all mammals and are very successful animals in evolutionary terms, so hopefully the guinea pigs don't feel maligned by their inclusion in the group! ;)
 
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