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Help! Clicking noise/ Grinding noise? I don’t know

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maddieu

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Hello! Currently my guinea pig Poe is making this strange clicking / grunting sound and I can’t tell whether or not it’s a respiratory thing or a teeth grinding because of pain. I have included a video and I’m not sure what I should do. His poops are also smaller than normal and I noticed that both he and his cage-mate are slightly smaller in size. My Mom had been caring for my pigs for about 10 days because I was out of town and I left very specific instructions but she may have underfed them? I’m not sure. I don’t know if small poop and this strange noise are related but I had Poe sit on my lap to eat so I could monitor how much he was eating. He seems to be drinking and eating and acting like normal but I don’t know what I should do. Can anyone help me?

maddie
 
Update: this video is the sound. It says that this is a respiratory infection, if a pig makes this sound is it definitely that? Is the vet the best option then?
 
Please have your piggy checked by a vet for any breathing issue.

If his poops are getting smaller, then it most usually means hay intake has reduced. This can happen when they don’t feel well. If he has had a lot of hay constantly available to him (as it should be) then she hasn’t underfed him - he has chosen to not eat as much because he doesn’t feel well. Veg and pellets are merely snacks and are only a tiny proportion of what they eat in a day - reducing the amount of veg they eat only has a minimal impact on their weight, reducing hay which is 80-90% of what they eat in a day has a huge impact.
Hay is the most important part of the daily food intake but you can only tell your piggy is eating enough hay by weighing a guinea pig. Weight checks should be done every week as routine care but when you suspect a health issue you switch and instead weigh them every day, at the same time. This enables you to more closely monitor their hay intake and step in with syringe feeding.
Please do now weigh him daily . If he is losing weight and has reduced his hay intake then you must step in and syringe feed him a fibre rich recovery feed or mushed up pellets. You use your weight checks as a guide as to how much syringe feed to give in a 24 hour period - if he loses more weight at the next weight check, then you must increase the amount of syringe feed. This is an emergency/bridging measure until your vet appointment.

the guides below offer further advice

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
I can't add anything to the great and comprehensive advice and further helpful information links from @Piggies&buns .
 
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