Why is my guinea pig making this noise?!

[Gracekunkle579]

Hi!
I’m new to this forum, I have a 5 year old piggy, he’s never had any problems. Lastnight he started making this noise not sure how to describe it so I linked a video below. Should I be worried? Is this normal? Should I take him to thevet

 

[uuupigs]

i think it sounds like hooting, which i think is something that is very very rare in piggies. i have personally never heard it in any pig. i’m not sure what may be causing this sound, but you should definitely take him to the vet just in case!

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Hi!
I’m new to this forum, I have a 5 year old piggy, he’s never had any problems. Lastnight he started making this noise not sure how to describe it so I linked a video below. Should I be worried? Is this normal? Should I take him to thevet

It does sound like hooting to me however it’s usually an indication of illness such as heart issue or respiratory. My advice is a vet trip, I would also start weighing your piggy regularly at the same time during the day that way you get a real indication if something is going on.

 

[Wiebke]

i think it sounds like hooting, which i think is something that is very very rare in piggies. i have personally never heard it in any pig. i’m not sure what may be causing this sound, but you should definitely take him to the vet just in case!

Hi and welcome

I am sorry, I can't hear anything.

In the vast majority of cases hooting is the result of a mild obstruction in the nose (hay or bedding dust, pollen etc) that goes away on its own or when the irritant is sneezed out. The airways are very narrow and small. guinea pigs are also not good mouth breathers so even the tiniest blockage can sound alarming.

However, unlike wide-spread comments of a connection between hooting and heart disease, this is one of those many online urban myths that has not borne out in practice over the last decade and that should at the most only be considered if there are other symptoms of heart disease present. Heart disease is pretty rare by by the way; your piggy definitely doesn't have it!

See a vet if the hooting happens repeatedly or doesn't go away on its own within a few hours.

 

[Freela]

It sounds like hooting, which can be from a nasal irritant or potentially a respiratory infection. If it keeps on recurring, it's worth a vet check. If it's a one-off, it's probably something in the nasal cavity. I've heard hooting as a one-off on several occasions, the time that Hadley had it recurrently on and off it turned out to be a low-grade respiratory infection that needed antibiotics.