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My guinea pig is sneezing. Is this normal or a sign of illness?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Small Animal | Unknown - Small Animal | Female | 3 months and 14 days old

How many times should my guinea pigs sneeze a day

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 25th, 2018

Your guinea pig should not sneeze at all.Sneezing is a sign that there is something in the upper respiratory system that does not belong there. This could be dust, a foreign body or excess mucus or pus. This could mean a broken through abscess or an upper respiratory infection. Make sure her bedding is dust free and observe her for a day or two after changing to dust free bedding and dust free hay (you can wash the hay and feed a small portion at a time....remove what is not eaten after a few hours). If she still keeps sneezing she will need to be seen by a veterinarian.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Bobbi Musgrove, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 21st, 2017

    Guinea pigs are prone to upper respiratory infections from viruses or bacteria in the nasal cavity. Often the first or only symptoms are sneezing. Less often the type of bedding used can be dusty or have particles that can cause irritation and sneezing. If Flo is still eating normally and responding to you as usual, you can monitor the symptoms for a couple days. Most veterinarian's recommend vitamin C supplementation to help keep Guinea pigs generally healthy, so if you are not doing this already, you may want to consider. Your veterinarian should be able to advise you as to how much and how often to give Vit C.

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    Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 27th, 2017

    Provided the nasal discharge is clear, it is likely that this is not related to illness. It could be allergies or he could be sneezing from dust particles from the bedding in his enclosure. I recommend trying a different kind of bedding. If that does not improve the sneezing, you should have your guinea pig checked out by a veterinarian to see if this is related to allergies. If you notice any signs of inappetence or lethargy, you should get him seen sooner rather than later.

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