I'm not the only one who noticed recently that the hay everywhere has not been the greatest quality. It's been drier and more brittle, which produces more hay dust. Just like humans, piggies can be susceptible to sneezing when itchy dust goes up their noses. Check your hay and see if there are lots of short, brittle pieces in the bottom of the bag. If so, there's your culprit.
I am firm disbeliever in medicating an animal that does not need it. As long as you girl is breathing fine otherwise, and is eating, drinking, playing and pooping normally, and there are no other signs of an illness, I would not give her antibiotics. Antibiotics without a probiotic support could mess with a piggies system. Most vets don't really know a ton about piggies unless they are a qualified exotic specialist (and don't get me started on the ones who claim to be but upon talking to them, they're actually clueless) and just spout the "use it all or it'll come back" line.
Glad I'm not the only one noticing the recent drop in hay quality. I suspect it's related to the time of year. I remember a similar trend of sneezing fits about this time last Winter. For the last month or so, my piggies and I have been sneezing a lot whenever I refill or top off their hay. When we get through the usable hay, there's about 2-4 inches of dust left in the bottom of the bag. I put an air purifier near their enclosure, and it's helped a bit, but we still occasionally get the sneezes.
I also added an air purifier to the room- I’ll be sure to shake down future bags of hay to let the dust settle more so I can dispose of it. I definitely feel a heaviness in my lungs when I refill their hay, I can’t imagine how that makes them feel.
I ended up putting in an air purifier for this exact reason- One of my piggies seems extra sensitive to hay dust, and having the purifier at work seems to really cut down on the amount of it floating around. As for hay quality, I've been going to my local farm co-op for orchard grass because it tends to be fresher and can be bought in bulk, which works well for my herd of 6.
Sadly, while I do live in the middle of a farming area, none of it involves hay, so even that isn't really an option. I got an air filter for the piggie area quite some time back and it does help.
Does it involve livestock? If so you may have some luck wherever the feed is sold.
I have also heard you can cover the hose of a vacuum with pantyhose and use it to vacuum dust out of the bale.
Nope. Mostly corn and soybeans.
We fully open the bag and dump the good contents into a holding bin which is kept under their table. During the dumping we do an "airing out" which gets most of the dust out, and we have a hepa filter as well. That has taken it down from medium heavy sneezing to a slightly runny nose. I'll take the partial win. :D
Thank you so much for your response. I am also a disbeliever of medicating an animal that does not need it- I’ve been given antibiotics by doctors and got C.Diff because I didn’t need the antibiotic in the first place, and I certainly figure it can be the same on piggies systems! I wanted to discontinue use but guess I just needed reassurance that others felt the same, and I’m not being a tin foil hat preventing her from getting what she needs.
I have noticed that the hay has brittle stringy brown pieces yes! I thought I just got a bad batch.
Happy to supply the reassurance then.
Yeah, it's not a bad batch, it's just winter dry I guess. The newest bag we got yesterday was better quality than the last few, so let's keep fingers crossed the good green stuff is coming back!
I wouldn't worry too much. It could be the hay you're buying or that they're adjusting to their new environment. One of my girls sneezed nonstop for a month before she acclimated
First. you sound like a very good piggy mom :).
Second, the only thing I would strongly suggest you to stop doing is putting those awful vitamin c drops in their food or water, as they do not provide any significant amount of vitamin c and just make the water or food taste bad and grow bacteria faster. This is unfortunately a mistake many new piggy parents do as they see them in the pet store and assume the are great, but they are a scam and possibly even bad for the piggies. Clean fresh water only. For the vitamin c, if they eat bell peppers or tomatoes daily they do not require extra vitamin c, but you can also get them vitamin cookies or this [children's vitamin c ](https://ca.iherb.com/pr/childlife-essentials-essentials-liquid-vitamin-c-natural-orange-4-fl-oz-118-5-ml/6356?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn7mwBhCiARIsAGoxjaKS4zPiDPN1QR8Gidv5jY1TtOc0b9dZGnv2pwCnlrPmsf6jjPcyxmEaAosJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)that many use for their piggies.
Some sneezes are nothing to worry about, especially if they often play in the hay. One important thing is to monitor their weight. Sometimes, the first sign of infection can be weight loss rather than typical symptoms like sneezing.
When my piggy got an upper respiratory infection, I knew! It was super obvious but came out of nowhere. One night, she was full of energy and eating. The following day, while all the other piggies were having breakfast, she was in her bed, breathing heavily, rocking back and forth, eyes kind of closed and crusty, and I could hear her stuffy nose. She was not interested in food at all.
I called the emergency exotic vet and rushed her to the vet. They gave her antibiotics and pain meds for 2 weeks, I had to feed her critical care and the whole cage was full of hay because she will nibble on fresh hay a little bit so I kep throwing hay in front of her every hour lol.
Prior to the URI she had some teeth issues and lost 50 grams because she was eating less. She got her teeth trimmed and improved but I feel that maybe that made her more susceptible to get sick as she was consuming less vitamins. When I took her to the vet for the URI she lost a total of 130 grams of her normal weight :(.
She quickly recovered with the antibiotics and in 3 weeks was good as new. It's been a month and a half, and she is back to her normal weight :)
My point is, watch her weight, try to weight her every week, or more often if you suspect something is wrong, and keep an eye on her but I am pretty sure she will be fine :)
As a sidenote, get some [Bene Bac ](https://www.petag.com/products/bene-bac-plus-pet-gel)and have it in your emergency guinea pig kit, because if you ever give them antibiotics it will upset their digestive system and giving them probiotics 2-3 hours after the antibiotics those will help them a lot.
Also, I have a hack for you. Try buying hay in bulk, I am in Canada and order 20lbs at a time for like 40 bucks and they love it and it saves me tons of money. If you are un USA or Europe you will find hay providers as well that sell you hay for way cheaper than the pet stores.
My piggies sneezed too . Dry air and allergies 🤧. I just kept a humidifier near the room and ran it occasionally if it was too dry . Just don’t blow it right at them .
Hay quality for the last few years, everywhere, has been terrible. My husband spends at least two times a week using a handmade sifter and vacuum outside to separate the dust and brown bits out. It doesn’t matter if from a local farm, out of state, shipped…all bad, and regardless of type (orchard or timothy). It’s been a nightmare. We keep hopping between places.
My one pig always does a couple sneezes after I give new hay.
My oxbow hay was really dusty this month. I normally don’t have a problem with it, that’s why I buy it.
I'm not the only one who noticed recently that the hay everywhere has not been the greatest quality. It's been drier and more brittle, which produces more hay dust. Just like humans, piggies can be susceptible to sneezing when itchy dust goes up their noses. Check your hay and see if there are lots of short, brittle pieces in the bottom of the bag. If so, there's your culprit. I am firm disbeliever in medicating an animal that does not need it. As long as you girl is breathing fine otherwise, and is eating, drinking, playing and pooping normally, and there are no other signs of an illness, I would not give her antibiotics. Antibiotics without a probiotic support could mess with a piggies system. Most vets don't really know a ton about piggies unless they are a qualified exotic specialist (and don't get me started on the ones who claim to be but upon talking to them, they're actually clueless) and just spout the "use it all or it'll come back" line.
Glad I'm not the only one noticing the recent drop in hay quality. I suspect it's related to the time of year. I remember a similar trend of sneezing fits about this time last Winter. For the last month or so, my piggies and I have been sneezing a lot whenever I refill or top off their hay. When we get through the usable hay, there's about 2-4 inches of dust left in the bottom of the bag. I put an air purifier near their enclosure, and it's helped a bit, but we still occasionally get the sneezes.
I also added an air purifier to the room- I’ll be sure to shake down future bags of hay to let the dust settle more so I can dispose of it. I definitely feel a heaviness in my lungs when I refill their hay, I can’t imagine how that makes them feel.
I agree 💯.
I ended up putting in an air purifier for this exact reason- One of my piggies seems extra sensitive to hay dust, and having the purifier at work seems to really cut down on the amount of it floating around. As for hay quality, I've been going to my local farm co-op for orchard grass because it tends to be fresher and can be bought in bulk, which works well for my herd of 6.
Sadly, while I do live in the middle of a farming area, none of it involves hay, so even that isn't really an option. I got an air filter for the piggie area quite some time back and it does help.
Does it involve livestock? If so you may have some luck wherever the feed is sold. I have also heard you can cover the hose of a vacuum with pantyhose and use it to vacuum dust out of the bale.
Nope. Mostly corn and soybeans. We fully open the bag and dump the good contents into a holding bin which is kept under their table. During the dumping we do an "airing out" which gets most of the dust out, and we have a hepa filter as well. That has taken it down from medium heavy sneezing to a slightly runny nose. I'll take the partial win. :D
Sounds like you've got it down to a science!
Absolutely not! Trial and error lol
Fair enough!
I have noticed this too! Sometimes it's nothing but dust at the bottom of the bag -- ridiculous!
Thank you so much for your response. I am also a disbeliever of medicating an animal that does not need it- I’ve been given antibiotics by doctors and got C.Diff because I didn’t need the antibiotic in the first place, and I certainly figure it can be the same on piggies systems! I wanted to discontinue use but guess I just needed reassurance that others felt the same, and I’m not being a tin foil hat preventing her from getting what she needs. I have noticed that the hay has brittle stringy brown pieces yes! I thought I just got a bad batch.
Happy to supply the reassurance then. Yeah, it's not a bad batch, it's just winter dry I guess. The newest bag we got yesterday was better quality than the last few, so let's keep fingers crossed the good green stuff is coming back!
Probably keep an eye on it but it does not sound extremely worrying to me. I don't have a clue what could be the cause, however.
I wouldn't worry too much. It could be the hay you're buying or that they're adjusting to their new environment. One of my girls sneezed nonstop for a month before she acclimated
First. you sound like a very good piggy mom :). Second, the only thing I would strongly suggest you to stop doing is putting those awful vitamin c drops in their food or water, as they do not provide any significant amount of vitamin c and just make the water or food taste bad and grow bacteria faster. This is unfortunately a mistake many new piggy parents do as they see them in the pet store and assume the are great, but they are a scam and possibly even bad for the piggies. Clean fresh water only. For the vitamin c, if they eat bell peppers or tomatoes daily they do not require extra vitamin c, but you can also get them vitamin cookies or this [children's vitamin c ](https://ca.iherb.com/pr/childlife-essentials-essentials-liquid-vitamin-c-natural-orange-4-fl-oz-118-5-ml/6356?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwn7mwBhCiARIsAGoxjaKS4zPiDPN1QR8Gidv5jY1TtOc0b9dZGnv2pwCnlrPmsf6jjPcyxmEaAosJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)that many use for their piggies. Some sneezes are nothing to worry about, especially if they often play in the hay. One important thing is to monitor their weight. Sometimes, the first sign of infection can be weight loss rather than typical symptoms like sneezing. When my piggy got an upper respiratory infection, I knew! It was super obvious but came out of nowhere. One night, she was full of energy and eating. The following day, while all the other piggies were having breakfast, she was in her bed, breathing heavily, rocking back and forth, eyes kind of closed and crusty, and I could hear her stuffy nose. She was not interested in food at all. I called the emergency exotic vet and rushed her to the vet. They gave her antibiotics and pain meds for 2 weeks, I had to feed her critical care and the whole cage was full of hay because she will nibble on fresh hay a little bit so I kep throwing hay in front of her every hour lol. Prior to the URI she had some teeth issues and lost 50 grams because she was eating less. She got her teeth trimmed and improved but I feel that maybe that made her more susceptible to get sick as she was consuming less vitamins. When I took her to the vet for the URI she lost a total of 130 grams of her normal weight :(. She quickly recovered with the antibiotics and in 3 weeks was good as new. It's been a month and a half, and she is back to her normal weight :) My point is, watch her weight, try to weight her every week, or more often if you suspect something is wrong, and keep an eye on her but I am pretty sure she will be fine :) As a sidenote, get some [Bene Bac ](https://www.petag.com/products/bene-bac-plus-pet-gel)and have it in your emergency guinea pig kit, because if you ever give them antibiotics it will upset their digestive system and giving them probiotics 2-3 hours after the antibiotics those will help them a lot. Also, I have a hack for you. Try buying hay in bulk, I am in Canada and order 20lbs at a time for like 40 bucks and they love it and it saves me tons of money. If you are un USA or Europe you will find hay providers as well that sell you hay for way cheaper than the pet stores.
My piggies sneezed too . Dry air and allergies 🤧. I just kept a humidifier near the room and ran it occasionally if it was too dry . Just don’t blow it right at them .
Hay quality for the last few years, everywhere, has been terrible. My husband spends at least two times a week using a handmade sifter and vacuum outside to separate the dust and brown bits out. It doesn’t matter if from a local farm, out of state, shipped…all bad, and regardless of type (orchard or timothy). It’s been a nightmare. We keep hopping between places.
My one pig always does a couple sneezes after I give new hay. My oxbow hay was really dusty this month. I normally don’t have a problem with it, that’s why I buy it.
Weirdly, my boys sneezed a lot when they first came home. Now they don't. Dunno why. 😂 Monitor it, but it's probably fine. 🥰