Is this caused by hearing loss?

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Chrisdon23

Post   » Thu Dec 29, 2022 12:25 pm


I have a female that’s approx 5 years old - not totally sure though because we adopted her from the SPCA 3 years ago and they thought she was about 2 years old at the time. When we first got her, we had her in with a very vocal cage mate; she never made any noises so we thought she was just letting her cage mate do all of the begging for her. Earlier this year, her cage mate had to be PTS and she became a solo pig. Once she became a solo pig, she started to become more social and started begging on her own — she doesn’t beg by wheeking though, she just comes to the front of the cage and stands up against the bars in silence. We’ve noticed that she doesn’t startle with loud noises and she jumps if she doesn’t see you coming towards her to pick her up so we’ve chalked that up to her having probable hearing loss.

As time went on without her cage mate, she started making these sort of “honking” noises, especially when she’s sleeping. Am I right to assume it’s because she can’t hear herself? That part isn’t really the concern though - recently, she’s had some occurrences that look like she’s flopping or rolling around but when I go over to check on her, she just gets up and runs into her pigloo and seems just fine — could that be just a balance thing from her hearing issues? (Sometimes when we give her vitamins or veggies, she’ll get her treat “stuck” against the side of the cage trying to turn around with it - she just can’t figure out that all she needs to do is back up before she tries to turn around.)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Dec 29, 2022 3:46 pm


Unsure what the "honking" noises you are describing are (are they associated with breathing, for example?) You certainly could be correct that she has significant or total hearing loss from what you have observed. Could the flopping or rolling around be associated with itchiness since she seems to get up quickly and runaway.

Chrisdon23

Post   » Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:29 pm


She sounds like a miniature goose when she sleeps; she makes the honking noise every time she exhales. I’ve had guinea pigs for almost 20 years - I’ve never heard this noise before.

It’s possible she could be trying to scratch herself but sometimes she rolls right over while she’s doing this so I want sure if it was something to be concerned about or a balance thing. (She’s in a very clean cage so there’s no mites or anything).

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Dec 30, 2022 12:10 am


Might she be described as overweight? I only ask because in humans, the closest thing would be "snoring" (sometimes aggravated by excess weight). She might also have some sort of growth in her throat causing the honking.

Chrisdon23

Post   » Sat Dec 31, 2022 4:02 pm


She weighs 906 grams.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Jan 05, 2023 12:40 am


Just catching up and saw this post. The rolling and flopping around could be balance and inner ear issues. My Gidget has slight head tilt and she was diagnosed after I noticed she seemed clumsy when running, and she would roll when turning a corner. She always got back up and was fine, but a vet check revealed changes in her inner ear.

I also suspect some hearing loss, maybe in one ear. She is quiet and only wheeked loudly after coming home from a day at the vet. She was so happy to be back. Otherwise she kind of mumbles to herself. And she doesn’t always respond when I talk to her, but if I touch the cage she knows I’m there.

Your vet should be able to check the ear canals and make sure there is no infection. If there is dizziness they might recommend Meclizine when needed, or Metacam if they suspect any pain.

Chrisdon23

Post   » Sun Jan 08, 2023 12:53 am


Thank you, that sounds very similar to what my Lily is experiencing. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes with some of her behaviours.

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