Behavior My piggy seems scared? He is very quiet and runs away.

[fraven]

Hello. I’ve owned this piggy named Pasty for about 2 months now. He is usually very bubbly and always anticipates snacks, would even wake me up in the middle of the night for a treat. He’s quite lovely but suddenly I’ve seen drastic changes. When i try to go feed him his favorite food he runs away, frightened. He usually reaches out to me whenever I have snacks but now he turns his back on me and quickly jumps away. I don’t know how to explain this properly but he’s unresponsive but at the same time, he is very sensitive. I once softly nudged his favorite snack to his nose but he didn’t move. His squeaks have also died down. However, when I leave the food in his cage and come back, he eats it. I’m worried about the change of his behavior, hopefully it isn’t something very serious.

 

[ItsaZoo]

Guinea pigs can get spooked by any number of things. They are prey animals and always on the alert for predators. Has anything changed in the room? My guinea pig has been spooked by the vacuum cleaner, ceiling fans, new humidifier, new window blinds, smoke alarms and other loud noises, etc.

Has his activity changed? Is he moving around the cage foraging, or has he started sitting in a corner puffed up?

Is he still eating and pooping the same, or are there more pellets and hay left at the end of the day?

Weight loss is usually one of the first signs that something is wrong. Do you weigh him each week?

I would try scattering veggies in the cage so he has to move around, and see if he’s coming out to eat. Also, make sure he has a hidey so he can take cover and not feel afraid. If he seems healthy but scared, you may have to bribe him with food and talk to him like you would a new pig, starting all over again.

 

[fraven]

Thanks for the reply! And no, nothing has changed. He’s still very healthy and his weight is normal. Actually, just this day he started getting back to normal. He now grabs food from my hand like before and doesn’t run away anymore. Now I know what to do if something like this ever happens to my piggies. Thanks.