Dexter has gone bonkers - Help!

[dextersmycutegp]

Dexter has been feaking out ever since I cleaned his cage yesterday, he's too scared to move 5 inches from where he's stationed himself on the 2nd level of his cage, near the water bottle, food dish and timothy hay.
The cage's setup didn't hardly change at all, but he WILL NOT go down to the 1st level, if I put him down there he will freeze then start trying to leap out of the cage. He was jumpimg so high that he was hitting the cage cover, so I immediatly caught him, snugled him for a moment and returned him to the 2nd level.
I tried adding another house to the top level so he could have more privacy (up there only has a peice of fleece for him to lay on) and he started rumblestrutting and backking away so I removed the house. He's been jumping every time he sees a movement out of the corner of his eye, and rumblestrutting while eeping to himself.
Up until yesterday afternoon he was a normal active 6 month old guinea pig. He loves everybody and is really confident, hardly anything scared him.
He is 6 months old and got neutered 2 1/2 weeks ago.
Could he be sick? Has anyone seen this before? Help!

 

[HowietheGreat]

I haven't had any experiance with this....what did you clean the cage with?

 

[dextersmycutegp]

I just took the fleece out, shook it out outside, replaced the towels under the fleece with clean ones, put the fleece back in and returned him to his cage.

 

[HowietheGreat]

Did you put everything back the way it was? Maybe he is scared because his surroundings look different.

 

[dextersmycutegp]

I changed a few things I put in a hay rack, changed one house, changed where his food dish was. I always change where his stuff is when I clean his cage though.
It's like he suddenly went crazy. I've never seen him (or anyother guinea pig) that scared before.

 

[muffin]

It may seem silly to ask again, but could you mentally go over everyhting you did when you changed his cage please and try to think if you perhaps used vinegar to clean it, or put in a new object. Is the hidey new or does it have his smell on it? Could it have gotten a weird smell on it whilst out of the cage, ie, another pet rubbing up against it? Could the towels have a weird smell? could they have had another pet near them when in storage? try taking out the hayrack and the new house and putting the old house back in, and the food dish where it used to be. Some pigs really freak out when a new object is introduced, or a new smell. If that isn't it, where was he when you cleaned out the cage? Could something have spooked him? Let us know how you get on.

 

[dextersmycutegp]

I didn't use vinegar to clean, I put in one different hidey but it's "his" pigloo none of the other guinea pigs have ever been in it, I don't have any other pets other than guinea pigs, and the towels were fresh from the dryer (no change of detergent or bleach brands or smells). He was in his carrier when I cleaned the cage, he doesn't like his carriervery much, he tolerates it, but I don't have enough cubes for him and the girls to run around on the floor at the same time. One of my nieghbors set off a loud firework right as I was returning them to their cages, but nobody showed signs of being scared by that.

I let the girls have his lower space in the cage, since he wasn't using it and now Dexter is almost fine......hmmm actually I usaully put him in his side of the cage first, then put the girls in their side, but that time I did it the other way, girlws first, Dexter 2nd. Could that have scared him that bad?

I am introducing him to the girls today. It's been exactly 3 weeks. YAY!

 

[VoodooJoint]

Did you change fleece colors? GPs can see in at least some colors and it's possible that the color or pattern of the fleece is scaring or bothering him.

 

[dextersmycutegp]

It was his favorite fleece, light blue, no pattern. I had already had that fleece in there for 3 days before too, and he wasn't afraid of it then.

 

[fourbwabbys]

then put the girls in their side, but that time I did it the other way, girlws first, Dexter 2nd.

Right there. He smells the girls and is probably frantically looking for them. Whenever I do anything to both pigs such as floortime or clipping their nails, I have to do the boys first or the girls smell makes them go literally crazy.

 

[Sviega]

When was the last time you had him in the carrier? If it is when he went for his operation he may be afraid of it. When you took him out, he may be afraid the Monster Doctor is coming for him again.

 

[dextersmycutegp]

When was the last time you had him in the carrier? If it is when he went for his operation he may be afraid of it. When you took him out, he may be afraid the Monster Doctor is coming for him again.

lol He's been in the carrier more recently then when he got neutered so I don't think that was it.

Well I introduced him to the girls today. They all got baths and were blowdried since 3 (Holly, Midnight, and Dexter) of the four piggers have longhair. They all hated the blowdrying until I had the genuis idea to put a rag over their heads then blowdry. It kept them much calmer. The intro's went well, No mounting, or tooth chattering, just a little rumblestrutting on Dexters part and Holly "pecking" him to put him in his place. They all seem to remember each other.