Hidey house weirdness!

[Skyenoir]

Our new piggie, Spike, who is two months old, will not go into a hidey house. He just hangs out in the corner of the cage, even to sleep. Is this strange? When you go to pick him up, he freaks out and hides under the cuddly cup in the corner, but doesn't go into the hidey house. I feel bad, like he wants to hide but for some reason he won't. Or do some pigs LIKE to be out in the open all the time?

 

[CuteButShyPig]

Did you buy him at a petstore or rescue him?

 

[Skyenoir]

We got him from animal control, so we rescued him from a shelter.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

It might be normal for him. Did he have a hidey house/hidey spot at the shelter? I would treat for mites as well while you are at it, sometimes shelter pigs aren't treated for mites.

 

[Skyenoir]

Yes, he had a spot at the shelter to hide in. He is pretty friendly and not as scared as my other two are. With the mites, we thought we saw them on one of the other pigs there, so it would be a good idea for us to check it out. So when I was holding the other pig that looked like she had mites, would they have gotten on my clothing and how long would they stick there? Is there a possibility I could have transferred them to Herbie and Killer? It was about two hours after holding the mite infested pig before I held the girls.

And by the way, Spike is neutered, so no babies will be coming our way. They neutered him two days before we got him. Obviously we don't have them all together yet, they are in separate cages for now.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Don't put them together for at least 4 weeks, the sperm need time to die off. If you thought you saw something crawling on another pig at the shelter it's not mites, probably lice or fleas. Mites are microscopic and you can't see them with the naked eye.

Here is some advice from Cavy Spirit website:
-Quarantine means keeping the guinea pigs in two different rooms, which of course requires two separate cages.
-You should handle the new guinea pig last. You should wash your hands after handling the guinea pig. It's a good idea to keep a smock in the room with that guinea pig. That way you have less risk of transmitting parasites or other things on your clothing.
-Examine your new guinea pig very closely and carefully while in quarantine. Look for signs of mites (scratching and hair loss). Mange mites are not visible to the naked eye. Look for lice, fleas, fungus (ringworm). Look for eye or nasal discharge, excessive sneezing, wheezing, loud breathing and more. If you suspect your new guinea pig is not well, please take it to a good vet as soon as possible. Do not delay. Guinea pigs can go downhill fast.

 

[smoot]

Maybe one of the Moderators can help with this, but is it possible that Spike is afraid to go into the hidey-houses because they smell like the other pigs?

 

[Skyenoir]

I made a brand new house out of a kleenex box and everything in the cage was just washed or new so none of it would smell like the girls. I bought a hammock today and put it in Spike's cage, and apparently he likes that, he has been sleeping in there tonight. Herbie and Killer also love sleeping in a hammock so they will have two in their cage when they are all together!