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Help! Worried about my guinea pig...

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PhoenixElite

All right, so I have a pair of guinea pigs, pretty happy and healthy (just slightly overweight). Now when I cleaned up their cage and added some fresh cedar as bedding, I proceeded to place one of them (male) into his cage. A few seconds after I placed him inside he started rolling over very quickly, over and over. After a few seconds he stopped, and he appears to be back to normal. I haven't read about this behavior anywhere in the web, and I was wondering whether this is something I should be worried about... thanks in advance.

P.S. I also posted this in the "General Chat" area, as I'm not sure how much people visit this forum.
 
Hi and welcome :)
It maybe that your little boy has had a stroke? i'm not sure tho...... we have some very experienced people on here but as they live in the UK they're all asleep at the moment, i'm sure they will advise as soon as they wake up.
Just another thought........check to see if he has mites....
Keep your little piggie warm and comfortable and make sure he has food and water close by. Are you able to contact a vet now?
Wishing you and your little piggie all the very best xxxxxxxxxx

Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
I don't know if this is related to his behaviour but I believe cedar is toxic to piggies.

Ps this is busy, active, friendly and helpful forum, welcome to the gang
 
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Thanks!

He seems to be better now (back to his usual lazy self) but I'll keep an eye on him. Also I didn't know cedar was toxic, I bought it because it keeps flies away. It's strange though, because my other piggy's just fine (and enjoying the bedding I might add). Still, I'll switch just in case...

Thanks for the quick replies! :)
 
PhoenixElite said:
He seems to be better now (back to his usual lazy self) but I'll keep an eye on him. Also I didn't know cedar was toxic, I bought it because it keeps flies away. It's strange though, because my other piggy's just fine (and enjoying the bedding I might add). Still, I'll switch just in case...

Thanks for the quick replies! :)
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You're welcome :) we do have a really lovely bunch of people on here, so nice and helpful. Hope you stay around for a long time so you get to chat more and make some friends, like i have :)
It would be best tho if you could read up on bedding there's lots of different ones available that are perfectly fine for piggies.
Do check also thru his little coat and see if he has any specks of dirt or dry patches he may have a skin problem.
 
Pleased to hear he's his ok now, he may of been marking his territory or showing how happy he is to be in a clean cage but it is rather odd behaviour for a piggy, so keep an eye
on him. I use newspaper and Timothy hay for my
piggies, I keep all food covered and have a sticky fly catcher strip hanging in the hall where they live, it's very effective.
 
Sad news...

I'm sorry to say that he passed away last night. I found his body early this morning, and needless to say I cried a lot. I don't really know the cause of death but I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore. I kissed him farewell and tried to compose myself. I am very lucky to have such a supporting and loving family, even though many of them don't really understand the owner/pet bond.

I loved Junior more than I could possibly express. As I'm sure all of you feel towards your own pets, my furry companion was much more than just an animal to me; he was a great friend who brought a great deal of joy to my household. I'll miss him terribly, and I'll never forget his loveable vigor and insatiable joy.

I tried to go to work but had to leave early, I just couldn't focus. I bought Spotty a new companion, because I don't think she should be alone, especially during a time like this. She and Ditto are getting along well (I chose the name because he looks a lot like Spotty), and she looks much happier now. I also dropped the cedar just in case.

I find some solace in the fact that I always aimed to make my pets happy, and I spoiled Junior as much as I could.

There's really no worse feeling than holding your pet's corpse, and I would never wish it upon anybody. Rest in peace my dearest Junior, and thank you for being such a great friend.
 
I'm so sorry you lost him.

I don't know whether his behaviour was medically related or not, and whether it was something that may have contributed in some way to his sudden death.
However I have seen piggies roll over onto their backs as part of their happy 'popcorning' behaviour, so it's not always a bad thing, but the context of the event and how the pig behaves before and after the event can sometimes suggest whether it's more behavioural or medical.
 
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