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Rodney has had a terrible fright - please help

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Charl

Charl

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Hi my guinea pig Rodney has recently had a terrible fright. I went up to see him this morning and to give him some Parsley, and found he was hiding in his pigloo which is situated in his dark-area. I opened his door and he shot straight out of the door like a light. He just shot under the car. This is not normal for him as he is usually very slow as he is old, and he seemed to be squeking alot and running around like crazy.

He hadn't eaten all night or drank because he was obviously too scared to set foot outside his dark-area, and into his run-area. His water and food have been left untouched since last night when we fed him. So today I transferred his food bowl & put a bowl of water into his dark-area. I observed him for about 20 minutes, and he was eating his food fine as he usually does, and I held the water bottle for him, and he had alot of water as he must have been really thirsty.

He did run out into his run-area, but then just ran straight back in again. Also, if I picked his pigloo up slightly, he would run out and straight around the back of it as if to hide. His eyes seemed to be watering too.

I am really worried about poor Rod, and would like someone to tell me what to do.

Please help!

Charl xx
 
what do you think he could have been scared of?

Give him penty of cuddles and hand feed to reassure him for now...
 
Make sure that his hidey hole is as cosy as possible with hay and such, and feed him in there for the time being.

Give him lots of cuddles too reassure him. Speak to him very gently, and hopefully, he'll calm down. If necessary, put a towel over his run area, so it feels safer.

Have you got other pets or has one of your siblings frightened him?
 
I only have an 17 year old brother and he loves his pets and he would never scare them

We only have the guinea pigs and a rabbit in the same area. I also have a fish, and a shetland pony which both live away. Could it have been a fix scratching at the door?
 
It can be anything - a sudden loud noise, when he was fast asleep can scare him very badly.
 
Have you had heavy rain/wind/storms the last couple of days? Being in the garage (I assume, since you mentioned a car) such sounds created by the weather can really be loud and quite terrifying!
 
This is strange,it does sound as if he was badly frightened.It might be difficult for you to find the culprit.You have had some sound advice on here about keeping him calm for a while.Just talk to him in a soft voice and handle him gently.

I note that your piggies are housed in a garage which is not the ideal place as they can get damp and cold.I note also that you keep the car in the garage,and this is not good news for your pets.Car exhausts give of toxic fumes and obviously every time the car is started and moved there will be fumes.Also there is always the possibility of drops of petral leaking under the car and if the piggy licked this it would be harmful.


Maryh
 
I note that your piggies are housed in a garage which is not the ideal place as they can get damp and cold.I note also that you keep the car in the garage,and this is not good news for your pets.Car exhausts give of toxic fumes and obviously every time the car is started and moved there will be fumes.Also there is always the possibility of drops of petral leaking under the car and if the piggy licked this it would be harmful.
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First of all, I am not here to argue. I just want to tell you that my garage is not damp and cold AT ALL. It is warmer than my house! I am being honest. My garage is well built, and is insulated from the cold and damp. It keeps dry and warm in the winter (and all year round). If my garage was damp and cold, I surely wouldn't keep the piggies in it. I would know that it is dangerous.

Secondly, no one can drive the car. It has no engine. It was given as a gift to my uncle from his friend, and as he can't keep it at his house, it has a home in our garage. It is a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and an old generation model. We had to push it into the garage to get it in.

Thirdly, the guinea pigs aren't allowed near the car :)

I will keep on doing what I am doing, reassuring him and cuddling him, and hopefully things will start to settle down!

Oh and yes, we have had two terrible storms in the past week. And it was really loud in my house! (I just wonder what it was like in the garage!). But the thing is, he only got frightened yesterday. And the last storm was days ago.

Charl xx
 
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What a shame for poor Rodney. There are so many foxes around at the moment. Perhaps one was trying to get into the garage and Rodney was frightened by the noise. Whatever the reason, I'm sure that with the love and affection you are showing him he will get through this ok..
 
I know I feel terrible, poor little Rodney :(

Thanks for your support
 
Poor little sausage, hope he feels better soon x
 
You will probably never know what set him off, but you are surely trying your best to make him feel confident as well.

Keep on; it might take some time until he is his old self again!
 
Charl, sounds like you're doing every thing you can for Rod and you seem pretty clued up about what your pigs need.

Keep up the good work!:)
 
Thankyou everyone :)

Things seem to be looking up a little bit, I'm still hand feeding him, and he still won't go into his run :( But he seems a little more confident in himself! :)

I've checked the garage and there seems to be nothing in there like mice ?/

It's really odd, but let's just hope things settle

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It takes a bit of patience; it could well be a mouse or a rat. They can squeeze through the tiniest of cracks and would be attracted to the hay and food in his run. If you put up a humane mouse trap in the garage, perhaps?

Llewelyn doesn't like going outside at ALL after a mouse SOMEHOW managed to get into their little hutch on the patio while they were in it. I found it sitting behind the piggy house; and the hutch was completely empty before, as I always clear it out completely overnight!

Wishing poor old Rodney the best!
 
Thanks :)

My dad filled all the holes in the garage up earlier this year and also lowered the two doors so there was no gaps ?/

It's confusing! But I will give the trap a go, who knows there could be mice getting in through the roof!

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i'd agree it'd be a good idea to check there are no entrance holes in ** garage, ** right it does sound very secure but they can get in tiny holes, and rats have a phenomenal gift for finding food. Do you keep Rodney's food in there? Is it in a sealed container? I'd probably check for scratch marks around his cage and the food container if it's there too just to be sure. We've had rats trying to get into our piggies before, it's just one of those things from being in the country side, and i imagine you may be too if you've got a pony. Just worth a check that's all, I hope Rodney is feeling better soon, bless him.
 
Thanks yes we live in the countryside

Yes I've checked everything, and he seems to be feeling alot better!

Still a little nervous though,

Charl

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i'm so glad he's feeling better. Maybe just keep an eye on him. Isn't it amazing how guineas can get over something so scary when there's cuddles and food involved?!
 
Thats good Rodney is better. You have done a great job in making him feel safe and secure again.
 
I am relieved (as must you!) that Rodney is relaxing and settling down again! :)):)):))
 
Hey Pipxxxx,

Don`t get so emotional about people trying to help. Its just `top of the head` ideas about how things might have caused the problem. All aspects need to be covered and I respect Delias imput.

No-one nows that you are a loving and caring person who had all the mentioned potential problems covered from all angles.

Anders xx>>>
 
I just wanted that person to know all the details about the garage thats all

That the guinea pigs cant be harmed

I just love getting my opinion across to people, thats all :)
 
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