Smoke detector just went off right above the piggies, I think they're in shock 😞

[h.h.lovecraft]

The piggies and I are pretty shaken up It was about 3:30 am when the smoke detector in our living room went off. It's directly above the piggies cage and we have very low ceilings. There was no fire or anything, I think it's just an old smoke detector and when the batteries are low, it will beep for about 15 seconds or so. They were here when we rented the place and I am now thinking of looking for newer ones that don't fully go off when the batteries are low. I was downstairs when it happened and it startled me half to death. I have sensitive ears and my ears are all ringy and stuffed now, so I can't imagine what the piggies felt. They huddled together into the tunnel (which they never do) as I was frantically trying to get it to turn off. It turned off by itself eventually and I called my husband down to take it out completely until we can put new batteries in it tomorrow. We weren't sure if it was going to go off again when he took it down and I really didn't want to expose them to that noise again, so I coerced one piggy into a cuddle sack and just held the other to take upstairs. Witchfinder was so rigid and quiet and Hexi was really hidden in the sack with her head stuffed into the corner. They are both definitely in total shock right now. They have gotten spooked in the past, but nothing like this They are both usually very squirmy and bossy, so to see them just frozen and rigid with their eyes wide open like that while I was holding them was really upsetting.

I am still shaking as I really struggle with loud sudden noises and my first thought was literally about how piggies can die of shock. I know I'm being dramatic, I'm just super stressed right now as this must have completely terrified them They are both hiding in their cage right now and not eating the cucumber I gave them to try to calm them down. I tried to give them some while I was holding them first. Witchfinder wouldn't eat it and Hexi did start eating it while I was holding her. I thought I'd let her eat in peace, but when I put her back in the cage she ran off and stopped eating it. I know it can take them awhile to get over loud noises, but I really hope they aren't completely traumatized and I hope it didn't hurt their little ears too bad Like I said, I was in the same room and my ears are ringing really bad. I'm just letting them chill out in their cage right now, but I feel so horrible! I really hope everything will be ok tomorrow once they've had time to realize things are ok again I know piggies getting spooked is not uncommon, but this was so incredibly loud and out of nowhere.

 

[h_and_piggies]

I hope your piggies will be ok. I had something similar happen a few years ago (I was asleep and it woke me up so I actually thought it was real, not the best wake-up call). My piggies were acting distressed at first, I remember Billy was making cheeping noises, a very rare guinea pig sound. I stayed with them for a while and they did calm down and no harm was done. So fingers crossed for you all.

 

[h.h.lovecraft]

I hope your piggies will be ok. I had something similar happen a few years ago (I was asleep and it woke me up so I actually thought it was real, not the best wake-up call). My piggies were acting distressed at first, I remember Billy was making cheeping noises, a very rare guinea pig sound. I stayed with them for a while and they did calm down and no harm was done. So fingers crossed for you all.

Thank you, I appreciate the kind message. I sat with them for a while afterwards and they took a few treats that I offered them. I just recently checked on them again and saw that they were eating hay, which is a good sign. They definitely aren't acting like their normal selves though and they are still very scared. Hopefully they just need a little more time to realize everything is ok.

I think a smoke detector alarm will always spook a piggy to some degree no matter what, but for some reason the position that this specific one is in in our house makes it extra loud somehow. Like it's in the perfect spot to amplify those already extremely loud beeps lol. I'm still a little concerned about the piggies ears, but they seem to be able to hear ok and everything. My ears are still ringing a bit though lol.

I understand it's important to make sure your smoke detector batteries don't die, but why could they not make a separate tone for that? I feel like using the normal fire alarm tone when there is no smoke or fire causes a lot of unnecessary stress, especially when you're in bed asleep like you said.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

What a shock!
But I'm sure that they will be fine. It will take some time and a bit of pampering is always welcome when the first shock has worn off.
They will probably be more skittish in the next few days.

 

[Hope4gem]

So sorry this happened. It sounds like you're doing everything you can for your piggies. They may just need more time to settle. I hope you can take care of yourself too.

 

[Pawz]

if your place is a rental then the smoke alarms are the responsibility of the landlord. I just had one replaced because it was randomly beeping (so battery low) and when I called the company that manages them they just replaced the whole thing rather than a battery.
They also told me a trick to get it to shut up until they could visit me. I had to use a broom handle (high ceilings) to press the button down for 60seconds, release it and push it again for another 5 seconds. This would shut it up for 24hours.

I would not recommend replacing the smoke alarms yourself as you could be liable if there was a fire and they happened to fail.

All mine get automatically replaced every x amount of years as the management company decide they are “end of life”.

 

[Lorcan]

My smoke alarm has a habit of going off for a few seconds in the early hours. Each flat's smoke alarms are connected to the building alarm, but it never sets the building alarms off and of course nobody else is awake to hear it. It's been checked, it's allegedly working fine, but I know just how hard it is to get your heart rate back to normal after something like that.

Least it's not like one flat I lived in where the damned thing started screeching at 3am. There was no fire so it was clearly an issue with the detector instead but when I rang up the repairs for the landlord (social housing) they tried telling me it could wait til morning.

Smoke alarms are one of those noises you can't prepare your pigs for, but it's just one of those things we have to work around unfortunately.