Weird behavior?

[LunaAndPepper]

Hi everyone! Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place, but I am worried about my guinea pig's health.

My guinea pig lives with her daughter, and lately during floor time she has been acting really off. The first time it happened, she heard a loud noise and got very scared and kept freezing and wouldn't stop hiding. It took her a very long time to calm down, much longer than her daughter. But that's understandable since the noise really spooked her. However, the second time this happened, there was no noise or anything. It was completely random, and her daughter wasn't affected at all besides being confused that her mother was terrified. When it happens, Luna usually freezes randomly, starts purring as if something is bothering her, and then runs into a hidey when I move it next to her. Once in the hidey, she continues purring wide-eyed and looking absolutely terrified. She calmed down much quicker the second time, but I'm worried something could be wrong. She's a tame guinea pig and has never been spooked so badly in her life. I also want to point out that she has been less active lately and more aggressive towards her daughter. Could something be wrong with her? Thank you!

 

[Siikibam]

@Wiebke @VickiA @PigglePuggle @Piggies&buns

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone! Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place, but I am worried about my guinea pig's health.

My guinea pig lives with her daughter, and lately during floor time she has been acting really off. The first time it happened, she heard a loud noise and got very scared and kept freezing and wouldn't stop hiding. It took her a very long time to calm down, much longer than her daughter. But that's understandable since the noise really spooked her. However, the second time this happened, there was no noise or anything. It was completely random, and her daughter wasn't affected at all besides being confused that her mother was terrified. When it happens, Luna usually freezes randomly, starts purring as if something is bothering her, and then runs into a hidey when I move it next to her. Once in the hidey, she continues purring wide-eyed and looking absolutely terrified. She calmed down much quicker the second time, but I'm worried something could be wrong. She's a tame guinea pig and has never been spooked so badly in her life. I also want to point out that she has been less active lately and more aggressive towards her daughter. Could something be wrong with her? Thank you!

Hi!

Piggies are prey animals whose senses (apart from sight) are sharper than ours and which can be really spooked by a sudden sound or smell we humans may not even perceive. Once a piggy has been thoroughly spooked, they are likely to overreact to the slightest trigger for a while afterwards. It can take days or in some case a few weeks to fully allay those instincts again.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

The sharp purring is a sound that piggies make to show acute dislike; you usually hear it in connection with slamming doors or you touching them where they do not want to be touched.

However, if you have worries about her behaviour towards her daughter, I would recommend to have her checked for ovarian cysts at some point. They are very common in sows as hormone production never stops or slows down as they age. In younger adult age it is especially the hormone based ones while older sows tend to develop more the large non-hormonal fluid filled ones.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

 

[LunaAndPepper]

Thank you! The main reason I was so worried was because she was affected so badly and her daughter wasn't at all. I'll keep a close eye on her and do some research on the ovarian cysts.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you! The main reason I was so worried was because she was affected so badly and her daughter wasn't at all. I'll keep a close eye on her and do some research on the ovarian cysts.

Bad spooking for some imaginary reason or something outside our own senses usually only affects one piggy unless there is a real reason for it. It is a split second instinctive reaction and it usually frightens the affected piggy badly. They tend to remain rather jittery for a while.

 

[LunaAndPepper]

That seems like what happened. Thank you for your help, and sorry I ask so many questions!