Guinea pig strange behavior

Question
Hi, I have a male guinea pig about 6 months old named Twinkie. Other than the first two weeks or so that we have had him, he is very friendly. He always comes to the door and lets us pet him and loves to come out for his floor time and lap time. Yesterday when I got home from work he started acting very skiddish. Instead of whining for treats and for me to pet him he was pretty quiet. When I opened the cage to give him his treat (lettuce) and pet him he tried to grab his lettuce (like he sometimes does) but he missed and ran into his pigloo and wouldn't let me touch him, he didn't even try to come out and get his lettuce until I put it in his pigloo, then he ate it. He seems to be eating fine and when I took him out to run he was running fine. It's been a whole day and he still is very skiddish when I open the door to try to pet him (which I do a lot during the day). He is acting almost like when we first brought him home when he was a baby and was very nervous when we tried to pet him. I am concerned that something is wrong with him. could he have hurt himself or something while we were gone yesterday? Could something have scared him? Please let me know what you think.

Thank you,

Danielle

Answer
Hi Danielle,

There are a number of things that could be causing Twinkine's behaviour. The first and mostly likely option is that he is simply being a typical, unpredictable guinea pig and is going through a grumpy stage.

However, he could have hurt himself or be ill. Get him out of his age and give him a good examine; is there anything in his ears, mouth, nose, or eyes? Is any discharge coming from these places? Are his bottom and penis clean and free of debris? Is his hair healthy? Does he looked puffed up? Does it cause him pain when you touch him anywhere? Are his nails and teeth nice and short?

It could also be that something had frightened him, probably a loud unfamiliar noise, and he will settle down soon. My guinea pigs are very nervy after I've hoovered the flat, or if there's fireworks outside.

If you have any other questions - just ask!

Jenny.