Alarming GP behaviour.

Question
My Guinea Pig is almost 4 years old and has been in excellent health recently. (his 6 monthly check up was about 8 weeks ago)Two nights ago he began running around the cage, now he does this when he is happy and playful but this was different. He ran so fast he kept banging off the sides of his cage then jumping up vertically as if terrified and wanting out. It was quite violent and lasted about 3-5 minutes. Last night there was a similar shorter incident, inbetween times he has been sitting in the on place and backing away from me and sometimes backing away from nothing. He is very jittery and jumpy.He will let me pick him up and makes the normal noises of comtentment when on my knee and is definately more settled than in his cage. He isn't really going to his dish or water bottle as the corner he has chosen to sit in is at the other side of his cage. Yet when I hand feed him with vegetables he devours them and I held the bottle for him and he drank a bit. This is highly unusual behaviour as he is usually extremely passive and friendly. I took him to the vets this morning, no mites,coat is good,teeth are fine, he is going to the toilet but maybe less than usual, she feels his eyesight isn't great although she thinks he has some and queried the possibility of diabetes. She gave me pain killing medicine for four days to rule out pain but I dont think it is pain, it seems like fear. I'm sorry for the length of this letter but I have tried every website and book I can think of. I am at my wits end. Any advice at all would be appreciated.

Emma

Answer
Hi Emma

It sounds as though you have taken the action I would have taken. I agree, it does seem as if he is afraid of something. Have you got any new pets recently such as birds, or have the next door neighbours done so? Guinea pigs hearing is very sensitive and any new noises may scare them.

Other than that, if he is eating and drinking ok, it can't be anything serious. If he had diabetes he'd be drinking more than normal so this doesn't sound likely.

Also, has there been any other loud noises such as fireworks going off. I agree that he is scared of something, but as I don't know your pig's environment, I can only guess at what it might be.

Keep me posted.

Andy