Can Guinea Pigs Have "off-days"?

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My guinea pig, Sansa, has been with us for about 7 months, he's 2 years old, and now that he's used to us he's a lot more confident. He's always been a bit of a grumpy guy, and sometimes he wants cuddles more than other days, but today he's being very grumpy, when either me or my mum go to touch him he gives us warning bites! This is the first time I've seen him so aggressive. He's running around and eating just fine so I don't think it's anything to do with being in pain.

Is it normal for pigs to act like this some days, and just want to be alone, or could there be something more to it, like hormones?

Please help, he's my first guinea pig so I have no experience to go on by myself!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

Guinea pigs can have off days just like us. Last night one of my pigs was quite moody with me too!
 
Piggies can have grumpy days, but if a piggy suddenly doesn't like being touched, it can signal the onset of mange mites. Please keep a close eye on him, weigh him daily and check him for signs. If necessary have him seen by a vet, as soon as you see signs of hair loss or if the change in behaviour persists. Do not home treat on spec, especially not with low dosed pet shop products that are not effective against acute mites and will prevent your vet from starting with a high dosed product straight away as soon as your boy is diagnosed with mites. You will need to treat all piggies living with him
 
Wiebke said:
Piggies can have grumpy days, but if a piggy suddenly doesn't like being touched, it can signal the onset of mange mites. Please keep a close eye on him, weigh him daily and check him for signs. If necessary have him seen by a vet, as soon as you see signs of hair loss or if the change in behaviour persists. Do not home treat on spec, especially not with low dosed pet shop products that are not effective against acute mites and will prevent your vet from starting with a high dosed product straight away as soon as your boy is diagnosed with mites. You will need to treat all piggies living with him
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Oh, that's not a message I was hoping to see! But thank you for it, I'll be able keep an eye on him now!
Where might he get mites from? He's been living in my room over the winter, and he gets to run around on carpet quite often, could he get it from there?
 
Mites can not be seen by the naked eye. They can come in on the hay or bedding.

Guinea pigs actually already had mites that are laying dorment. Sometimes they can become active when a piggy has been through a stressful situation like moving house or if they are generally under the weather.

Keep a close eye on him and see a vet if his symptoms persist. White dandruff in the fur, a guinea pig scratching more than normal, a guinea pig not wanting to be touched and held and hair loss can all be signs of mites.

But he could just be having a bad day. Mine have them from time to time
 
Claire W said:
Mites can not be seen by the naked eye. They can come in on the hay or bedding.

Guinea pigs actually already had mites that are laying dorment. Sometimes they can become active when a piggy has been through a stressful situation like moving house or if they are generally under the weather.

Keep a close eye on him and see a vet if his symptoms persist. White dandruff in the fur, a guinea pig scratching more than normal, a guinea pig not wanting to be touched and held and hair loss can all be signs of mites.

But he could just be having a bad day. Mine have them from time to time
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Okay, thank you! I think he's okay now, he was enjoying cuddles again in the afternoon and he's running around again now! He does seem to scratch a fair amount so I'll keep a close eye still and if he doesn't want to be touched again I'l take him on down to the vets! Thank you to everyone who replied!
 
They can be moody and have off days, but if you see a persistent change in personality I would see a vet. Sometimes reluctance to be touched can indicate discomfort or pain made worse by the contact and obviously you want to figure that out as quickly as you can! However, if he's back to his usual self he likely just woke up on the wrong side of the bed!
 
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