Guinea Pig Hiding From Slight Sound/movement Randomly

[AnthonyS]

Hi All!

I've had my guinea pigs for a month now so I've been able to get an understanding of them and they aren't scared of me so much anymore. My boys live in my room so they see me all the time and usually don't have a problem with whatever I'm doing. However I have recently noticed this behavior which scares me sometimes. For example, some mornings after I wake up, I'll tilt my head a little or maybe move a finger and I can hear them scrambling to hide. These movements can barely be called movements cause I probably move a few centimeters and it can't be heard at all. They probably weren't even facing me. And yet they start running to hide and quite frankly it scares me every time this happens. It sometimes also happens when I'm feeding them (by hand) and my other hand lifts a finger and they once again run away. Last example I'll give is when I have to pick things up in the room and I accidentally tap on something which makes a lot quieter sound then anything else in the house and they start running to the other side of the cage.

Do they still think I might be a predator sometimes? I doubt that cause most of the time when I walk in they think I walk in with food so they run to the side of the cage. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Just to add to this, this doesn't happen too often and a lot of the times they aren't concerned with these tiny sounds.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi All!



I've had my guinea pigs for a month now so I've been able to get an understanding of them and they aren't scared of me so much anymore. My boys live in my room so they see me all the time and usually don't have a problem with whatever I'm doing. However I have recently noticed this behavior which scares me sometimes. For example, some mornings after I wake up, I'll tilt my head a little or maybe move a finger and I can hear them scrambling to hide. These movements can barely be called movements cause I probably move a few centimeters and it can't be heard at all. They probably weren't even facing me. And yet they start running to hide and quite frankly it scares me every time this happens. It sometimes also happens when I'm feeding them (by hand) and my other hand lifts a finger and they once again run away. Last example I'll give is when I have to pick things up in the room and I accidentally tap on something which makes a lot quieter sound then anything else in the house and they start running to the other side of the cage.

Do they still think I might be a predator sometimes? I doubt that cause most of the time when I walk in they think I walk in with food so they run to the side of the cage. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Hi and welcome!

Piggies are prey animals, and remain that throughout their lives. The can see sharply only over a short distance, but react to sudden movements or noises over longer distances. A split second reaction to a perceived unexpected movement can mean the difference between life and death. It is less that you are a predator and more their basic instincts at work.

To which degree they ultimately relax or calm down depends to a certain extent to how nervous their mums were when they were babies. Those of my rescue piggies that were born to freshly rescued mums often retain a certain nervous disposition all their lives (not all though!), but it is noticeable compared to those of piggies that have ended up in rescue from a more stable background. My older piggies also tend to be more chilled about any goings-on.

Occasionally I have days when one of my nervous piggies is triggering the dash-for-cover reflex. If one of them is doing it, the whole crowd across the whole piggy room are joining in. It is usually a day when I get several stampedes. That can be anything from me getting up from a chair to the door bell or something falling on the floor. Thankfully, most days are not like that and most of my guinea pigs tend to relax a lot over their lifetime!

 

[Tiamolly123]

Hi & Welcome Ant
Must admit I haven't encountered this before, my husband drills etc in our living room & nothing fazes mine.@sport _billy
Brilliant Wiebke has answered

 

[AnthonyS]

Piggies are prey animals, and remain that throughout their lives. The can see sharply only over a short distance, but react to sudden movements or noises over longer distances. A split second reaction to a perceived unexpected movement can mean the difference between life and death. It is less that you are a predator and more their basic instincts at work.

To which degree they ultimately relax or calm down depends to a certain extent to how nervous their mums were when they were babies. Those of my rescue piggies that were born to freshly rescued mums often retain a certain nervous disposition all their lives (not all though!), but it is noticeable compared to those of piggies that have ended up in rescue from a more stable background. My older piggies also tend to be more chilled about any goings-on.

Occasionally I have days when one of my nervous piggies is triggering the dash-for-cover reflex. If one of them is doing it, the whole crowd across the whole piggy room are joining in. It is usually a day when I get several stampedes. That can be anything from me getting up from a chair to the door bell or something falling on the floor. Thankfully, most days are not like that and most of my guinea pigs tend to relax a lot over their lifetime!

Ah okay so maybe my piggies are just a bit more cautious and alert. Is this something that will be adjusted as time moves on? Or is this just who they are and I'll just have to live with it. Both of my piggies will react similarly at the same time so it sometimes makes me think something's happening whenever I hear both of their feet running.

 

[Wiebke]

Ah okay so maybe my piggies are just a bit more cautious and alert. Is this something that will be adjusted as time moves on? Or is this just who they are and I'll just have to live with it. Both of my piggies will react similarly at the same time so it sometimes makes me think something's happening whenever I hear both of their feet running.

They will hopefully settle down more over time. When one piggy rushes off into hiding, the companions will automatically join in. That is their prey animal reflexes at work.

Best say hello to them before you move.

 

[Dorothy&Coco]

We have had ours about 6 months and Coco still dashes off to hide if there is a sudden movement. I think it is often to do with light and dark and shadows (I don't think piggies have great eyesight but I might be totally wrong there). They are fine with quite loud noises like the hoover. We try as much as possible to announce the fact we are coming into the room by saying hello and that helps.