Widget is terrified and we don't know why
We managed to get him to explore the walkway, but poor Widgy really struggled with it. He stretched his little piggy head as far as he could without moving his feet and sniffed like crazy to make sure there were no monsters around. He did stay halfway in the walkway to eat a Critter Berry and munch on some hay.
I begged him to tell me what caused his fear, but he just stood there and let me pet him.
I begged him to tell me what caused his fear, but he just stood there and let me pet him.
Question: Anything change at all? Maybe something near the cage outside of it? Lighting?
I have read that animals tend to react to the smallest thing that we don't notice. Like a bunch of cows wouldn't enter a barn because on a fence many yards away, there was a yellow raincoat that someone left a few days ago. No one noticed but the animal psychologist.
So it could be the way you put down the bedding possibly? A sweater you left nearby on that side of the cage? Any other animals that could jostle that walk way?
Wish there were more guinea pig whisperers :)
I have read that animals tend to react to the smallest thing that we don't notice. Like a bunch of cows wouldn't enter a barn because on a fence many yards away, there was a yellow raincoat that someone left a few days ago. No one noticed but the animal psychologist.
So it could be the way you put down the bedding possibly? A sweater you left nearby on that side of the cage? Any other animals that could jostle that walk way?
Wish there were more guinea pig whisperers :)
Sonaa, those are very good questions. We have not knowingly changed anything as far as lighting or cage content, and while I have cleaned around the cage, that was almost two weeks ago, which was way farther back then when Widget first started to fear one side of his cage.
I did notice a binder clip missing. The walkway is lined with a piece of non-slip rubber hallway runner, and on top of that I put handtowels so it doesn't get gross.
The runner is held to the grid with binderclips. We noticed one clip was missing. It is on the 2x2 side of the walkway. We have no idea how long it has been missing, but I could see if maybe one day Widget became curious about it, and started messing with it, and it snapped...you get the picture.
That's just a guess.
Meanwhile, I just found a sludge pile in Tom and Linus's cage. *sigh* The fun never ends.
I did notice a binder clip missing. The walkway is lined with a piece of non-slip rubber hallway runner, and on top of that I put handtowels so it doesn't get gross.
The runner is held to the grid with binderclips. We noticed one clip was missing. It is on the 2x2 side of the walkway. We have no idea how long it has been missing, but I could see if maybe one day Widget became curious about it, and started messing with it, and it snapped...you get the picture.
That's just a guess.
Meanwhile, I just found a sludge pile in Tom and Linus's cage. *sigh* The fun never ends.
- RavenShade
- Thanks for the Memories
Ugh. You can't catch a break!
If he got pinged by a binder clip, that's probably what's wrong.
If he got pinged by a binder clip, that's probably what's wrong.
He is gradually working his way back into the hay loft. I was by their cage all night rebuilding our workstation and network server, and as the night wore on he moved further and further out of the end of the walkway.
He manages to get a little more than 1/2 of his body out of the end of the walkway. At this rate, he'll be back into the hayloft completely by the weekend.
He manages to get a little more than 1/2 of his body out of the end of the walkway. At this rate, he'll be back into the hayloft completely by the weekend.
Is his cage near a window? I would suspect maybe a cat or bird scared him from the window. They are really strange like that though. Especially when food doesn't cure the fear!