Caught Guinea Pig as he was Falling

[aaurelia22]

My pig Hobi just tried to jump off out of his cuddle cup. Unfortunately he misjudged and jumped of the entire desk instead. I caught him with mama reflexes less than 6 inches from when he jumped. I'm worried because I can't remember if I caught him by his tummy or if he ended up falling back first and that's how I caught him. He seems fine. He's acting normal (if a little bit more timid than usual). He's walking and eating. Could I have done him harm by catching him? Especially if I ended up catching him by his back and it bent a bit?

[PooksiedAnimals]

It's possible he strained or twisted something, but if that was the case, he'd be showing signs of pain - possibly limping. I'd check his weight, too. But if you run your hands down his back and legs and he doesn't show discomfort, you probably didn't hurt anything.

To be really sure, you should have him checked out by a vet. But that's my opinion.

[bpatters]

If he's not showing any signs of distress, he's probably fine. I'd just watch him carefully, and get him to the vet if his behavior changes.

But FYI, you should never leave a pig on a piece of furniture. They have eyes on the sides of their head, so no depth perception to speak of. Three feet looks like three inches to them, and many a guinea pig has been severely or fatally wounded by walking/jumping off something.