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Blue Eyes And Deafness

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Flutterby

Flutterby

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I've been trawling the net but can't find any reliable information. Is there any link between blue eyes in guinea pigs and deafness?

I ask because my girl Winnie has blue eyes, and more and more recently i'm starting to get convinced she is deaf (or extremely laid back!) Nothing startles her noise wise, not even hearing the hoover switched on for the first time, hair dryer etc.

Just curious really if anyone knows more about possible links? It could be unrelated completely, or that she isn't deaf and is just not bothered.
 
Do you mean bright blue eyes? If so it's likely to be cataracts my girl Wilma has very bright blue eyes she's also blind as a bat, she's not the full shilling with her hearing either. She's an old girlie now, it might be worthwhile getting your little one a health check as diabetes can also cause blue eyes (cataracts) as well as old age. X
 
No it's not cataracts, and her eyes aren't bright blue. She was at the vets last night for an unrelated issue and I questioned this with the vet. She said her eyes are fine but she was unaware of any link between blue eyes and deafness. They just have a blue tint. From afar they look black but when you actually look at them they are blue. I know that there are links in dogs and cats but I was unsure about guinea pigs.
 
It's not a cloudy tint either. Her eyes are really clear. My dog is loosing his sight and his eyes are going a cloudy blue (not caused by cataracts, he has been seen by a vet for this issue) and it's definitely not the same.
 
Oh I wonder if anyone else has a piggy with blue eyes. I haven't seen that before, it'd be interesting to know if there is a link.
 
It does make you curious doesnt it? I know that in certain genes in dogs (merle gene etc) they can be linked to blindess, deafness and other genetic problems.
 
do you have a picture of her eyes? I'm really intrigued by all this.

Wyatt's eyes aren't pure black but they're not red either, they look almost bluey sometimes I suppose and you get the red coming through if you catch it in a certain light.
 
I'll try and get some pictures tonight when I get home. It could just be me and the way I see them, but they are certainly not black or ruby.
 
Thats how I feel Wyatt's eyes are too - though he has absolutely no signs of deafness! He can tell the difference between "piggy talk voice" and normal hooman talk voice as he'll just ignore us if we're chatting in the background but the minute I put on my daft piggy voice he perks up and comes running over to the bars!
 
I had a pig with what sounds like the same eye colour thing going on. He was definitely not deaf though. I've not heard of a link either.
 
I've never heard a noise out of Winnie I must admit, and she doesn't react to any noise at all from what i've noticed. Or at least what the other react to. She had her first proper bum bath yesterday (she is long coated) and I started to introduce her to the hair dryer (expecting her to jump out of her skin the first time it was switched on). She didn't bat an eyelid, not one at all! Sat nicely while I gently blow dried her, content as anything!
 
It could be she's just a chilled out pig. Normally if there is a loud noise the ear flaps will twitch, even if there is no other reaction from the pig. If she is deaf, she's clearly not bothered by it!
 
Definitely, nothing is bothering her and i'm not worried about her at all. The main purpose of my question was just out of curiosity and to see if there is a link between the two.
 
Blue eyes in guinea pigs are rare, but there doesn't seem to be a clear direct link with deafness judging by the ones that have turned up on the forum over the years.
 
You are not the first blue-eyed guinea pig owner raising this question! ;)
 
I did do a search on the forum but couldn't find anything useful. I just had a thought whilst giving her meds this morning wondering if it was linked in guinea pigs like it is in cats and dogs.
 
Here is the best pic I can get as my phone camera wont focus. You can see her eye has a blue ring (only a hint) and certainly isn't the jet black of Bess next to her. (winnie is the white one).

eyeye.webp
 
Snowflake has blue eyes and she seems fine she can certainly hear and see fine and acts just like her sister who has black/brown eyes. Blue eyes seem to be more common on white guinea pigs than other colours but I'm sure it's just a pretty colour ! image.webp
 
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