New Guinea Pigs Eye Problems

[Meltierney]

Hi there its the first guinea pigs ive had so health wise ive not got a clue but i got my little chloe pig and katie pig on weds and ive noticed with chloe pig that her right eye is a lot more closed than her right but shes really happy and hasnt made any pain noises so any advise. Is it worth going to the vets or will they just think I'm wasting their time because she doesnt do it all the time in the cage but when i stroke her she like looks like shes drifting off to sleep but just the one eye. Any help would be greatly appreciated ☺ x

 

[kerry]

She might just be very relaxed. Mine sleep with their eyes relaxed like that. Maybe go to the vets to make sure it isn't sticky or she doesn't have any eye infection just in case.

 

[Meltierney]

She might just be very relaxed. Mine sleep with their eyes relaxed like that. Maybe go to the vets to make sure it isn't sticky or she doesn't have any eye infection just in case.

Thanks for replying. Yea i just phoned the vets and said just try to see if anything is on her eye and if it doesnt change maybe go vets n get her checked over. Dead worried as ive never had a pet before I'm not generally a pet lover but these are just too cute! X

 

[kerry]

Thanks for replying. Yea i just phoned the vets and said just try to see if anything is on her eye and if it doesnt change maybe go vets n get her checked over. Dead worried as ive never had a pet before I'm not generally a pet lover but these are just too cute! X

You could boil the kettle and wait for it to be cold (this sterilises the water) and then get a bit of tissue, dip it into the water and wipe her eye with it, just to clear any gunk if there is any.

Guinea pigs are so cute and they are generally quite easy to look after as long as they have the right environment and are fed the right diet. They are very rewarding too, once yours learn to trust you they are very loving. If I'm laying on the floor with them taking photos, they come up and stick their nose in my camera lens or kiss my face.

Are yours insured? Like with any pet, vet trips can be super expensive. If you do not want to insure them, you could do what I do and keep a spare £200 around just for emergencies (I know that sounds easier said than done in this world but you will be thankful if you ever need to rush them to the vet and have a big bill to pay! )

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for replying. Yea i just phoned the vets and said just try to see if anything is on her eye and if it doesnt change maybe go vets n get her checked over. Dead worried as ive never had a pet before I'm not generally a pet lover but these are just too cute! X

Hi! and welcome!

Good that you are seeing your vet! A small/pulled in eye usually signals pain and can be a sign of a non-ulcerating problem or something stuck in the eye. If seen promptly, some eye drops will hopefully do the trick quickly. Thankfully, most eye injuries heal off nearly as quickly as they come on.
Any persistent watery eye should be also checked, as it means that there is an irritation in the eye. Normal guinea pig eye cleaning fluid is milky; you can sometimes find traces of that around the eye, either fluid or dried.

Best of luck!

 

[Meltierney]

You could boil the kettle and wait for it to be cold (this sterilises the water) and then get a bit of tissue, dip it into the water and wipe her eye with it, just to clear any gunk if there is any.

Guinea pigs are so cute and they are generally quite easy to look after as long as they have the right environment and are fed the right diet. They are very rewarding too, once yours learn to trust you they are very loving. If I'm laying on the floor with them taking photos, they come up and stick their nose in my camera lens or kiss my face.

Are yours insured? Like with any pet, vet trips can be super expensive. If you do not want to insure them, you could do what I do and keep a spare £200 around just for emergencies (I know that sounds easier said than done in this world but you will be thankful if you ever need to rush them to the vet and have a big bill to pay! )

There doesnt seem to be any gunk there yet but will have a good look later as they are still abit wary about being picked up only had too today to clean the cage ha but will try warm water

Yea i think I'm gonna do the savings idea i think. I have 2 of them so best make that 400 quid haha.

Chloe pig (the one with the eye issue) seems really happy though she keeps popcorning ha but katie pig is abit more reserved still but shes eating and drinking and likes to run around the cage ha.

Any ideas on what age they are like able to go down ramps? Ive got a double decker cage but they havnt even tried going down it even with a trail of food lol x

 

[Meltierney]

Hi! and welcome!

Good that you are seeing your vet! A small/pulled in eye usually signals pain and can be a sign of a non-ulcerating problem or something stuck in the eye. If seen promptly, some eye drops will hopefully do the trick quickly. Thankfully, most eye injuries heal off nearly as quickly as they come on.
Any persistent watery eye should be also checked, as it means that there is an irritation in the eye. Normal guinea pig eye cleaning fluid is milky; you can sometimes find traces of that around the eye, either fluid or dried.

Best of luck!

Ah ok thankyou! Ill try get a closer pic of her eye later and see what people think cause i cant get to the vets till monday

 

[Wiebke]

Ah ok thankyou! Ill try get a closer pic of her eye later and see what people think cause i cant get to the vets till monday

I am very sorry, but posting a photo won't help you. Only a vet can check for scratches etc; you need dye and special lighting for that.

 

[Meltierney]

I am very sorry, but posting a photo won't help you. Only a vet can check for scratches etc; you need dye and special lighting for that.

Aww boo i thought people may have been able to see it and atleast know if its like normal or something
Because the vet i phoned said just leave it a while n see if it goes away so made me think its normal ... just extra catious cause i dont wanna make a bad choice :/

 

[Wiebke]

Aww boo i thought people may have been able to see it and atleast know if its like normal or something
Because the vet i phoned said just leave it a while n see if it goes away so made me think its normal ... just extra catious cause i dont wanna make a bad choice :/

Keep it under observation, but see a vet promptly if there is a white/blueish dot or coating forming on the surface of the eye (ulceration). Have a check of the eye and see whether you can see a bit of hay or grass sticking out from underneath an eyelid; also have a look at the conjunctiva around the eye and compare it to the one in the other eye. You can get sterile saline solution from the pharmacy to disinfect the eye and hopefully prevent it from ulcerating.
However, whatever the vet tells you over the phone and without having see the eye, NEVER take an eye problem casually and leave it unchecked; it can cost you the eye.

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice to what is available and possible where you are straight away? We have got members from all over the world, so any recommendations can vary quite a bit. click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location.

We have got a piggy savvy vet locator on the top bar for our UK members.

 

[Meltierney]

Keep it under observation, but see a vet promptly if there is a white/blueish dot or coating forming on the surface of the eye (ulceration). Have a check of the eye and see whether you can see a bit of hay or grass sticking out from underneath an eyelid; also have a look at the conjunctiva around the eye and compare it to the one in the other eye. You can get sterile saline solution from the pharmacy to disinfect the eye and hopefully prevent it from ulcerating.
However, whatever the vet tells you over the phone and without having see the eye, NEVER take an eye problem casually and leave it unchecked; it can cost you the eye.

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can tailor any advice to what is available and possible where you are straight away? We have got members from all over the world, so any recommendations can vary quite a bit. click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location.

We have got a piggy savvy vet locator on the top bar for our UK members.

Has that worked? I'm gonna have a check I'm just abit scared of her thinking i want to hurt her as ive only had her 3 days and shes still going to be abit wary so I'm going to get it checked out on monday when i can. Thankyou for the advise! Will warm water help in the meantime till i can get some of that sterile stuff?

 

[Wiebke]

Has that worked? I'm gonna have a check I'm just abit scared of her thinking i want to hurt her as ive only had her 3 days and shes still going to be abit wary so I'm going to get it checked out on monday when i can. Thankyou for the advise! Will warm water help in the meantime till i can get some of that sterile stuff?

You can make your own saline solution by mixing 1 teaspoon of salt into 1 pint of boiled, cooled water in an emergency. Just warm water will not disinfect. Please be aware that any disinfection does not do away with the pain/discomfort and will not heal.

You can reclaim any vet cost (whichever vet you are using - and it doesn't have to be just the no-frills shop vet) from the vet shop if anything happens or has clearly been caused while the piggies were still in the shop.

 

[Meltierney]

You can make your own saline solution by mixing 1 teaspoon of salt into 1 pint of boiled, cooled water in an emergency. Just warm water will not disinfect. Please be aware that any disinfection does not do away with the pain/discomfort and will not heal.

You can reclaim any vet cost (whichever vet you are using - and it doesn't have to be just the no-frills shop vet) from the vet shop if anything happens or has clearly been caused while the piggies were still in the shop.

Well good news i phoned about several vets and my friend suggested one called animal trust and they have got me an appointment tomorrow a different vets wanted me to wait till tuesday! The pets at home said they would pay any vets cost for the next 2 weeks.

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I would weigh both daily at the same time, as an eye infection or crustiness may be a pre-cursor to a URI (Upper respiratory infection) I hope not, but make sure they are eating ok & no other symptoms (Cough/sneeze/weight loss etc). I would really recommend insurance if you can afford to, my piggy Petal in my avatar has cost me upwards of £3000 in the last 3 years due to various operations etc. I really wish I'd insured her then & most certainly would always insure in future

 

[Meltierney]

I would weigh both daily at the same time, as an eye infection or crustiness may be a pre-cursor to a URI (Upper respiratory infection) I hope not, but make sure they are eating ok & no other symptoms (Cough/sneeze/weight loss etc). I would really recommend insurance if you can afford to, my piggy Petal in my avatar has cost me upwards of £3000 in the last 3 years due to various operations etc. I really wish I'd insured her then & most certainly would always insure in future

Well they are both eating loads and chloe pig the one with eye issue has been giddy jumping everywhere all day ha

Did it cost so much because of consultation fees aswel cause this place I'm going too is free for the consultations and you just pay for treatments. How much a month would it be to insure 2 do you think?

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I think my 2 that are insured cost me about £20 a month, through Exotics Direct, they are really good, but it depends how old your piggies are & their health at the time. If you contact them they will give you a quote with no obligation.

If it's just a bit of hay in her eye then the vet will check with drops & a special light & prescribe antibiotic eye drops. Any eye problems need looking at very quickly, too often we've seen piggies lose an eye if the problem is left too long & that is when they become expensive; the operations, x rays etc are all in addition to consult fees. They really aren't children's pets in my opinion (Not saying yours are, just that is how they are "Sold" in shops as easy pets!) they are Exotic animals, in the same category as unusual pets, lizards, chameleons etc.

 

[Meltierney]

I think my 2 that are insured cost me about £20 a month, through Exotics Direct, they are really good, but it depends how old your piggies are & their health at the time. If you contact them they will give you a quote with no obligation.

If it's just a bit of hay in her eye then the vet will check with drops & a special light & prescribe antibiotic eye drops. Any eye problems need looking at very quickly, too often we've seen piggies lose an eye if the problem is left too long & that is when they become expensive; the operations, x rays etc are all in addition to consult fees. They really aren't children's pets in my opinion (Not saying yours are, just that is how they are "Sold" in shops as easy pets!) they are Exotic animals, in the same category as unusual pets, lizards, chameleons etc. [/QUOTE

Ah ok ill look into it then thanks ☺

Well tbh mine are pets for me and my 2 daughters but my youngest is possibly autistic but devopmentaly delayed and she gets worried about dogs and anything loud ect these seem to have a calming effect on her but i do think its all the adults responsibilty but its also a good pet to engage children with animals as long as the parents teach children the correct way to behave ect. They are really fascinating pets though ive only had them 3 days and I'm already in love ha

 

[Meltierney]

Went to the vets today she had a eye infection so she has some drops