baby guinea pig eyes probelms

Question
hi, i just bought two baby guinea pigs last night (about 7 weeks old) and i noticed this morning that one of them closes her right eye half way quite a lot and there were crusty bits around her eye. she keeps her other eye wide open but its just the one side that she often partially closes. another thing i noticed was that her other eye(the left one) bulges out more than her right one(the one she closes) so I'm not sure if that is somewhat normal or not. i went back to the pet store and they said that it is normal, but i don't exactly fully trust that they know what they are talking about. they also said that she might be suffering from a form of pink eye in her other one and to clean it with water twice a day and that it should go away in about a week. again, i am asking you because, being an expert, you probably know better than they do so any advice would be very much appreciated. at the store they have a 30 day policy so i was also wondering if i should just take it back to the store. also, i was wondering if you thought it might be contagious and whether i should keep it separated from my other guinea pig?
thanks you!
Michelle

Answer
Hi Michelle,

I haven't experienced many eye problems in my own guinea pigs but I'll give it my best shot! And you're right; pet shop staff usually have no idea what they're talking about in terms of animal welfare. Whatever is wrong with your piggy, she probably caught at the pet shop!

The most common problem with piggy eyes is if they get something stuck in there. So, have a close look at her to see if you can spot anything (usually a hay seed) that has got stuck. If so, use a cotton bud to gently remove it. Then use a mild salt solution or just warm water to rinse her eye; this will help to calm down any infection or soreness that the blockage may have caused.

Guinea pigs suffer from similar health problems to humans, hence their past use in medical laboratories. As such, it is often helpful to think of a poorly guinea pig like a child. So, it is possible that your piggy has conjuctivitis. As with humans, you need to keep the eye clean and it should eventually clear up on its own if you use warm water twice daily to get rid of the crusty bits. Keep an eye on your other piggy as this condition is very contagious.

Your piggy could also simply have a cold; keep her warm, cuddle her, and give her lots of her favourite foods and some fresh parsley.

It is also possible that she has an allergy, most likely to the bedding that you are using. It could be a new allergy that she's developed since she moved in with you, or she could have had problems with the stuff in the pet shop too. The best thing to do will be to change to a different type of bedding to see if this helps. I use newspaper to line the cage, white paper to cover the newspaper, and then a thick layer of dust-extracted wood shavings, and have never had any problems with it. For guinea pigs wih allergies, look up Megazorb! This is a special, gentle bedding for guinea pigs that are allergic to other types of bedding.

Don't separate her from the other guinea pig. If it's contagious, she'll have passed it on already. Taking her away from her sister/friend will just make her miserable.

Try the various things I suggested and keep a close eye on her. If there's no change in a couple of days, take her to a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet. They will be able to prescribe antibiotics if necessary and help your piggy to feel better.  

I urge you not to take her back to the shop; she'll have bonded with the other one who will be lonely if you take her away. Also, I'm not sure what pet shops do with poorly animals but it can't be good! If you feel you can't keep her, take her to your local animal rescue.

Good luck and if you have any other questions ... just ask!

Best wishes,
Jenny.