Concern over Smores

Question
HI,
My brothers and I just bought a guinea pig about 2 weeks ago. He's great for them and we love him very much. My concern is his health, the first week we had him...he had crust in his eye and couldn't open it. I cleaned it everyday with a warm q-tip and it would clear up then come back. Recently we left him with my best friend and he seems to be doing fine again. The crusts in his eyes went away. I assumed it was because his vitamin C intake increased because she fed him oranges everyday. Now that we have him back home we noticed that his right leg is kind of limp. When he crawls around I notice that he sort of hops around on his left leg while his right leg sticks out and he drags it around. My concern is: why does it seem that our guinea pig always has a problem. First the eye then his leg. Is it because my brothers handle him a little too roughly? And, do we really need to take him to a vet or will he get better eventually?

Answer
Hi Jordan

I doubt very much that the 2 things are linked. The healing of the crusty eye would certainly make sense after the feeding of oranges, although, for future reference, they should not be given every day because the acid can cause sore lips.

The sore leg could also be due to rough handling, although this is doubtful as guinea pigs are quite resiliant animals.

The best bet is ALWAYS to consult a vet that is experienced in piggies as an illness/injury rarely gets better on its own without treatment.

andy