Tilted heads

Question
We just adopted 2 female guinea pigs from the pet store as pets for our 5-year-old son. They were being adopted rather than sold because their heads are tilted. One's head is turned to the side at a 45 degree angle so she is looking diagonally at the ceiling. The other's defect is not that extreme.  The woman at the pet store told me that this would not shorten their life spans or cause them to suffer. Do you know if this is true? Do you know anything about this condition?

Answer
Maura -

First, let me apologise for the extreme delay in my response.  I have been seriously ill for over a week now and have been unable to respond to any of my email.  I just wanted you to know I was not deliberately ignoring you.

Now, about your question.  What you are looking at is a condition called wry neck.  It is a birth defect that usually corrects itself.  If it has not, it may be permanent, in which case it will not cause harm to the guinea pig's quality of life, except that it is a little more difficult for them to accomplish every day tasks.  However, this problem in an adult guinea pig could be caused by an inner ear problem.  I would take these animals to a reliable "pocket pets" vet and have them checked to make sure there's no problems with the inner ear, particularly if you have noticed balance problems as well - i.e. stumbling, idleness, etc.

Hope this is helpful, and once again, I'm sorry about the delay in my response.  Good luck with your new pets!

Lorena