hairloss around eye

Question
Hi,

I noticed today that my ginea pig has lost some hair around her eyes, and there are small solid white-ish clumps around them as well, on the top and bottom.  On her left eye eye, the part where sleepy sand comes out is popping out a bit and is red, does she have conjuctivitis?  I checked the rest of her and besides her eyes seems normal.

Sincerely, Nicole

Answer
Nicole --

Well, you've given me a stumper.  To be honest, I've never heard of a guinea pig losing hair around their eyes.  However, if the eye is becoming reddish and inflamed, I would take the animal to the vet and have her checked for conjunctivitis.  You may also want to check and make sure that there isn't anything in the eye.  Sometimes a guinea pig will get a speck of bedding or something in their eye and that will lead to a lot of discharge and redness.  If this is the case, you can either flush it out with water or wipe it away gently with a clean cloth.

Hope this is helpful.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me.  Good luck!

Lorena