Degu Eye Infection

Question
I believe that my degu is developing an eye infection, and I live in an area with no vets who have knowledge of exotic rodents. I was wondering if there were any at home treatments I could use, or non-prescription medications I could order. I plan on administering crushed vitamin C tablets to him in his water, to boost his immunity. Is there anything else I can or should do?

Answer
I don't know of any at home remedies other than keeping it clean.  You should be very careful of crushing the vitamin c tablets, for a couple of reasons.  First of all is the dosing; while it is a water soluble vitamin, you can still stress his system by giving him too much.  Another thing to consider is the fact that most vitamin C for human consumption has some form of sweetener in it to make it a chewable (as well as numerous other chemicals# that won't be good for him.  There are commercially prepared liquids to add that are specifically for small animals #gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs) that would be much safer and you can find them at most stores that sell pet foods.  

Good luck!