Is there a way to tell if a guinea pig is blind?

Post Reply
User avatar
Sherri

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:21 pm


Tonight Wilma didn't make the mad dash for her veggies. She stayed in her cuddle cup and just sniffed. I took her out, looked her over. She looks fine. She sounds fine. I sat her next to her veggie plate and she started to nibble on lettuce. Oh, I weighed her too. She weighs 2.8 lbs. This has been consistant since the day we brought her home. I just feel something isn't right. She normally wheeks the loudest and does circles for her veggies. Then I cleaned the magic beans out of the cage and gave fresh hay. She went for that and started eating before I cam down to worry.

Wilma is about 2 1/2 years, female.

I just checked again. Hasn't touched her plate. She normally goes for the bananna slice first. She went to the corner of her cage though. Maybe something freaked her out. I sat and watched from around the corner. She snuck up real slow and grabbed a piece of hay and backed up and was eating it. But she sniffed at the pile before grabbing it. I DON'T KNOW! I have read about other members piggies getting freaked out. Hopefully that's all it is. I would still be interested in finding out how to tell if a pig is blind. Will the eye look different?
Do they stay in one area longer than usual?

All I know is she loves that cuddle cup. I am going to have to get another. She almost can't go without it when I am washing it. Thanks Weaver for the comfort you create for our piggies.

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:22 pm


If you turn off all the lights and shine a flashlight in her eyes, you should see the pupils react to the light if she can see.

User avatar
papiggieluverz

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:24 pm


I've read about people's pigs getting freaked out by things in the cage. Some people say clean the cage real good and hope that, that helps.

I have read that people shine a light on the eyes, and if there is a white tint or something that may mean they are blind.

I have thought a few of mine were blind, but I would like to know if there is anyway to tell for sure.

User avatar
Sherri

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:35 pm


OK. I will try the flashlight thing...tomorrow. I just went up there again. I don't think she moved from the spot the last time I checked on her. I moved her plate to where she was and now she is eating. I do think she is freaked out. If she eats everything on her plate I will know she was freaked out.

Thank you for replies and I will update you in the morning.

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:06 pm


OK. I will try the flashlight thing...tomorrow. I just went up there again. I
Easier to try it at night :-p

User avatar
Bugs Mom

Post   » Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:42 pm


My Lady Bug has been blind for the last 2 1/2 years and how I first noticed it was that she kept running into things. Unfortunately, that's also when she stopped doing zoomies and popcorning.

I also noticed that if I put a piece of food, cucumber for eg. which has a strong smell, she would use her nose to find it. If it turns out your little one is blind just put everything in exactly the same place every time and she'll always be able to find it.

Yes, going blind is a scary thing for little piggys when they're used to seeing no matter how poorly.

Guineaspot

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 12:55 pm


Today I took my 11 month old guinea pig out of her cage, and I saw there was something wrong with her eye. On her left eye, it looks like she poked it on something and it's slightly lighter. Is she going blind or is it an eye booger? We're taking her to the vet soon but I want to hear others thoughts first.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:10 pm


Probably a hay poke, and a visit to the vet soon than later is a good idea. Eye injuries are painful, and if not treated promptly, may require removal of the eyeball if infection sets in.

Guineaspot

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:14 pm


Okay thank you. I'll get her to the vet soon.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:44 pm


And look at the pictures on this page and follow links to more pictures:
www.guinealynx.info/eyes.html

User avatar
Tracy

Post   » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:24 pm


I have a piggy who I've suspected is blind, or at least very vision impaired.

When I first brought her home, she was frozen for a LONG time. I know it's normal for them to be scared at first, but eventually I saw her exploring the temporary cage very slowly and cautiously -- hard to explain, but it seemed like she didn't know where she was nor the size/shape of her surroundings. Kinda crawling around "in the dark", very close to the ground and then sticking near the perimeter. She also couldn't find food. The real concerning part was that when she got spooked she would run (like many piggies) but would bump into things -- ran through the food bowl and bumped into whatever objects were present (hidey houses and such).

When she went into a box-like structure with just one opening, she couldn't find her way out easily and got stressed; she does better with multiple entrances/egresses. Later, when she was integrated with 2 other piggies, she didn't seem to know where they were, even if they were near her. If I hold some food, she seems to find it by smell. And when I hold her she stays frozen, I think unable to determine what size/shape I am, so no exploring. I don't think the flashlight thing worked for us, but her eyes always come out well in flash photography (unlike my other piggy)... plus she doesn't seem to know when I'm about to take a picture. It's also very easy to clip her nails -- I think because she can't see what I'm doing or about to do.

She gets along just fine now (past 3 years), and she's very smart... exhibited by her quick learning if/when I move things around in their cage. I've been tempted to see how she reacts to a mirror, but honestly I've never tried that with any of my piggies over the years. I wonder if sighted animals freak out a bit upon seeing another piggy that's 2 dimensional and has no scent.

I've read that guinea pigs (and some other species) do quite well without sight, so I don't worry about my gal. I have been tempted to bring her to an ophthalmology vet in case there's some way to know definitively, but I haven't pursued that.

Post Reply