Eye problems

Guinea pigs can suffer from various problems that affect their eyes. These can be caused by injury or illness. It is important to check your guinea pigs regularly for any signs of a problem.

Guinea pigs eyes should be large, open freely, be bright and free from yellow or green discharge. Both eyes should look symmetrical when viewed from the front or above and neither should stick out further than the other.

Healthy guinea pigs secrete a white fluid from near their eyes which they then groom over their faces with their forepaws several times a day. This is perfectly normal and healthy and not a cause for concern.

Guinea pigs have relatively poor eyesight and rely upon smell, whiskers and sound location to get around.

Guinea pigs can suffer from a variety of problems with their eyes.

Trauma caused by sharp ends of hay and straw can poke a guinea pig in the eye as they like to burrow into their bedding. Hay seeds can also make their way into the eye and get trapped behind the eye or in the conjunctiva. The eye will often be closed or look discoloured and often there is abnormal discharge from the eye.

Older guinea pigs can suffer from cataracts. These are characterised by a white area within the eye itself. This can affect one or both eyes and causes progressive blindness.

Respiratory disease is common in guinea pigs and can manifest as discharge from the eyes, as well as harsh/snuffly breathing with nasal discharge.

With conjunctivitis, the eyelids will appear red and swollen; the guinea pig may not be able to shut one or both eyes and often there is green/yellow discharge. This is often painful and the guinea pig may also be depressed and off their food.

Glaucoma is where the pressure in the eye is high, it is a painful condition and can be a complication of diabetes but sometimes has an unknown cause

Entropion is where the eyelashes turn inwards and rub on the eyeball, causing pain and inflammation, it is usually only seen in very young guinea pigs.

Depending on what the problem is then your vet may prescribe a number of treatments.

For minor trauma, conjunctivitis and ulcers then your vet may prescribe eye drops for you to put into your guinea pigs affected eyes at home.

Respiratory infections will require a course of antibiotics.

If a foreign body is suspected then the guinea pig may need to be anaesthetised so the vet can fully explore the area. This is likely to be too uncomfortable to do with the guinea pig conscious.

Cataracts do not require any treatment, surgery is available but most guinea pigs will relay upon other senses far more than they do their eyesight, they can adapt well to progressive blindness. It is important to keep their environment the same and they will need a guinea pig companion

Severe trauma to the eye or untreatable glaucoma may require surgery to remove the eye

If entropion is the problem, some guinea pigs can outgrow it, but if this isn’t the case surgery will be needed.

Sadly you can’t prevent conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and entropion.

Bedding guinea pigs on soft hay or shredded paper can help to avoid eye injuries. Using dust free hay will also reduce the risk of hay and grass seeds becoming caught in their eyes. For respiratory infections you should ensure your guinea pigs are housed is in a well ventilated area and cleaned out regularly.