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Behavior new guinea pig possible blind

ceva291

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I just bought a 7 week old guinea pig its her first night here. she is barely moving not touching any food or water and i noticed does not blink when something nears her eye. i was just wondering if this is due to the shock orr if she is blind. if she is blind what can i do?
 

Paula

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She's probably just frightened, although depending on where you purchased her, she might also be ill. Please find a cavy savvy vet and when/if you want to add another pig to your family, adopt, don't buy.
 

ceva291

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I adopted her from a family who had a litter but did not want the babies. I have had guinea pigs in the past and checked her for all the usual signs of sickness and she seems very healthy in every other way. My friend did take a picture of her with flash before i could stop it and I have heard that can blind them so have become quite concerned. I do hope that by the end of today she has eaten and had some water I am keeping an eye on the levels. But I remain concerned about her eyesight and hope it is indeed just her fright at the huge adjustment she is having to make.
 

Deb's4Pigs

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Can you take her to the vet to see if drops will help? Before it gets worse?
 

ceva291

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Yes i could if it really will work. I am a student and dont have much money... how can I tell if her eyesight really is not good? I would like to be sure before I take her in.
 

blackarrow

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Guinea pigs rarely blink and even sleep with their eyes open on a regular basis. They tend to "freeze" when frightened. Does she prefer to be in a hidey or otherwise concealed from your view? If she does, she knows she is concealed, and it must be because she can see her surroundings, and I wouldn't worry about it if so.
 

pinky

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Blind guinea pigs can adapt to their surroundings as long as you keep their water bottles and food dishes in the same place where they can find them. Is your guinea pig white? Is there any chance that she is a lethal? In that case, you'd also have to be concerned about her teeth and other health issues. It takes a while for guinea pigs to adapt to new surroundings so she might just be frightened. They're prey animals so they are always on guard for predators. She doesn't know if she can trust you yet so she's probably really scared.
 

HannibalLecter

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If you slowly move towards the cage & reach out for her, does she notice your hand & directly run to hide into a specific hidey, or is there only a reaction to noice? If you move a hidey, does she find it quicky or aimlessly search for it?

She doesn't have to be blind, but she could have bad eyesight. Although what you're describing isn't pointing towards that. What color & eyecolor is she? Ruby & blue eyed pig's & animals overall are known to have bad eyesight, mine included. If the pig is white it could be a lethal white with born defects.

I just think the pig needs time to adjust, get her a friend after she's been quarantined as they're more secure in pairs or herds. Sit by the cage & read so she can get used to your voice & presence. Avoid chasing her around & lifting for now.
 
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ceva291

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Thank you for all your help. She is prefering to be in her hidey and I am working on finding her a companion. She has blue eyes so perhaps its just her bad eyesight. I would try and move her hidey to see if she discoverit but for now I think its best to leave her be and let her stay in it. I am just concerned as she is still not eating or drinking even when I placed a carrot in her cage.
 

Sirene

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If she is not eating or drinking, you need to take her to a vet ASAP. She may be very seriously ill and it does not take long for guinea pigs to deteriorate until it becomes fatal (hours rather than days or weeks). Have you tried giving her lettuce, preferably with water left on it after rinsing? If she does not touch anything, please take her to an emergency vet.
 

chubbypiggies

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Maybe try leaving the room for awhile and check on her later to see if some of the foods are gone. She is probably just too scared to eat. Is she familiar with vegetables? if she was never fed veggies before she probably doesn't even know that veggies are edible.
 

ceva291

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Thank you for your help. I tried the lettece and it worked. She is taking water now and has munched one her carrot and is moving around a little bit. She seems to slowly be adjustin through her eye sight still seems very poor I am assume that is just due to her eye colour being blue as someone said earlier.
 

Sirene

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That is VERY good news! Please keep an eye on her, as "not eating" is one of the very worst signs a guinea pig owner can see.

Are you feeding her hay? You will want to get a good brand like Oxbow, or order online from Sweetmeadow Farm or Kleenmama's hayloft. You will probably want to get Timothy hay, unless you are allergic to it, in which case you will want meadow hay or Orchard Grass hay. Guinea pigs need 24/7 access to hay, as it keeps their digestive tracts working properly.

You will also want a good plain pellet food, like Oxbow Essentials.

Also, please read the diet section of this forum, including the Nutrition charts. If you are new to guinea pigs, this will help you figure out a balanced diet (for example, carrots should be a treat, not a regular food).

I've had 2 almost-blind guinea pigs, and they do really well once they figure out where everything is. You can change their cage around for variety, but don't move their food or water bottle, as they need to be sure where these are at all times. You should also talk to them when you go into the room, as they can't see you coming.

If you have other questions, please post. We're a friendly bunch!
 

proudcavyowner

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I have owned a blind guinea pig, and I loved her most of all. They are not "hard to handle." They adjust excellent to the environment they are in. Just try not to change things around too much so she knows exactly where everything is. I hardly ever changed around Faith's environment, and she did so wonderful.

Good luck with your new piggy! I just adopted an albino male piggy earlier today. He's just adorable as can be with bright red eyes. 10 weeks old, and precious! I posted a thread about him if you are curious about his appearance. Photos are included. Good luck once again!!
 

pinky

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What color is her fur? You'd want to rule out whether she is a lethal. If she is white, there is a chance she could be. Lethals are always white and can have blue eyes. They are the product of cross breeding roan to dalmation, roan to roan or dalmation to dalmation. If she is, you'd definitely want her checked by a vet because of other health issues associated with lethals.
 

TigerzGirl

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Pigs rarely blink anyway :p

And also, I wouldn't worry too much as I had one pig that went almost a week and I didn't see her move or eat or drink! (She /might/ have a little when I wasn't watching, but I watched her food and stuff and there wasn't any difference I could notice) Wouldn't touch veggies or anything.

Now she is a happy pig c: She still won't move or eat or anything when you hold her though (Fine once you put her down)

It is probably just shock from being moved, try to interact as little as possible and don't walk by much(or cover cage with a blanket, I did that) But if it goes on too long get it to a vet. Possibly sick, but mine was fine. As long as there IS food and stuff in there she will probably sneak a bit once she decides it is safe.
 

SFailed186

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Based on your description, your guinea pig sounds merely frightened. You just got her two days ago, it takes quite some time for any guinea pig, blind or not, to adjust to new surroundings. She probably wasn't eating because she was so frightened, and the fact that she is now eating confirms that suspicion. When guinea pigs are ill, they never get better on their own and once you notice symptoms, they continue going downhill until they receive proper treatment/medication.

As others have said, guinea pigs hardly blink, so that alone is not enough to determine if she is blind or not. In my two and half years having my girls, I have only seen them blink or close their eyes a handful of times.
 
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