Eyes/Non-crusty How to help a one eyes guinea pig?

[GrinnyPigs]

I've come across a guinea pig with one eye. He had to have one removed due to an abscess behind it. He's not adapting well & I'm considering bringing him home to help him adjust.. But I'm not sure how to help him. He's very scared & confused. Not really eating much on his own, I got him to eat some veggies the last two days by sitting with him & showing him smelly foods like peppers & parsley. As soon as he went back into his cage though, he just went back to sitting scared. He's not very coordinated.. Struggling to walk without his eye. He's holding his head sideways all the time so to have his working eye at the front of his body at all times. Of course, this means he sometimes goes round in circles, or, if you're not careful putting him down, he flops over onto his side/back! I think he needs extra attention, which is why I'm considering bringing him home for a week or so.. But what can I do to get him used to his new life? He needs to learn to play & walk.. Plus finding food etc within the cage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.. I've never cared for a pet with one eye before! x

 

[Guineapigpro]

Are there any details on this piggy? When was his eye removed? How lg has he been in the shelter? Dd you already take him home? Is he eating pellets? What was is size cage? Plz include as much background as possible!

 

[GrinnyPigs]

He's only a baby, must be around 9-10 wks old? He had his eye removed just over a week ago. I've not got him at home at the moment as I wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing for him. He ate pellets yesterday but didn't show much interest in them or veggies today after he ate with me this morning. He's in a smallish cage.. The minimum for one guinea pig atm. I'm trying to make sure people talk to him before picking him up & keeping his food & water in the same place in the cage.. But with several people looking after him, it's difficult to make sure everyone is doing the same thing.

eta - let me know if you need any other details I weighed him this morning, he's at 215g x
Sorry, just remembered he had some slimy/greasy poops yesterday morning. People had noted that he'd not been eating properly (hence my extra encouragement the last 2 days!) He has seen a vet & will continue to do so. He's got a little nasal discharge & is on baytril twice a day

 

[Guineapigpro]

How long has he been where he is? I'm assuming he's at a shelter? Have you adopted him, are you going to adopt him? Or just foster him? Or neither?

 

[GrinnyPigs]

He's been there a couple of weeks at least.. I won't really be adopting or fostering because I don't have room for him long term.. Although I would absolutely love to! I was hoping to help him to adjust to living before taking him back to be put onto adoption. I can't tell if bringing him home for one on one care would be more useful or harmful in the long run as I won't be his permanent home. I don't want to stress him out moving him to my home for a couple of weeks while he adjusts & recovers, & then moving him back for adoption - that's why I've not done it yet. If it'll be better to stay where he is then that's ok.. I just need to know how to help him with a more hands-off approach. If I can bring him home then help with a more hands on approach would be useful. If that makes sense.. Lol. Sorry, I'm on my phone!

 

[Agrimony]

Where is he, somewhere new? Sounds like a lot of it is skiddishness more than anything else, he's probably more nervous than most pigs would be. I myself have a one eyed piggy, Pickle lost his eye at 5 months old after a bite from another pig, and he is perfectly fine. It took I'd say under 1 week for him to adjust to limited sight. The only big differences is he's slightly more skiddish epecially if he is touched on his blind side suddenly. He will also spin sometimes to look around and tends to keep his eye facing out, i.e. when laying down he will have his blind side against the wall and eye facing the rest of the room, or when he's being held will lay on his side so his eye faces the room. Other than that he's the same as any other pig.

 

[GrinnyPigs]

He's in the same place he was before his eye was removed, he was quite happy to be handled before & was managing well. Now he seems to be taking too long (from what I've read) to learn to cope with his new eyesight & it's affecting his eating. I don't want to add to his nerves by moving him to be with me if I'm only doing it for my benefit rather than his.. I will keep up with taking him out of his cage to eat though just so I can make sure he's eating something. Unfortunately I can't guarantee that everyone will do that Of course, I've got to take my own pets into consideration as well.. Especially making sure that he's not got anything contagious before bringing him into the home if I do.. I've got my own piggies & a rabbit.

 

[Agrimony]

I think moving him might be stressful anyway, he has to get the layout of his cage understood first. It seems strange that it is affecting his eating though, guinea pigs sight is not their strongest sense anyway, he should be able to smell his hay at the very least, and with one functioning eye its not like he is completely blind. I'd be suspicious it could be something else and not just his limited sight.

EDIT: I'd want to add rather than taking him out to eat, it might be more useful to measure his food and his weight, keep track that way. Taking him out to eat will not necessarily get him to learn where his food is. Also an open ended hidey and putting food right in or near that should help as well.

 

[bpatters]

Poor piggy! I'd also keep in mind that one of the signs of ear infections is a head tilt, and it's possible that an infection behind the eye could have gotten to the ear as well. Why not call the vet and ask how long it should take him to adjust to having only one eye, and if you're beyond that point, you might want to ask about having him put on more (or different) antibiotics if there's a possibility that his ear is involved.

Also, if he's not eating properly, he needs to be hand-fed. At his age, he needs at least 25-30 grams of Critical Care, Critter-Be-Better, or a pellet slurry to keep him going if he's not eating anything else. See https://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html for instructions on how to syringe feed him.

 

[Agrimony]

I agree with @bpatters that it could be a more serious infection, I dealt with multiple infections with Pickle. How has his weight been?

 

[Guineapigpro]

Okay. First of all, I want to admit, I've never really dealed with a situation like this, or with a special need such as this. But, I believe I do know much about stress and guinea pig behaviors. Along with a FEW medical basics. ( I'm not a vet, I just have sickly guinea pigs..) alright, so here's what I think: your piggie is stressed, confused, ect. Stress can do CRAZY things. I believe it can cause dihhrhea and keep them from eating. Now, idk if this is the reason of your piggies symptoms though. So to get to the point, the pig needs low stress. Here's what I recommend:

1. Don't pick him up! Unless if it is completely necessary. Most pigs don't like being picked up, AT LEAST until they get used to you.
2. Others may argue this, but I say: don't give him floor time for a few weeks. Personally, I believe he will be terrified, as he can't see too well while he's adjusting. Being in a new area AGAIN with lowered senses will be traumatizing.
3. Leave him in his cage as much as possible for a few weeks. Let him get used to his surroundings.
4. Try not to be silent, but try to keep the noise level down. Don't come stomp, jump, scream, or make loud laughs while near him. You can talk at normal level, in fact he wil probably enjoy that. ( as pigs don't like complete silence )
5. You may pet him in his cage, but let him sniff you first.
6. Feed him treats through the side of the cage and gain some trust for a few weeks before taking him out.
7. Move slow, no sudden movements.

this will help him stress wise.

before I give you more tips, I must ask a few questions. Do you go to a vet that specializes in exotics or small animals? Has the vet seen the mucusy poo, or know about the less food eating situation?

 

[GrinnyPigs]

Okay. First of all, I want to admit, I've never really dealed with a situation like this, or with a special need such as this. But, I believe I do know much about stress and guinea pig behaviors. Along with a FEW medical basics. ( I'm not a vet, I just have sickly guinea pigs..) alright, so here's what I think: your piggie is stressed, confused, ect. Stress can do CRAZY things. I believe it can cause dihhrhea and keep them from eating. Now, idk if this is the reason of your piggies symptoms though. So to get to the point, the pig needs low stress. Here's what I recommend:

1. Don't pick him up! Unless if it is completely necessary. Most pigs don't like being picked up, AT LEAST until they get used to you.
2. Others may argue this, but I say: don't give him floor time for a few weeks. Personally, I believe he will be terrified, as he can't see too well while he's adjusting. Being in a new area AGAIN with lowered senses will be traumatizing.
3. Leave him in his cage as much as possible for a few weeks. Let him get used to his surroundings.
4. Try not to be silent, but try to keep the noise level down. Don't come stomp, jump, scream, or make loud laughs while near him. You can talk at normal level, in fact he wil probably enjoy that. ( as pigs don't like complete silence )
5. You may pet him in his cage, but let him sniff you first.
6. Feed him treats through the side of the cage and gain some trust for a few weeks before taking him out.
7. Move slow, no sudden movements.

this will help him stress wise.

before I give you more tips, I must ask a few questions. Do you go to a vet that specializes in exotics or small animals? Has the vet seen the mucusy poo, or know about the less food eating situation?

I understand what you're saying with the tips on stress, but how can I leave him in his cage & not handle him if the only way I can get him to eat is if I take him out of the cage, put him on a table & put the veggies near him? Yesterday he ate more than he did today, but again, that was after I'd encouraged him outside of the cage. I worry that if I just leave him then he won't eat at all.

I will phone the vets tomorrow & see what they suggest, especially with regards to the adjustment period. He's well over a week now & from what most people are saying, he should be showing signs of improvement.

His weigh is 215g. I will be monitoring this closely over the next week, especially as he's not seeming to eat much.

 

[Agrimony]

Yes calling the vet is a great idea, i believe he is probably more sick than anything else. Weight him at least once a day, if it declines you need to syringe feed, but if not i would leave him in his cage to eat and measure his food carefully. just eating veggies is not enough, he needs to eat hay more than anything else.

 

[GrinnyPigs]

Yes calling the vet is a great idea, i believe he is probably more sick than anything else. Weight him at least once a day, if it declines you need to syringe feed, but if not i would leave him in his cage to eat and measure his food carefully. just eating veggies is not enough, he needs to eat hay more than anything else.

Thank you, I will do. Sorry for the rubbish replies, it's late here. Lol. I'm off to bed. Will call vets in the morning & keep up with his weight monitoring.

 

[Guineapigpro]

He won't eat unless he is taken out of the cage? He won't eat it if you put it beside him, even if he is in a hidey house?