Is My Guinea Pig Blind?

Guinea pigs are mostly easy to care for. But one thing most guinea pig owners notice is their pet’s weird behavior when it enters the cage and walks straight into obstacles. It makes you think, is my guinea pig blind? 

Today’s article sheds light on this particular aspect of your tiny pet. So, scroll down to read further. 

Is My Guinea Pig Blind?

Whether your guinea pig is blind or not, they can mostly live their lives normally. But a lot depends upon how well you take care of your guinea pig.

There are various signs and symptoms to identify blindness in your guinea pig. For example, a blind guinea pig can easily startle. But there is more to it. 

How to tell if your guinea pig is blind?

You will notice your little friend doesn’t normally react when they enter their cage. But their behavior can vary. For instance, some guinea pigs get excited to see you because they think you are about to feed them, while others will hide when they see you coming. 

However, if your pig is not reacting when you approach, the little thing might be blind. You might also notice your little buddy frequently walks into obstacles within its cage and often struggles to find the entrance of its cage. 

Why is your guinea pig blind?

There can be various reasons why your pig is blind. Some guinea pigs are born blind because of congenital issues such as their eyes being too small or don’t have eyes at all.

In comparison, other guinea pigs might develop blindness due to poor health conditions such as vitamin A deficiency later in their lives. They also go blind with age. For instance, your little friend might have developed illnesses like cataracts or diabetes. 

These little creatures can also go blind if they have suffered eye injuries. These injuries might cause if they got poked into their eye with a hay piece or another guinea pig’s toenail. 

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Can blind guinea pigs be cured?

No, blindness caused in guinea pigs due to cataracts or any other reason cannot be cured. But the good thing is sight is not the most powerful sense of these little creatures. It is because they are not born with strong eyesight in the first place. 

However, if you have found that your buddy is facing difficulties with its eye and you have found the problem at an earlier stage, you need to get it to a vet as soon as you can so it might get blind. The important thing is to provide them with a clean cage and proper diet. 

Can a blind guinea pig survive?

Yes, they can survive. Their sight is not their only strength because they live on their sense of smell. 

However, you may get your little piggie checked for deafness just in case. Still, they can lead a normal life as long as you cater to their sense of smell because this is the sense they usually rely on, along with the sense of touch. 

How To Care Blind Guinea Pigs?

There are plenty of things that you can do to make your blind piggy’s life much easier. First, make sure that you don’t rearrange their cage.

Guinea pigs that can see will enjoy exploring the rearrangement of their cage, but blind guinea pigs will get lost and find it tough to locate food, water, and those hiding places. 

If your little friend is alone in its cage, you can get another guinea pig with it in the cage. That other piggy will assist your tiny blind friend around the cage. 

Also, if you want to pet your little friend, make sure to speak to it first. If you pick it up, your little friend will get pretty scared without issuing any prior alert.

And in such a scenario, if they try to run away from you, they might injure themselves by running straight into an obstacle. 

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In Short

You must provide your guinea pig with a clean cage environment and proper diet. However, if your friend is blind or develops blindness later, you need to cater to their sense of hearing and smell more than ever. 

Sight is not the strongest sense for a guinea pig. They rely more on their other senses like smell, touch, and hearing. Therefore, as long as you can take proper care of your little friend, they will live a normal life.