Blind guinea pig

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LokiCat

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So I have an albino Guinea pig and this Guinea pig I have had for about 3 days in my house but I interacted with it for 3 months prior since I adopted it from my school. Since he is albino I knew it was possible he could be blind or deaf. I know he is not deaf but I’m pretty sure he is blind not fully blind but more blind than your average Guinea pig. You see I have only ever had Guinea pigs that have no disabilities. And I came to the results that he was blind from the way he reacts to my cat. My cat loves watching him and will even stalk him from a distance and bolt up to my cage this dude never moves from that spot unless he hears them coming same with humans if you don’t touch him or he dosent hear you he is not fazed and goes on with his day. So is their a way to interact with a blind guinea pig? Or is their any accommodations that need to be made? I have also been noticing a difficulty with bonding with him. He is not fazed by my voice and is very comfortable with it But still very cautious.
 
Hello and welcome. Do you mean he is a pink eyed white? Albino piggies aren’t a thing so that’s what I think you mean. I believe not all pink eyed whites are susceptible to blindness. I think the best thing would be to have him given the once over by a vet.

There are several members who’ve had blind piggies that still lived a full life. If I remember correctly, important things were to keep the cage layout the same.

With regards to interacting with him are the same as usual. It’s good if he’s not fazed by your voice.

Are you planning to find him a friend he can live with? They do need companionship of their own. Unfortunately human interaction is not enough because we don’t speak their language. It’s about body language and smells as well.

Hopefully someone with more experience of blind piggies will be along soon to answer you more comprehensively.

I’m going to ask your thread is moved to a different section so it is seen 🙂
 
There is a genetic defect in guinea pigs that is similar to albinism in cats that is often referred to as the lethal white gene... these pigs have a solid white coat and are prone to dental issues, hearing issues, blindness, small or even absent eyes, and sometimes internal organ issues. But if your pig is otherwise healthy and normal, he likely doesn't have this issue. He is probably just a pink-eyed white pig, which is just a normal color variation of a white coat and red/pink eyes. Generally red-eyed pigs can see just as well as other pigs (i.e. not that well, but well enough to function!) He may just be freezing as a defense mechanism, which is a normal prey instinct (freeze and hope the threat goes away or doesn't notice you.) If he IS blind or has decreased sight, it shouldn't significantly affect his life, as guinea pigs don't rely on sight very much. I've had several pigs develop cataracts later in life and all adjusted just fine (biggest tell was that while they were adapting to lower vision, their depth perception was off and they would sometimes misjudge ramps and steps and things like that.) I agree with Siikibam above that he will be much happier with a friend and it will likely increase his confidence a lot... they are wired to be in a group and often an only pig is a very cautious pig. Plus if he is low vision he will benefit from having a sighted friend to follow around.
 
Siikibam said:
Hello and welcome. Do you mean he is a pink eyed white? Albino piggies aren’t a thing so that’s what I think you mean. I believe not all pink eyed whites are susceptible to blindness. I think the best thing would be to have him given the once over by a vet.

There are several members who’ve had blind piggies that still lived a full life. If I remember correctly, important things were to keep the cage layout the same.

With regards to interacting with him are the same as usual. It’s good if he’s not fazed by your voice.

Are you planning to find him a friend he can live with? They do need companionship of their own. Unfortunately human interaction is not enough because we don’t speak their language. It’s about body language and smells as well.

Hopefully someone with more experience of blind piggies will be along soon to answer you more comprehensively.

I’m going to ask your thread is moved to a different section so it is seen 🙂
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I do have another guinea pig for him they just can't interact yet because he is not nutered since she is a female
 
Freela said:
There is a genetic defect in guinea pigs that is similar to albinism in cats that is often referred to as the lethal white gene... these pigs have a solid white coat and are prone to dental issues, hearing issues, blindness, small or even absent eyes, and sometimes internal organ issues. But if your pig is otherwise healthy and normal, he likely doesn't have this issue. He is probably just a pink-eyed white pig, which is just a normal color variation of a white coat and red/pink eyes. Generally red-eyed pigs can see just as well as other pigs (i.e. not that well, but well enough to function!) He may just be freezing as a defense mechanism, which is a normal prey instinct (freeze and hope the threat goes away or doesn't notice you.) If he IS blind or has decreased sight, it shouldn't significantly affect his life, as guinea pigs don't rely on sight very much. I've had several pigs develop cataracts later in life and all adjusted just fine (biggest tell was that while they were adapting to lower vision, their depth perception was off and they would sometimes misjudge ramps and steps and things like that.) I agree with Siikibam above that he will be much happier with a friend and it will likely increase his confidence a lot... they are wired to be in a group and often an only pig is a very cautious pig. Plus if he is low vision he will benefit from having a sighted friend to follow around.
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He is not freezing just not fazed by it he just keeps on walking. My cat will even stick her paw in the cage and he dosen't care one bit
 
LokiCat said:
So I have an albino Guinea pig and this Guinea pig I have had for about 3 days in my house but I interacted with it for 3 months prior since I adopted it from my school. Since he is albino I knew it was possible he could be blind or deaf. I know he is not deaf but I’m pretty sure he is blind not fully blind but more blind than your average Guinea pig. You see I have only ever had Guinea pigs that have no disabilities. And I came to the results that he was blind from the way he reacts to my cat. My cat loves watching him and will even stalk him from a distance and bolt up to my cage this dude never moves from that spot unless he hears them coming same with humans if you don’t touch him or he dosent hear you he is not fazed and goes on with his day. So is their a way to interact with a blind guinea pig? Or is their any accommodations that need to be made? I have also been noticing a difficulty with bonding with him. He is not fazed by my voice and is very comfortable with it But still very cautious.
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There is a high chance he is simply a pink eyed white piggy - this is just a normal colouring and no health or sight problems come along with this. PEW piggies can see perfectly normally. There are no such thing as albino piggies.

Whether he is bothered by the cat or not, it is a risk to allow the cat to be so close particularly if the cat is using stalking behaviour. We have seen accidents occur on this forum.
 
Piggies&buns said:
There is a high chance he is simply a pink eyed white piggy - this is just a normal colouring and no health or sight problems come along with this. PEW piggies can see perfectly normally. There are no such thing as albino piggies.

Whether he is bothered by the cat or not, it is a risk to allow the cat to be so close particularly if the cat is using stalking behaviour. We have seen accidents occur on this forum.
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Don't worry I having been working with my cat to correct the behavior and put a fitted sheet over his cage when we can watch them. All my cat has ever done to him is bop him with no claws very quickly
 
I must say his eyes look normal to me? He doesn’t look like a lethal White Piggie, they generally hold their heads quite differently to normal guinea pigs.

If you scrole through at @Eriathwen thread she has two lethal white boys Eriathwens piggies it might help you decide if he is just a normal Pink Eyed White piggie or a Lethal White Piggie

He’s gorgeous anyway 😍
 
I think it would be better if you just make sure the cat can’t get her paws inside the cage in any capacity. A cat will be a cat. She may not have had claws out when she bopped him on the nose but this interest and closeness needs to be curbed, rather than trying to correct the behaviour.
 
Siikibam said:
I think it would be better if you just make sure the cat can’t get her paws inside the cage in any capacity. A cat will be a cat. She may not have had claws out when she bopped him on the nose but this interest and closeness needs to be curbed, rather than trying to correct the behaviour.
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:agr:
 
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