can see the whites of my guinea’s eye!

[Leone Fraser]

Hi there! I’m new here I’ve just noticed that my 9 month old male guinea Fraser has something going on with his eyes. At certain angles I can see the whites of his eye (just in the corners). They don’t look inflamed and don’t seem to be bothering him, and he is eating and drinking completely normally and is just as active as always. I would normally go straight to the vet but I have done that SO MANY times in the last few months (for various things) because I get paranoid, and every time there’s been nothing wrong with him at all. It stresses him out to go so I don’t want to keep jumping to conclusions if I am just overreacting like usual, so thought I would ask here first. So I’m just wondering if it is normal to be able to sometimes see the whites of their eyes in the corner, or if I should be worried? Any advice greatly appreciated! I have some pictures but can’t work out how to attach them, so if anyone could help with that too would be soo helpful. Thank you!

 

[Leone Fraser]

I worked out how to attach pictures! The first picture shows it when he was at a weird angle - this the most of the whites I have ever been able to see. Usually it’s more like in the second pic. Thanks again

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Fraser is gorgeous. How long have you had him? When I first got piggies I was very anxious that they would get ill. But as time goes by that has lessened a bit. It’s great that you are keeping a close eye on his health. But try not to overthink things too much. His eyes look ok to me. I’m no expert though. If they are not swollen, have no discharge and are not red/pink then he’s fine. But if over the coming days something changes then pop along to the vets. They would rather see a healthy animal and put your mind at rest than a really poorly one that should have been brought in sooner. Make sure you weigh him weekly as that is usually the first indication if they are unwell.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree with @weepweeps.
He is gorgeous and I too cannot see anything concerning with his eyes.

Does Fraser live with another piggy?

 

[Leone Fraser]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Fraser is gorgeous. How long have you had him? When I first got piggies I was very anxious that they would get ill. But as time goes by that has lessened a bit. It’s great that you are keeping a close eye on his health. But try not to overthink things too much. His eyes look ok to me. I’m no expert though. If they are not swollen, have no discharge and are not red/pink then he’s fine. But if over the coming days something changes then pop along to the vets. They would rather see a healthy animal and put your mind at rest than a really poorly one that should have been brought in sooner. Make sure you weigh him weekly as that is usually the first indication if they are unwell.

Thank you so much for putting my mind at rest! I’m glad I’m not the only one to get so nervous, and thanks I definitely will head to the vets if I notice anything change I’m glad you don’t see anything looking strange but I’ll make sure to keep a close watch. And thanks for the tip about weighing - I had only been doing monthly weigh-ins so I’ll change it to weekly. I’ve had him since July and he was born in May so he’s a fairly new addition to the family, but has totally stolen my heart. Thanks again for your super quick reply, i really appreciate it!

 

[Leone Fraser]

I agree with @weepweeps.
He is gorgeous and I too cannot see anything concerning with his eyes.

Does Fraser live with another piggy?

Thank you so much for your super quick reply I appreciate it so much! And thanks for putting my mind at rest, and I’ll still make sure to watch out in case anything changes. Fraser lives with my 6-year-old male Gunther at the moment, but I also have another 4 month old male Leonard who I just picked up from the shelter last week - the poor baby arrived with ringworm (which the shelter failed to tell me) so he is being quarantined for the time being. That’s why i am trying to make sure Fraser is in perfect health before I introduce Leonard so I don’t have any outbreaks of anything! Thanks so much again

 

[Leone Fraser]

I agree with @weepweeps.
He is gorgeous and I too cannot see anything concerning with his eyes.

Does Fraser live with another piggy?

Also I meant to say , I know three males can be too many boys sometimes, but they live in a free range guinea pig bedroom with access to an outdoor shed, and each have their own two-story cage (the cage doors always stay open) so there is no fighting over space / resources. But if you happen to have any tips for making sure they don’t get too dominant, I’d love to hear it!

 

[Piggies&buns]

With lots of space they can get away from each other which can help prevent fights occurring, but there is nothing you can do to make them get on - a successful bond comes down purely to character compatibility which is very difficult to get right and is why most boar trios fail, particularly as you are dealing with two teenage piggies. Mostly the outcome is a pair and a single piggy.

 

[Leone Fraser]

With lots of space they can get away from each other which can help prevent fights occurring, but there is nothing you can do to make them get on - a successful bond comes down purely to character compatibility which is very difficult to get right and is why most boar trios fail

 

[Piggies&buns]

I thought that might be the case, but my beloved 6-(nearly 7) year-old sleeps most of the time these days and I fear he may be getting towards the end so I wanted to have a new playmate for Fraser. If they don’t all get along I plan to keep Leonard separate and get him a lil friend of his own also, Fraser and Gunther are the two sweetest natured piggies I’ve ever had and haven’t EVER bitten me or each other (or displayed particularly dominant behaviour, as they are neutered), so I’m hoping for the best. Leonard’s mum sadly died when her littler was very young so I helped to hand raise him (I work at the shelter), and I knew I had to bring him home with me even if it meant making him his own room. do you think this would be ok?

Being neutered will not make any difference to their dominant behaviours - all neutering does is stop pregnancy, it doesn’t change the way boars behave.
Gunther and Fraser aren’t showing dominant behaviour or fighting with each other and that is because they are a good match to each other and has nothing to do with being neutered.
It does not mean adding a third will work. It could cause huge problems as it will cause an entire change in the hierarchy.

Personally, I wouldnt risk adding Leonard in with them at all as the chances of it working are very low. I would go straight to finding him his own new friend and keeping them as two separate pairs. Unfortunately failed boar trios are one of the most common issues we are contacted about in the behaviour section

I'm sorry to hear about Leonards mum

You do need to be aware that trying to bond Leonard with the other two has the potential to break the bond between Gunther and Fraser so you do run the risk of all three of them having to live completely separated.

If you are going to do it, then you must make sure you introduce them somewhere entirely neutral - don’t do it in the room the pair live in, as they will see Leonard’s introduction as a territory invasion and can cause fights. You will also need to plan to split the room up if the bonding fails so they cannot get to each other any more but can interact through bars only.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Leone Fraser]

With lots of space they can get away from each other which can help prevent fights occurring, but there is nothing you can do to make them get on - a successful bond comes down purely to character compatibility which is very difficult to get right and is why most boar trios fail, particularly as you are dealing with two teenage piggies. Mostly the outcome is a pair and a single piggy. You do need to be aware that trying to bond Leonard with the other two has the potential to break the bond between Gunther and Fraser so you do run the risk of all three of them having to live completely separated.

If you are going to do it, then you must make sure you introduce them somewhere entirely neutral - don’t do it in the room the pair live in, as they will see Leonard’s introduction as a territory invasion and can cause fights. You will also need to plan to split the room up if the bonding fails so they cannot get to each other any more but can interact through bars only.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not

With lots of space they can get away from each other which can help prevent fights occurring, but there is nothing you can do to make them get on - a successful bond comes down purely to character compatibility which is very difficult to get right and is why most boar trios fail, particularly as you are dealing with two teenage piggies. Mostly the outcome is a pair and a single piggy.

I sadly thought that might be the case, but my beloved 6-(nearly 7) year-old sleeps most of the time these days and I fear he may be getting towards the end so I wanted to have a new playmate for Fraser. If they don’t all get along I plan to keep Leonard separate and get him a lil friend of his own also, Fraser and Gunther are the two sweetest natured piggies I’ve ever had and haven’t EVER bitten me or each other (or displayed particularly dominant behaviour, as they are neutered, which I will also make sure Leonard is prior to introduction) so I was hoping for the best. Leonard’s mum sadly died when her little was very young so I helped to hand raise him (I work at the shelter), and I knew I had to bring him home with me even if it meant making him his own room. Thanks so much for your tips they’re so helpful, and I didn’t really realise I was running the risk of breaking Fraser and Gunther’s bond! Do you think it would be safer just to keep Leonard separate, get him his own friend, and then a new buddy for Fraser if Gunther passes away? Sorry for all the questions I feel like such a newbie here!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Don’t worry about asking questions, we are here to help!

Yes - I would keep Leonard separate, find him his own new friend.
Split the piggy room in half and have Gunter And Fraser on one side, and then Leonard and his friend on the other side.
When Gunther passes, then find Fraser his own character compatible friend ideally via boar dating.

You have had lovely intentions for all your piggies in rehoming Leonard as a potential friend for Fraser, but boar trios really are such a minefield and most sadly don’t work. I for one wish they did - I have a boar pair myself and would love nothing more than having more piggies but the risk of bonds breaking would be too great for me

 

[Leone Fraser]

Being neutered will not make any difference to their dominant behaviours - all neutering does is stop pregnancy, it doesn’t change the way boars behave.
Gunther and Fraser aren’t showing dominant behaviour or fighting with each other and that is because they are a good match to each other and has nothing to do with being neutered.
It does not mean adding a third will work. It could cause huge problems as it will cause an entire change in the hierarchy.

Personally, I wouldnt risk adding Leonard in with them at all as the chances of it working are very low. I would go straight to finding him his own new friend and keeping them as two separate pairs. Unfortunately failed boar trios are one of the most common issues we are contacted about in the behaviour section

I'm sorry to hear about Leonards mum

You do need to be aware that trying to bond Leonard with the other two has the potential to break the bond between Gunther and Fraser so you do run the risk of all three of them having to live completely separated.

If you are going to do it, then you must make sure you introduce them somewhere entirely neutral - don’t do it in the room the pair live in, as they will see Leonard’s introduction as a territory invasion and can cause fights. You will also need to plan to split the room up if the bonding fails so they cannot get to each other any more but can interact through bars only.

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

Sorry for the repeat reply, i only saw the first half of your previous message at first and then ran out of time to edit my reply! I’m still working out how to use this forum properly aha. Thank you so much for your tips, I feel silly for not having thought of this before, although I probably would still have ended up bringing Leonard home as I’m a softie and got too attached. Once he’s out of quarantine I’ll start looking for a good new friend for him, and leave my other two in their happy bond. Also meant to add that I didn’t get my current two neutered - they were already done when I adopted them, but thanks for letting me know about it not impacting dominance as now I won’t end up putting Leonard through unnecessary surgery. Thank you x10000 for your advice!

 

[Leone Fraser]

Don’t worry about asking questions, we are here to help!

Yes - I would keep Leonard separate, find him his own new friend.
Split the piggy room in half and have Gunter And Fraser on one side, and then Leonard and his friend on the other side.
When Gunther passes, then find Fraser his own character compatible friend ideally via boar dating.

You have had lovely intentions for all your piggies in rehoming Leonard as a potential friend for Fraser, but boar trios really are such a minefield and most sadly don’t work. I for one wish they did - I have a boar pair myself and would love nothing more than having more piggies but the risk of bonds breaking would be too great for me

I am SO glad I started talking to you before I made an awful mistake. And I must admit… I’d never heard of boar dating but finding my next perfect match sounds like fun! I dearly hope Gunther has a good few years left in him as he’s SUCH a wonderful piggie, but at least I have the prospect of boar dating at the end to help me through it

 

[Rivervixen]

When I first got my piggies my ozzy would always show the whites of his eyes when picked up, he was a timid little one but when he got used to us he stopped doing it and only does it when he’s asleep now

 

[Kids0519]

I can see the whites of my pigs eye here and there. Looks like she’s giving the side eye. I thought it was fairly normal. I think it may be depending on how some pigs eyes are?

 

[Julesie]

It’s not unusual to see the whites of their eyes it doesn’t mean anything is wrong. It just shows sometimes

 

[Claire W]

My piggies often show the whites of their eyes especially when they’re asleep. It’s nothing to worry about