Does anyone know if eye narrowing in guinea pigs is a sign of anything behaviourally? I've been lying in the garden with my herd today and notice that a couple of them, when making eye contact with me have briefly narrowed/squinted their eyes. The two that are doing it are the most nervous/skittish of the group. It's very sunny out today, so it might just be them adjusting to the sun as they pop out of their hidey holes, but found it was interesting as they are two of the more nervous ones. I know cats do a similar thing to signify relaxation or "I mean no harm".
Eye narrowing
- Thread starter Gemlou81
- Start date
Pound Shilling & Pig
Adult Guinea Pig
It is most likely they are squinting because of the sun. Do they have pink eyes? Pink eyed piggies squint more because their eyes are more sensitive to light
Little Ones
Forum Donator 2023/24
I don’t think it links to anything behavioural, definitely not in the same way as cats anyway. They can narrow their eyes around each other as a submissive thing when a dominant pig gets close to their face, though. It most likely was the sun in your case.
This is Peanut, one side of his face is in the shade and his eye is open entirely, the other is in the sun and is squinting. I thought it looked so funny and cute
This is Peanut, one side of his face is in the shade and his eye is open entirely, the other is in the sun and is squinting. I thought it looked so funny and cute
Thank you, that's really interesting!
@Gemlou81 You could think about taking a close look at the eyes of the piggies who are squinting. I have a guinea pig who was squinting only one of his eyes and the cause was some corneal scratches that had caused an ulcer to develop. His vet put eye-staining drops in his eye and identified the scratches ($40 CDN on top of the standard exam fee at my clinic in Canada). He was prescribed Tobrex opthalmic antibiotic eye ointment, which has been keeping his eye from being red/watery and squinting as much. Squinting (especially both eyes) can also be a sign of pain caused by anything from bloat, dental issues or some type of injury. Full at-home health checks are a good idea between vet visits and taking note of any changes in behaviour/weight loss, appetite. Hopefully it's just the sun but not a bad idea to keep an eye out 
Freela
Senior Guinea Pig
I'm betting on the sun being the cause. One of my guinea pigs in particular would always squint in bright light. She was pink-eyed pig, I'm not sure if that made her more light-sensitive or not. It was cute... it always made her look angry and in personality she was the furthest thing from an angry piggie!