How do i care for a blind guinea pig?

Question

hi i am an experanced breeder but in my last litter one of the sows appers to be blind!

having never encounered a blind pig before i have a few questions and any help would be great as the happines and welfare of my piggies are most important!!

1. do i care for her any different than i do the others?

2. when she is old enough could i breed from her, can a blind pig cope with a litter?

3. could it be somthing in her blood line ( i know her pedigree back to her great grandperents)

if it is unfair on her to have a littter then i will keep her as a very pampered pet as it WOULD be unfair to sell her on!!

thanks for the help!!

Answer 1

I wouldn't breed from her as it is likely to be a congenital condition which she would then pass on.

I have a little experience with blind gps as I used to look after one which belonged to a friend. She kept hers with two companions who really cared for her - always one in front and one behind and she lived a fine happy life. I think a blind animal is always better off with a companion than on its own.

Also, try to keep the food and water etc. in the same place and keep to the same routine, so that they get to know their environment.

Answer 2

1)Care for her like you would care for any other guinea pig, but don't change her environment.

2)You could probably breed from her, as if is a genetic problem, then it could be passed down, and it may also be very stressful for the guinea pig.

3)It could easily be a genetic problem, which could be caused by a disease.

Answer 3

Unless it was an infection or accident which is unlikely as you would have noticed, then it will be an hereditary condition. I appreciate you have the last few generations but things like this can skip generations and then suddenly occur.

If you breed with her you run the risk of it happening again which based on the fact that you are this concerned would be the last thing you would want. It could well skip another 3 or 4 generations until it happens again BUT is it a chance worth taking? I wouldnt. Theoretically you should trace back all her relatives and make sure you never breed from them again, although that may be going to extremes.

Your pig will lead a happy and pretty much normal life and if you find her a non-dominant friend there is no reason why you should need to isolate her.

Keep her in an environment where all things remain in the same place (food, water, house etc) and you probably wouldnt even know she was blind. Even if you move things around there wont be any real problems, but it will certainly be easier if you dont.

Animals arent like humans, they dont get depressed and bothered by things like this. Long as she's got plenty of food, water and love she wont be bothered in the slightest about being blind.

There are so many bad breeders of animals in the world it is nice to hear from someone who genuinely cares.

Answer 4

Awe, that is so sad!  I don't know for sure medically/ethically speaking what would be best to do.  I personally would probably keep her separate as a pampered pet.  I don't know what could cause blindess in a guinea pig, but maybe it's similar to things that can cause human babies to be blind.

I have a guinea pig of my own, and I love her to death.  I would love her and take care of her just the same if she were blind.

Answer 5

I wouldn't breed her in case it is genetic, however I have a guinea pig who is nearly blind due to cataracts and she behaves quite normally. She lives with another female and the vet told me to watch she doesn't get bullied or have all her food stolen from her, but she doesn't. She seems absolutely fine.