# Guinea pig with on big eye and one small eye



## Lab-lover (Mar 31, 2008)

I have just bought a guinea pig for my son. When we got home we noticed that one eye was big and black with no white around it, and the other is slightly smaller, black with white around it. 

Does this mean it is a lethal? (I really don't have any knowledge of lethals).

I know I should probably return it to the shop but my son has already fallen in love with her.

Apart from that, she seems healthy, although she doesn't move around much and is happy to just sit on my lap and pur.


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## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

It doesn't necessarily mean it's a lethal. My little Ginge has 1 slightly smaller eye that's also slightly sunken in his head but he's about 4 years old and perfectly healthy.

As long as she doesn't have any other problems you should be OK.


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

Could be a condition called micro-ophthalmia. I had a rat with this in both eyes, they were noticibly smaller than any other rats eyes. I looked it up and just about any mammal can be born with it in one or both eyes, even humans.

As for it being 'lethal', doesn't that only come into play if you're intending to breed her? As in 'lethal genes' that will destroy a fetus with those particular genes before it's even born, or go on to have deformities that will kill the animal shortly after birth?


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