Have you ever noticed that sometimes your guinea pig has white stuff in their eyes? Almost like little milky tears? Does that mean they’re sad? Do they have an infection? Allergies? What is going ON?!

What if I told you that guinea pigs’ eyes are soap dispensers?

…….

Well… not actual soap like you and I would use. But believe it or not, guinea pigs’ eyes secrete a white fluid right before they give themselves a bath. It acts as a cleaning solution! They wipe their eyes with their hands and then wipe themselves all around to get clean.

Seeing these little guinea pig ‘milk tears’ is completely normal, and if you watch you will almost always see that they take a lil bath when it’s happening. Gives a whole new meaning to getting soap in your eyes!

When Guinea Pig Eye Discharge is Cause for Concern

Let’s get past the cringiness of the word discharge and look at when guinea pig ‘eye gunk’ is a problem:

If your guinea pig’s eyes are looking ‘weepy’ constantly, definitely have them looked at by a reliable veterinarian who treats guinea pigs. Similarly, you will want to seek a medical opinion if your guinea pig’s eyes have any of the following symptoms:

• Crusty around the edges all the time (a little crust in the corner from time to time can be normal just like yours and mine when we get ‘sleepies’)
• Cloudy or foggy look to the eye
• Thick, sticky yucky white/yellow/green eye goop that makes it hard for them to blink or keep their eye open (sorry, I know it’s so gross.)
• Bleeding or a weeping wound in/near the eye (this goes without saying)
• Swelling or inability to open the eye

Worried about a puffy little ‘lump’ under your guinea pig’s lower eyelid? This can also be normal! Read more about ‘fatty eye’ here.

I hope this has helped put your fears to rest (or at least quelled your curiosity) about the white stuff in guinea pigs’ eyes!

Want answers to countless other guinea pig care questions AND fully illustrated, step-by-step guinea pig care all in one place? Check out the official Guinea Pig Guide book here!