Eyes

Last Updated on November 8, 2022.

 Overview

• Healthy eyes should look clear and bright.
• To help prevent eye damage keep your cage clean and free of sharp objects, including bedding.
• The sooner a veterinarian sees your hedgehog’s eye problem, the better chances you have for a faster and more successful healing.

Eye Drainage or Discharge

• Symptoms
  • Discharge from one or both eyes
  • May be clear and watery (excessive tearing) or yellow, green or brown discharge
  • The eye can wax and wane
• Cause
  • Drainage can be caused by
    • Allergies
    • Infection
    • Injury
    • Bedding sensitivity or dust
    • Scratch
    • Injuries from fighting or sharp objects
      • This can also lead to corneal ulcers that can be painful and actually cause loss of vision
• Treatment
  • A veterinarian will likely prescribe an antibiotic eye ointment as a first line of treatment.
  • Warm water or saline on a cotton ball can help clean the discharge if it has dried and is causing discomfort.

VIDEO.:  Hedgehog Eye Gunk | How to Clean Eyes | Customer Question

Hyperlipidemia (Fat Deposits Around the Eyes)

• Symptom
  • One or both eyes have fatty deposits
• Cause
  • Obesity
• Treatment
  • Low fat diet, exercise
  • While the hedgehog could lose weight, the fatty deposits may never go away; they will, however, diminish in size

Other Issues of the Eye

• Pawing at the eye
• Holding the eye shut
• Squinting
• Swelling of the lids or eye itself; most likely an infection
• Staining of face from discharge
• The forehead furrow is used to protect the face
• There have been cases of a hedgehog poking its own eye

VIDEO.:  Eye Injuries with hedgehogs

All of these issues can have numerous causes. Again, eye problems that don’t clear up immediately, should be reason to visit a veterinarian.   Eye damage can be irreversible if not treated.

Primary Author:  Gail Smith Millermeade Farm’s Critter Connection

Contributor:  Melissa Ramos

An interesting article that indicates that hedgehogs can see in ultraviolet.  Cats and Dogs May See in Ultraviolet