# Urgent! Oil in eyes



## surfingthehedges (Aug 8, 2011)

So last night I gave Sonic a bath with a rinse of flax seed oil to help with his quilling and dry. Tonight when I went to wake him up I noticed there was oil all over the bottom of his cage (liner diver) and that he wasnt opening either of his eyes very well. He ate and drank just fine and now that he is on my lap I see that both eyes are in there, as he can open both eyes wide if he wants to but he seems to just want to keep them shut. I think that the smudges of oil on the bottom of his cage may have gotten into his eyes during the day! Is there anything I can do for him? I dont think I will ever give an oil rinse again


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2011)

surfingthehedges said:


> So last night I gave Sonic a bath with a rinse of flax seed oil to help with his quilling and dry. Tonight when I went to wake him up I noticed there was oil all over the bottom of his cage (liner diver) and that he wasnt opening either of his eyes very well. He ate and drank just fine and now that he is on my lap I see that both eyes are in there, as he can open both eyes wide if he wants to but he seems to just want to keep them shut. I think that the smudges of oil on the bottom of his cage may have gotten into his eyes during the day! Is there anything I can do for him? I dont think I will ever give an oil rinse again


Oil rinses are pretty safe, you just have to be sure to dry your hedgehog really well on the under belly. I think there are safe eye drops but I am not sure so I'd PM Nancy or someone with lots of hedgie experience else you might want to get a vet visit before your hedgehog decides to claw their eyes out.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Holy...I dunno what I would do with this type of thing. I have read on a few websites about hedgies going the eye scratch issue and wondered why in the world they would do such a thing. I hope he is ok and someone comes along to advise you. 

I would maybe call your vets after hrs line and ask the on call vet. (an answering service usually answers and a vet calls you back. They don't generally want to head to the clinic and are good at handling issues for no charge over the phone when they can) They may tell you a safe eye drop or way to wash his eyes out.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Was thinking about this and if this happened to one of my dogs I would likely rinse their eye with an eye wash of saline or plain warm water with an oral syringe or small cup ...so curious I googled eye cleaning- hedgehogs and this small bit came up on a vet site:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=685&EVetID=228974

"Eyes
Hedgehog eye disease is not common most likely due to the excellent protection the quills provide when they are pulled over the face. Hedgehogs can sustain eye injuries due to fighting or contact with protruding cage wires. These pets can also develop infectious eye disease. Although not reported as of this writing, it is likely that hedgehogs can develop cataracts and glaucoma. A hedgehog's eyes should be clear, bright and dark. *If you notice swelling of the lids or of the eye itself, excessive tearing, squinting, staining of the face with eye discharge or a closed eye there is a potentially serious problem that needs immediate medical attention. You can gently clean the eyelids or the area around the eye with warm water or saline on a cotton ball if there is dried discharge that might be causing discomfort. *Particularly in the case of eye injuries, it is important to get your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible in order to try to save the vision."

If your little guy has oil around his eyes/on his facial area that is getting in his eyes this might be helpful info for you.


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## Kaitlyn531 (Nov 29, 2010)

As a bit of advice in the future though.. You normally just need to take a little flax oil capsule and puncture the end (I usually cut the end with a pair of cuticle scissors) and drop some on his back and then rinse with a cup, making sure not to get in his eyes. Maybe this is something completely unrelated to the oil  You probably should take him to the vet still, to make sure that it's not something more serious. If he did manage to get any water or oil into his eyes or nose, he may end up getting an respiratory infection, which is a documented issue with hedgies  So keep an eye out for coughing or sneezing. Please let us know what you find out!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You only use a few drops of flax seed oil in the rinse water, not enough that it should ever show on the floor of the cage.

You can use human Polysporin eye drops but if he is still having a problem opening his eyes, I think he needs to see the vet.


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