# Premature Eye Opening Causing Blindness. Genetics? Mutation?



## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Sadly, another one for you guys.


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I found this little fellow in my big hobby (snake food) litter. He's a satin sable dilute. He's only a week old, and his eyes have come open, more on one side than the other. Where its open, the eye is red and milky white. I think its just not developmentally ready for the light.

There is another doe in the litter who has what looks like the first signs of this too. Just a little split between the eyelids, like when they normally open.

Any thoughts?


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## tinyhartmouseries (Dec 30, 2010)

This looks just freaky on a bub this young. I don't know what it could be or what it is. I would not re-pair the parents though.
I do know that mice are mostly blind anyway so this baby should be able to live a normal life even if he's totally blind.


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## Velvet_Meece (Apr 20, 2009)

I have found that fawns/sable/reds appear to suffer eye problems a lot more than any other type. However i've not yet seen it in a mouse so young, ones i've had have developed it after 6 months of age and its steadily gets worse as they age.
I lost 2 fawns last year that had it and i lost a fawn early this year who had it. I currently have a fawn abysinnian with it, but she is over 12 months old now and only developed it about 2 months ago so shes had a good run.
I haven't found it to appear in any pattern and i haven't found it to be genetic within my mice, but random unrelated fawns will pop up with it. It doesn't appear to be the cause of any deaths as all the ones i've lost who had it where of a grand age


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

It is not random at all.Fawns(UK lethal yellow not the USA yellows) and related mice(sable,red etc) are as well as being susceptible to obesity more at risk of suffering from a type of diabetes,hence the blindness.Those that show signs need to be removed from future breeding plans.You are breeding it back into your lines if you fail to do so.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Kage Davies said:


> Any thoughts?


Don't keep them and don't breed from the parents again.


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

Damn. Yes I'll be doing that, just irritating. Thanks for the heads up, time to retire the parnets then.


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