Color of Pee Question

[ashellaneous]

I’m new to guinea pugs and am paranoid that things could go wrong. I’ve only seen two pee spots so far for my piggies (the pee quickly soaks into the fleece bedding) and both times they were kind of a milky yellow. I was wondering if this is bad? I tried to look it up, and I saw that it could be calcium related? The suggestion was to switch from alfalfa to timothy, but since they are 3 1/2 weeks I wanted to keep them on alfalfa.

Now I just got them this Monday, and the day I noticed the color was the following Tuesday. The seller had given them full carrots every day. They were also raised on timothy hay and didn’t touch alfalfa until I got them.

Do you guys thing the color is due to the hay or the carrots? I haven’t fed them carrots yet and have been mixing timothy and alfalfa hay. I just want them to be healthy and I would feel terrible if this is my fault, but will change what is needed.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It sounds like a normal pee colour.

They don’t really need alfalfa at all. If they weren’t given it when they were with their mother, then there is no need for them to have it now. It’s only really useful for the mother to have some alfalfa to help boost her reserves while she is producing milk for the babies which obviously isn’t happening now.
I would stop giving the alfalfa altogether and concentrate on giving them a good timothy hay based diet.

Carrots are considered a treat only. No more than one very small amount once per week only

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[ashellaneous]

It sounds like a normal pee colour.

They don’t really need alfalfa at all. If they weren’t given it when they were with their mother, then there is no need for them to have it now. It’s only really useful for the mother to have some alfalfa to help boost her reserves while she is producing milk for the babies which obviously isn’t happening now.
I would stop giving the alfalfa altogether and concentrate on giving them a good timothy hay based diet.

Carrots are considered a treat only. No more than one very small amount once per week only

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thank you so much!

Is the alfalfa hay bad for them? I don’t want it to go to waste and I had seen many suggestions to feed young piggies it.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much!

Is the alfalfa hay bad for them? I don’t want it to go to waste and I had seen many suggestions to feed young piggies it.

As I say, they don’t need it after they are weaned at three weeks of age, and even before weaning it is really only useful for the mother so she can get additional calories to produce milk (Although even a pregnant sow can do without alfalfa). They aren’t with their mother now so aren’t getting her milk and therefore the babies need for alfalfa isn’t really there.
Grass hay needs to be their main diet but alfalfa isn’t a grass hay, it’s a high calcium legume, so this is why they simply don’t need to have it. Too much calcium can cause bladder problems.

What sort of pellets are you feeding them? Some pellets already contain alfalfa (Lucerne) so if yours do, then I would definitely stop the additional alfalfa as they will be getting too much.

If you are going to give alfalfa then it must be in very tiny quantities and never form their main hay. It also definitely needs to be stopped by the time they are four months old, because it is too high in calcium.

 

[ashellaneous]

As I say, they don’t need it after they are weaned at three weeks of age, and even before weaning it is really only useful for the mother so she can get additional calories to produce milk (Although even a pregnant sow can do without alfalfa). They aren’t with their mother now so aren’t getting her milk and therefore the babies need for alfalfa isn’t really there.
Grass hay needs to be their main diet but alfalfa isn’t a grass hay, it’s a high calcium legume, so this is why they simply don’t need to have it. Too much calcium can cause bladder problems.

What sort of pellets are you feeding them? Some pellets already contain alfalfa (Lucerne) so if yours do, then I would definitely stop the additional alfalfa as they will be getting too much.

If you are going to give alfalfa then it must be in very tiny quantities and never form their main hay. It also definitely needs to be stopped by the time they are four months old, because it is too high in calcium.

Thank you so much!

I am giving them alfalfa pellets. Should I also switch the pellets to a grass hay or are they fine as alfalfa?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much!

I am giving them alfalfa pellets. Should I also switch the pellets to a grass hay or are they fine as alfalfa?

Ok, then they definitely don’t need both. You can give them one or the other if you want to. But as I say, they don’t need either.

If you continue give the alfalfa pellets until they are four months old, then they must only have one tablespoon per pig per day.
If you switch to grass/timothy based pellets, then they can have two tablespoons per pig per day until four months of age and then you need to reduce that to one tablespoon per pig per day.

Pellets are the least healthy and least important part of their diet and they should not have constant access to them.

Timothy hay based pellets and timothy hay is fine.

Once they are four months old you should definitely make sure they aren’t getting any alfalfa in either the pellets or additionally

 

[ashellaneous]

Ok, then they definitely don’t need both. You can give them one or the other if you want to. But as I say, they don’t need either. Timothy hay based pellets and timothy hay is fine.
Once they are four months old you should definitely make sure they aren’t getting any alfalfa in either the pellets or additionally

Thanks! You’ve been so much help!