Guinea pig urine/poo smell?

[mccreanna]

Hi everyone!
I just recently got 2 female guinea pigs and while I love them to death.. recently I’ve been a bit perplexed by their smell!
I use nice fleece liners in the cage but by the end of the day, even if I’ve just changed the cage, it seems that it all reeks of pee. It’s kind of like a sour smell? Which perplexes me to no end as I’ve been told that guinea pigs don’t really have a urine smell. While scooping their poo, ive also noticed it tends to smell a bit.
Now it’s perfectly possible that I just have an ultra sensitive nose, but I’m kind of worried! I don’t remember them smelling like this when I got them. We did go to the vet not too long after I got them, and they seemed to get a clean bill of health. I’m wondering if it’s normal, something they’re eating, or if something else might be wrong!
This is what we’re eating daily:

• Vitamin C treats (Oxbow)
• Pea flakes (1-3 each)
• Timothy hay (alfafa about 2 times a week.. the girls are 3 months old)
• Young guinea pig pellets (oxbow)
• 1 baby carrot each, 1 leaf of green leaf lettuce, 3 slices of green bell pepper, 2-3 grape tomatoes.. that’s what I feed them most often but of course I vary it up a little throughout the week!

I haven’t noticed any weird urine color.. I don’t know what to do, but I definitely can’t change the fleece every single day! I’m having a hard time gauging if this is normal just because I haven’t had any Guinea pigs before. Thanks in advance for the guidance.

 

[Ritika]

Hey it's normal lol my guinea pigs don't like when I clean their cage and they just become a pee-poo machine and sprays everywhere they need their pee scent btw u can try using absorbent pads if it really bugs u

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can’t help too much on the smell as I only use fleece occasionally during the summer as my boys live in my shed , however, I wanted to follow up on their diet

I attached a link below of a the daily veg plate guide. This is a good idea of what veg can be fed daily. I give my boys a slice of spring greens, coriander, cucumber, bell pepper and a small piece of lettuce. Other items are then added in once or twice a week.

Don’t feed carrots regularly. They are too high in sugar and should be regarded as a very occasional treat. Mine get a small slice of carrot perhaps once or twice a month. Also, tomatoes should not be fed regularly either. They are too acidic and can cause serious mouth sores (cheilitis). Pea flakes should also an occasional treat. I have never fed them. A better treat is give is a herb.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

 

[Reenie]

I've found that if I put baking soda in with my washing powder and use vinegar in the fabric conditioner section it reduces the smell a bit. I also use vinegar to clean the cages.
It might be worth checking if it's the cage or the piggies that smell. My long haired ones can get a bit whiffy and need a bum bath occasionally.
Hope this helps.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Just another thought. Those pellets are alfalfa based so they will be getting a lot more alfalfa and therefore calcium than you think. I would stop giving them the alfalfa twice a week. Alfalfa isn’t essential to their diet as they will get the calcium youngsters need from the normal pellets. But do remember that too much calcium isn’t good for them. I would also slowly switch them over to normal pellets (not young piggy pellets) which should be grass/hay based and keep them limited in amount (one tablespoon per piggy).

 

[Pipandpopboris]

Hi everyone!
I just recently got 2 female guinea pigs and while I love them to death.. recently I’ve been a bit perplexed by their smell!
I use nice fleece liners in the cage but by the end of the day, even if I’ve just changed the cage, it seems that it all reeks of pee. It’s kind of like a sour smell? Which perplexes me to no end as I’ve been told that guinea pigs don’t really have a urine smell. While scooping their poo, ive also noticed it tends to smell a bit.
Now it’s perfectly possible that I just have an ultra sensitive nose, but I’m kind of worried! I don’t remember them smelling like this when I got them. We did go to the vet not too long after I got them, and they seemed to get a clean bill of health. I’m wondering if it’s normal, something they’re eating, or if something else might be wrong!
This is what we’re eating daily:

• Vitamin C treats (Oxbow)
• Pea flakes (1-3 each)
• Timothy hay (alfafa about 2 times a week.. the girls are 3 months old)
• Young guinea pig pellets (oxbow)
• 1 baby carrot each, 1 leaf of green leaf lettuce, 3 slices of green bell pepper, 2-3 grape tomatoes.. that’s what I feed them most often but of course I vary it up a little throughout the week!

I haven’t noticed any weird urine color.. I don’t know what to do, but I definitely can’t change the fleece every single day! I’m having a hard time gauging if this is normal just because I haven’t had any Guinea pigs before. Thanks in advance for the guidance.

Yes I have noticed that just in general female pigs tend to have stinkier feces! It’s just normal! Compared to my 4 boys I had they didn’t smell much at all! I wonder why