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Is this normal pee

Cherry Berry

Cherry Berry

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello awesome Guinea Pig Parents,

Hope you and your little ones are doing great. ❤

While changing Cherry Berry's fleece today. Near their pee corner I found the following pee. (Please refer to image attached)

Is this normal?

Best wishes,
Guinea Pig Mum
 

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guineaPig_Mum said:
Hello awesome Guinea Pig Parents,

Hope you and your little ones are doing great. ❤

While changing Cherry Berry's fleece today. Near their pee corner I found the following pee. (Please refer to image attached)

Is this normal?

Best wishes,
Guinea Pig Mum
Click to expand...

Hi

Your piggy has just excreted some excess calcium in its pee. this is the normal way it is done.

A one-off pee is nothing to worry about but if you notice them on a frequent/near daily basis, you may want to review your diet.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
guineaPig_Mum said:
Do you think they need to be checked by vet by any chance?
Click to expand...

No, not unless you notice symptoms of urinary tract problems (red pees, squeaking when peeing or pooing etc.)

Right now, what you are seeing is a healthy and normal bodily process that is not a problem in itself. It can become an indication for a diet that is not right in its calcium balance if you come across a calcium pee several times a week; this can in turn lead to sludge or bladder stones in the longer term. But there is no reason to worry at this stage.
 
Wiebke said:
No, not unless you notice symptoms of urinary tract problems (red pees, squeaking when peeing or pooing etc.)

Right now, what you are seeing is a healthy and normal bodily process that is not a problem in itself. It can become an indication for a diet that is not right in its calcium balance if you come across a calcium pee several times a week; this can in turn lead to sludge or bladder stones in the longer term. But there is no reason to worry at this stage.
Click to expand...
Cool, thanks for the help.
 
Also just in case, if this does happen often. Does the vet need to remove the stones or change in diet as in low calcium diet will help them to come back to normal?

And if the diet helps how long does it usually take for the pee to be normal?
 
guineaPig_Mum said:
Also just in case, if this does happen often. Does the vet need to remove the stones or change in diet as in low calcium diet will help them to come back to normal?

And if the diet helps how long does it usually take for the pee to be normal?
Click to expand...
I don't know but when my sow was younger she had blood in urine without pain and it tested high calcium and no infection and changing the diet was the thing to fix it.
 
Hello Guinea Pig Parents,

I checked Cherry Berry's fleece pee corner every day and I found the following. (Please see image attached) They are on a low calcium diet. The high calcium content is celery and coriander which is fed 5g each to each Guinea Pig. I read the guide given by @Wiebke

There is no pain during peeing. Do you guys think everything is normal or I guess they had excess calcium. How long do you think it take for them to recover?

20200225_205759.jpg
 
guineaPig_Mum said:
Hello Guinea Pig Parents,

I checked Cherry Berry's fleece pee corner every day and I found the following. (Please see image attached) They are on a low calcium diet. The high calcium content is celery and coriander which is fed 5g each to each Guinea Pig. I read the guide given by @Wiebke

There is no pain during peeing. Do you guys think everything is normal or I guess they had excess calcium. How long do you think it take for them to recover?

View attachment 134484
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the calcium absorption process is very complex and it is not quick one. Dietary changes take a few weeks to really come through.
 
Wiebke said:
Keep in mind that the calcium absorption process is very complex and it is not quick one. Dietary changes take a few weeks to really come through.
Click to expand...
Okay, I will continue the observation each day. I am saving images for now for comparison. Thanks for the help.
 
guineaPig_Mum said:
Okay, I will continue the observation each day. I am saving images for now for comparison. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Please try NOT to obsess about calcium pees! Make sure that you feed some watery leafy veg and gradually re-introduce fresh grass into your daily diet once it starts growing again.

Keep in mind that the calcium content in water and in any pellets is still higher than in any veg, even the most high in calcium. I'd hoped that you would have a look at the WHOLE diet, not stare at veg. Please get the water filtered and the pellet amount adjusted (1 tablespoon per piggy per day) and not just get bogged down on measuring out veg!
 
Wiebke said:
Please try NOT to obsess about calcium pees! Make sure that you feed some watery leafy veg and gradually re-introduce fresh grass into your daily diet once it starts growing again.

Keep in mind that the calcium content in water and in any pellets is still higher than in any veg, even the most high in calcium. I'd hoped that you would have a look at the WHOLE diet, not stare at veg. Please get the water filtered and the pellet amount adjusted (1 tablespoon per piggy per day) and not just get bogged down on measuring out veg!
Click to expand...
They get watery vegetables everyday - capsicum, lettuce, cucumber. They eat only one tablespoon pellets and water is soft water. I will look into water filter too.
 
By the way, my boys are about 3 to 4 months. Are they still at a risk of bladder stones? And they right now get alfafa based pellets because they are less than 6 months. Do you think it would be worth switching to timothy hay based pellets? And if so do you know any good low calcium pellets?
 
Like all animals including humans, we all need some calcium for our health. I think white pee stains are fine, it’s the bodies way of expelling excess calcium that’s not needed. Try not to worry too much and enjoy your little boys x
 
Bill & Ted said:
Like all animals including humans, we all need some calcium for our health. I think white pee stains are fine, it’s the bodies way of expelling excess calcium that’s not needed. Try not to worry too much and enjoy your little boys x
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Hi,

Thanks for the help. I understand that my boys are still at growing age but I was a bit concerned as I see white stains, everyone. However, my boys seem pretty happy and as of now no signs of pain.

I know sometimes I start worrying a lot as they are my first pets. I absolutely love them and don't want to let them down by my negligence. It's a pleasure to see trust in their eyes. Also the fact that guinea pigs can hide their illness scares me a bit more. However I will try to control myself. ❤
 
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