New Pigs Won’t Eat Veggies And Have White Pee.

[Tortia]

I just got my two adult female piggies yesterday. This morning I find white residue where they’ve peed. In their previous home, there were fed pellets with those multi-colored flakes of stuff (which I’ve read to be poor quality) and no one could tell me what veggies or hay they’ve had. I purchased Oxbow Timothy hay and Oxbow pellets from the store, which they have eaten. I also have cucumber, red leaf and green leaf lettuce, bell pepper, Brussel sprouts, and fresh cilantro - none of which they have eaten more than a taste of.

Are there other veggies I should try?

Should I purchase those unitary support tablets?

 

[Janice C]

I just got my two adult female piggies yesterday. This morning I find white residue where they’ve peed. In their previous home, there were fed pellets with those multi-colored flakes of stuff (which I’ve read to be poor quality) and no one could tell me what veggies or hay they’ve had. I purchased Oxbow Timothy hay and Oxbow pellets from the store, which they have eaten. I also have cucumber, red leaf and green leaf lettuce, bell pepper, Brussel sprouts, and fresh cilantro - none of which they have eaten more than a taste of.

Are their other veggies I should try?

Should I purchase those unitary support tablets?

Does the pee feel grainy at all if you rub between your fingers?
Give them a few days to settle in with you before worrying that they’ve not eaten their veg as yet! Everything will be strange to them with moving into a new home. Your veg choices sound great but just maybe cut down the variety at the moment until you find out the veg they like! Hay and fresh water are the most important things that they need anyway! Good for you for changing them to a more suitable pellet!
Post photos too please. So that we can all admire your piggies!

Ps. Welcome to the Forum!,,
Check out the guinea pig guides at top of home page for more reassurance. We all check them frequently to make sure we are still caring for our pigs properly. X

 

[Freela]

White pee indicates higher levels of calcium, but isn't necessarily a problem in and of itself. If they were eating an alfalfa-based pellet before you got them, they may simply be excreting excess calcium from their previous diet. I wouldn't stress too much about the vegetables right now, especially since you don't know what they were getting previously. Pigs can be slow to accept new foods, and if they have not previously had vegetables they may be unsure what to do with them right now. You've got plenty of time to slowly introduce veggies to figure out what they have liked. Right now the most important thing is the hay, which they are eating, so you're doing great there! Congrats on your new additions!

 

[Betsy]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good to have you here!

 

[Julia Rafferty]

I have one 2 month old male guinea pig who refused to eat veggies a couple days ago. I brought him to the vet because I didn’t want to put pellets in the cage since he lived with veggie eating piggies. They had him for a whole day and actually forgot about him (this was the Bandfield pet hospital at PetSmart) and did not feed him all day. When we went to pick him up they had no clue where he was and when they found him, he was squeaking. We brought him home and found out that he just hungry and thirsty. They had left him in a small card board Box with no food or water. Needless to say he ate his veggies out of hunger and we are never going back to that “vet” again!

 

[Betsy]

That's awful! Is there anyway you can report that vets? I hope they didn't charge you! Make sure he has plenty of hay as well as water and I'm sure he'll be fine!

 

[Wiebke]

I just got my two adult female piggies yesterday. This morning I find white residue where they’ve peed. In their previous home, there were fed pellets with those multi-colored flakes of stuff (which I’ve read to be poor quality) and no one could tell me what veggies or hay they’ve had. I purchased Oxbow Timothy hay and Oxbow pellets from the store, which they have eaten. I also have cucumber, red leaf and green leaf lettuce, bell pepper, Brussel sprouts, and fresh cilantro - none of which they have eaten more than a taste of.

Are there other veggies I should try?

Should I purchase those unitary support tablets?

Hi and welcome

White pees mean that there is an excess of calcium in the diet. It is the normal way of getting rid of it. the occasional calcium pee is not a problem but you want to look at the diet (including hard water, pellets quality/amount as well as the veg diet) if they are a daily or near daily experience. As long as the pees dry to a fine pwodery substance there is no issue, but if you can feel hard/sharp gritty bits, then it would be worth to have her checked for bladder sludge.

Please be patient with the veg and take any sprouts off (can cause bloating, especially in piggies unused to veg). Piggies learn what is safe to eat and what not from their elders. With no exposure and guidance, it takes a lot longer to accept.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet

New Owners' Problem Solver And Information Collection

 

[Janice C]

I have one 2 month old male guinea pig who refused to eat veggies a couple days ago. I brought him to the vet because I didn’t want to put pellets in the cage since he lived with veggie eating piggies. They had him for a whole day and actually forgot about him (this was the Bandfield pet hospital at PetSmart) and did not feed him all day. When we went to pick him up they had no clue where he was and when they found him, he was squeaking. We brought him home and found out that he just hungry and thirsty. They had left him in a small card board Box with no food or water. Needless to say he ate his veggies out of hunger and we are never going back to that “vet” again!

Report them! That’s awful.

 

[Tortia]

Thank you all for you help! I found out that they like carrots and was able to introduce the new veggies that way. They eat them up! I didn’t attempt give them any more Brussel sprouts. It’s only been a week and I’m faced with a tough decision. If you’d like to know more, please refer to my next post.