Pee color

[Shaivy]

Guys I am a bit unsure if my piggie’s pee color is normal or not.
it seems pinkish.
She is otherwise fine
Is this fine color. I did feed her some tomato pieces so not sure if it is coz of that.

 

[sport_billy]

Does the wee come out that colour or dry that colour?
What had they been eating?
Are they making any crying noise when seeing?

 

[WobblyPiggy]

Hi,

We had the same issue with our male piggies...try to observe her to see if she is squeaking while peeing...if she is it could be that she is not drinking as much water as she should be and you make have to syringe her a bit extra water...or I sometimes put a few mint leaves in or soak some hay in water and they get some extra water intake...alternatively it could be stones which would need a vet to check out...

You could check under her just to make sure she doesn't have anything stuck there as sometimes short bits of hay can get lodged in places they're not meant to be...our female has had hay stuck down below before...after a booty and belly bath and it removed she was fine...

You could try giving her some probiotics and it may stop being pinkish...we use fibreplex 1ml a day for ours and it seems to have helped again we had to mix it with some water and syringe it to get him to have it...or it could just be what they have eaten...our female love beetroot but doesn't get it very often...but when she does her pee is purple...

If its drying like that but you don't notice it until its dry then it could just be oxidising as some of the gut bacteria can turn a pinkish red colour when left a little while...which we didn't realise until a vet informed us...

However if you're unsure about her being in pain or having a medical issue you could always take her to the vets...then if something is there they can help and if not...well she got a check up and a clean bill of health...and you got to put your mind at ease...

I hope you figure it out as it can be very unsettling to see when you're unsure of what its from...I hope otherwise you and your piggies are doing well!

 

[Shaivy]

Does the wee come out that colour or dry that colour?
What had they been eating?
Are they making any crying noise when seeing?

The first picture was taken just after she peed. It had a very light pinkish tint to it.
She is on a low calcium diet- she eats coriander, red pepper green pepper, tomatoes, cucumber , and 1-2 carrots pieces, besides that lots of hay and fresh cut grass.
I also observed she was making her small sounds when she peed, before that she was quiet. She did that 2 times but after that she was fine for a while and did it again. So I am just confused. I am always worried for her

 

[Shaivy]

Hi,

We had the same issue with our male piggies...try to observe her to see if she is squeaking while peeing...if she is it could be that she is not drinking as much water as she should be and you make have to syringe her a bit extra water...or I sometimes put a few mint leaves in or soak some hay in water and they get some extra water intake...alternatively it could be stones which would need a vet to check out...

You could check under her just to make sure she doesn't have anything stuck there as sometimes short bits of hay can get lodged in places they're not meant to be...our female has had hay stuck down below before...after a booty and belly bath and it removed she was fine...

You could try giving her some probiotics and it may stop being pinkish...we use fibreplex 1ml a day for ours and it seems to have helped again we had to mix it with some water and syringe it to get him to have it...or it could just be what they have eaten...our female love beetroot but doesn't get it very often...but when she does her pee is purple...

If its drying like that but you don't notice it until its dry then it could just be oxidising as some of the gut bacteria can turn a pinkish red colour when left a little while...which we didn't realise until a vet informed us...

However if you're unsure about her being in pain or having a medical issue you could always take her to the vets...then if something is there they can help and if not...well she got a check up and a clean bill of health...and you got to put your mind at ease...

I hope you figure it out as it can be very unsettling to see when you're unsure of what its from...I hope otherwise you and your piggies are doing well!

@WobblyPiggy you’re totally right
Actually she has had this same problem time after time and gotten treatment for it also. Sometimes she makes the sounds and I just remove calcium veggies from the diet and she gets fine by herself. Then after weeks or days she does it again. I am
Very confused what could it be this time. I
Observed it 3 days ago then i fed her less calcium foods and made her get more water into her. After a day she was fine didn’t make sounds or showed any discomfort but I checked her today morning she made some sounds while peeing and did it twice so I couldn’t ignore it.
I think I should ask the vet what’s this recurring issue, because I am no expert ,just an overly worried pet parent , maybe its a small issue and normal thing. There is a chance that something could get stuck in there , could be calcium too, or something like hay that does make sense. They’re so fragile I have the habit of taking everything seriously when it comes to her.
I wish I didn’t have to make another vet visit, she gets very grumpy when we go there and doesn’t talk to me

 

[Claire W]

If you have noticed her squeaking whilst going to the toilet, I would have her vet checked for a potential uti

 

[Shaivy]

If you have noticed her squeaking whilst going to the toilet, I would have her vet checked for a potential uti

I’ll take her tomorrow then. I hope it’s nothing
I am scared of going to the vets as there are not very good vets for guinea pigs here in India. So its always very scary.

 

[Claire W]

I’ll take her tomorrow then. I hope it’s nothing
I am scared of going to the vets as there are not very good vets for guinea pigs here in India. So its always very scary.

Hopefully it's nothing but it is better to be safe than sorry. If she does indeed have a uti, she will most likely be prescribed an antibiotic and painkiller / anti inflammatory. All the best and please let us know how you get on

 

[WobblyPiggy]

@WobblyPiggy you’re totally right
Actually she has had this same problem time after time and gotten treatment for it also. Sometimes she makes the sounds and I just remove calcium veggies from the diet and she gets fine by herself. Then after weeks or days she does it again. I am
Very confused what could it be this time. I
Observed it 3 days ago then i fed her less calcium foods and made her get more water into her. After a day she was fine didn’t make sounds or showed any discomfort but I checked her today morning she made some sounds while peeing and did it twice so I couldn’t ignore it.
I think I should ask the vet what’s this recurring issue, because I am no expert ,just an overly worried pet parent , maybe its a small issue and normal thing. There is a chance that something could get stuck in there , could be calcium too, or something like hay that does make sense. They’re so fragile I have the habit of taking everything seriously when it comes to her.
I wish I didn’t have to make another vet visit, she gets very grumpy when we go there and doesn’t talk to me

If it seems to be a reoccurring issue then a vet is probably the best option to try and figure out the cause...as they will be able to give a better idea of what is happening...and maybe some preventative measures...until that point just keeps observing her...depending on her bedding as well could be causing issues especially if there has been a change in how its been made...we use puppy pads and fleeces or bath mats which are cleaned down every day and changed if they get too saturated....but they all have their hay pile which is where they tend to get things stuck...piggies are very fragile and yet sturdy I think sometimes unless it is a visable issues such as an injury there is a lot of just incase vet visits especially when people care about them...grumpy piggies always get extra snacks or snuggles as a means to not be grumpy anymore...a strawberry seems to be our saving grace for vet visits at the moment...

 

[weepweeps]

I would say that a vet checkup is the way to go. But I appreciate that the vets may not be that good with guinea pigs in India. I’d cut out high calcium veg anyway whether she has these symptoms or not.

 

[WobblyPiggy]

I would say that a vet checkup is the way to go. But I appreciate that the vets may not be that good with guinea pigs in India. I’d cut out high calcium veg anyway whether she has these symptoms or not.

Definitely limit her calcium just incase...maybe think about getting a probiotic that can be used to help her digestive system out as well...its always useful to have in...

 

[Free Ranger]

To be honest I would be a little bit wary of tomato as they can be acidic for the mouth and too much can cause sore gums. I don't know if they make the pee acidic though and I don't know if they affect pee colour. It might be my poor eyesight but I can't see any strong colour in your photos... but if your little girl is squeaking when she pees it is causing her discomfort. They will try to hold in the pee and might dribble a bit and be wet. A short course of antibiotics and some painkiller (baytril and meloxicam are the ones commonly prescribed here - typically given orally at home by the owner) and this might be all she needs. Perhaps they will suggest an x-ray to examine for stones - my vet can perform this without general anaesthetic by wrapping piggy firmly in a towel for the x-ray. But they might see if the antibiotics work before suggesting this thing. It is easy for piggies to pick up little infections as they scent mark by rubbing themselves on the ground. Hopefully this problem is annoying but simple.

Most of the calcium in a piggy diet is in the nuggets (or muesli) and also sometimes in the drinking water. In my area of the UK we have high calcium water so piggy keepers use a water filter or low calcium bottled water. You can tell how much calcium is in your water by looking at the inside of your kettle! Mine gets full of white scum from the calcium in the water. Our water companies also advertise how much calcium is in the water on their websites. For humans there are advantages to high calcium water but piggies absorb all the calcium they eat/drink and then have to excrete it so it is normal to see white milky pee sometimes. But if you have high calcium water and you are able to reduce this with a water filter it is better for the piggies.

I would suggest you do not try to syringe liquid water into piggies mouth. It is very easy for them to inhale it which will cause distress and can also cause dangerous respiratory infection. Remember, when piggy gets the syringe she is not expecting water to come out so she is not prepared to drink - she will be startled. My own mainly use the bottle when they eat their dried food - other than that they get much of their water from their veggies and grass - your veg selection is low calcium and high water which is great. One clever poster has previously suggested to soak the veggies in water for a while before giving them to piggy - this will make them crisp and even more full of water.

@Wiebke do you have anything to add, perhaps you know the names of common medications in India?

 

[Wiebke]

To be honest I would be a little bit wary of tomato as they can be acidic for the mouth and too much can cause sore gums. I don't know if they make the pee acidic though and I don't know if they affect pee colour. It might be my poor eyesight but I can't see any strong colour in your photos... but if your little girl is squeaking when she pees it is causing her discomfort. They will try to hold in the pee and might dribble a bit and be wet. A short course of antibiotics and some painkiller (baytril and meloxicam are the ones commonly prescribed here - typically given orally at home by the owner) and this might be all she needs. Perhaps they will suggest an x-ray to examine for stones - my vet can perform this without general anaesthetic by wrapping piggy firmly in a towel for the x-ray. But they might see if the antibiotics work before suggesting this thing. It is easy for piggies to pick up little infections as they scent mark by rubbing themselves on the ground. Hopefully this problem is annoying but simple.

Most of the calcium in a piggy diet is in the nuggets (or muesli) and also sometimes in the drinking water. In my area of the UK we have high calcium water so piggy keepers use a water filter or low calcium bottled water. You can tell how much calcium is in your water by looking at the inside of your kettle! Mine gets full of white scum from the calcium in the water. Our water companies also advertise how much calcium is in the water on their websites. For humans there are advantages to high calcium water but piggies absorb all the calcium they eat/drink and then have to excrete it so it is normal to see white milky pee sometimes. But if you have high calcium water and you are able to reduce this with a water filter it is better for the piggies.

I would suggest you do not try to syringe liquid water into piggies mouth. It is very easy for them to inhale it which will cause distress and can also cause dangerous respiratory infection. Remember, when piggy gets the syringe she is not expecting water to come out so she is not prepared to drink - she will be startled. My own mainly use the bottle when they eat their dried food - other than that they get much of their water from their veggies and grass - your veg selection is low calcium and high water which is great. One clever poster has previously suggested to soak the veggies in water for a while before giving them to piggy - this will make them crisp and even more full of water.

@Wiebke do you have anything to add, perhaps you know the names of common medications in India?

The same common antibiotics as in the USA or the UK are being prescribed for guinea pigs, namely baytril (active ingredient: enrofloxacin) or bactrim/sulfatrim(active ingredient: sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim), just with different brand names making use of cheaper generic production. You can usually work out what you have been given by googling the active ingredient for any medical brand name.

Please do not be tempted to overhydrate your piggy. It can be fatal. Drinking amounts can vary widely; guinea pigs that hardly drink are not at greater risk of dying earlier or developing kidney problems. Access to fresh, cool water at all times is important, but at the piggy's discretion.
More information on drinking: All About Drinking And Bottles
More information on diet here: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Please keep in mind that a diet too low in calcium can be life-shortening. Also keep in mind that a potential urine infection has no connection with bladder stones.

At the moment, you are at the stage where you should keep a closer eye on potential developments in the coming 5-7 days where it should become clearer whether there is a consistent problem or not. Unfortunately, symptoms for problems in the urinary tract are all very similar.

 

[Shaivy]

@Wiebke @Free Ranger @WobblyPiggy @weepweeps @Claire W
Thankyou so much guys ❤
I am so grateful for the forum , as I worry a lot of and at such times information and affirmation really helps