Peeing Differently

[Beatriz]

Hi I've had my guinea pigs for about 3 months now and sadly one of them passed away last week because of a stone. I have one guinea pig now and I've heard about guinea pigs being sad after losing a friend but he seems to be perfectly fine (the other guinea pig would kind of push him around and stuff). He's eating fine and running but I've noticed that he isn't peeing as much? When I take him out for his play time is when i keep an eye on him to see if everything's ok and he used to pee a lot more and sometimes it would be white and cloudy so I'm not sure if that meant anything. He's pooping without wheaking and he's still peeing its just less, and I'm sure he's peeing in his cage too because it has wet areas when i clean it. Should i be worried and take him to the vet?

 

[Cavyhappy]

I would take him to a vet if he's in pain, is he squeaking when he's peeing?
Also, it means he's probably drinking less. Remember to keep offering the little guy heaps of water.
It would be a good idea to match him up with another piggie ASAP, because cavys are best with friends.
Hope all goes well xx

 

[Beatriz]

He's not squeaking at all when he's peeing or pooping. I'm trying to give him more water and keeping his lettuce wet instead of drying it off. I'm just so paranoid now because I'm scared that any little thing can turn into something horrible.
We are getting a rescue guinea pig sometime in the next 2 weeks, thank you so much!

 

[Cavyhappy]

I think you should keep an eye on him and if he doesn't get better in the next 24-48 hours, definitely take him to a vet.
No squeaking is a good sign, he doesn't seem to have symptoms of a UTI but, I'm still unsure about what it could be.
@Wiebke may be able to help.
Great news about the new piggy! :-)

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I am sorry for your loss.

I don't think that your boy is necessarily peeing less, but it is more likely that his friend was peeing and drinking a lot more than him. Water intake can be very individual. How do you offer water?

Chalky/milky pees mean that excess calcium is excreted by the the body. What kind of diet are you feeding him (including amount of pellets)? This may also have had a bearing on the formation of the stone. Spinach, kale and Asian cabbages are very high calcium, for instance.

Please weigh any guinea pig you are worried about daily instead of weekly, as you do with a healthy piggy. How old is your remaining boy?
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

With members from all over the world, it would help us enormously if you added your country, state (US/Aus/Can) or your county/general area (UK) to your details, so we can give you the appropriate advice, links and recommendations straight away. Click on your name on the top bar, then go to personal details/location. That will save everybody time.

 

[Beatriz]

I saw him pee yesterday and again today, so I think it might have just been something that has passed now. He has a water bottle that is always filled with water and i know he drinks from it because the water level goes down every day and my vet also told me that its good to keep his vegetables a little wet after you wash them instead of completely drying them so he gets some water that way. His pee wasn't milky yesterday and I feed him 2 tablespoons of pellets, somewhere near a cup of veggies everyday (usually carrots, zucchini, mostly lettuce and sometimes a little but of spinach, red bell peppers, cucumbers, and a small amount of a different fruit everyday like orange, tomato, grape, melon, pineapple, etc). The place we got him from said he was around 8 months when we got him so he's almost a year old. Thank you so much for the tips, I think its just me being a little paranoid about anything with my guinea pig! xx

 

[Cavyhappy]

Great to hear he's getting back to normal again! xx

 

[Wiebke]

I saw him pee yesterday and again today, so I think it might have just been something that has passed now. He has a water bottle that is always filled with water and i know he drinks from it because the water level goes down every day and my vet also told me that its good to keep his vegetables a little wet after you wash them instead of completely drying them so he gets some water that way. His pee wasn't milky yesterday and I feed him 2 tablespoons of pellets, somewhere near a cup of veggies everyday (usually carrots, zucchini, mostly lettuce and sometimes a little but of spinach, red bell peppers, cucumbers, and a small amount of a different fruit everyday like orange, tomato, grape, melon, pineapple, etc). The place we got him from said he was around 8 months when we got him so he's almost a year old. Thank you so much for the tips, I think its just me being a little paranoid about anything with my guinea pig! xx

It is great that he is settling down!

Guinea pigs don't gieve any less deeply than humans, but they cannot afford to grieve for as long. Piggies are not wired to be on their own, even if it is just a companion they can interact with through the bars. A new friend is the best way of keeping your boy healthy and happy in the long run.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.109674/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-companionship.37654/
There is one very high standard guinea pig rescue in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that I can warmly recommend.
http://theguineapigrescue.com/ but you may find others when you look for rescues on petfinder if you are looking for a new companion. If you cannot arrange a meet&greet, looking for a youngster will be your second option. The age difference will help to stabilise the bond, provided they get click at the beginning.

However, I would strongly recommend to feed fruit (including tomato) only twice a week. Too much or too often can cause cheilitis, little lesions on the lips and in the mouth that get infected with bacteria or fungal. You can add fresh herbs like cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill, mint or basil instead. 1 sprig of cilantro can be fed daily, the rest would be better 1 sprig once or twice weekly. I would also recommend giving him a slice of bell peppers of any colour daily for his vitamin C and reduce the amount of lettuce and the frequency of carrot (too much vitamin A can build up in the liver, and both are high in it). We have got a food list with lots more ideas of what you can feed here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/
http://www.guinealynx.info/cheilitis.html

 

[Beatriz]

Thank you so much for your help and all of the useful links!
We got a new guinea pig today from a rescue and we will slowly introduce them and if they don't seem to get along at all, we have 30 days from now to return him.
Again, thank you for the tips!

 

[Cavyhappy]

That's great! What is his/her name?

 

[Beatriz]

the rescue said his name was Vader, as in Darth Vader and hes very playful
he's the brown one!

 

[Cavyhappy]

They are very sweet! Beautiful markings as well and a cute, imaginative name.


Are they getting along well?

 

[Beatriz]

They aren't fighting, but they also aren't the best of friends yet if that makes sense? They just chase each other around and smell each other with the occasional teeth chatter, but I think they will become really good friends, they even shared a piece of lettuce! I just have to give them a little more time

 

[Cavyhappy]

That sounds really good so far. The obvious dominance establishment is ok, mine still do that after 1.5 years together so not to worry.
Great news that they're not fighting, hopefully over more time they'll get to know each other more