Pink urine and white substance on one of my pigs gentiles? (slightly bigger cage)

[Pitch&Riddick]

I've noticed the shaving in my piggies cage near the litterbox has been pink sometimes. I've been reading a few of the threads and some owners have mentioned pinkish or red urine coming from their guinea pigs. I've seen some areas with the shavings pink and I assumed that it was just a coloration thing in the production of the shavings, but now I'm a little worried. I've switched to a fleece blanket but I white, soft bedding material in the litter box. I think that's the reason for the white substance on Pitch's gentiles. I noticed it and tried holding him on his back so I could get a better look but he bit my thumb really hard and drew a bit of blood. I don't blame him, I'd bite someone too if they were doing that. I washed my hands after and left him alone for the rest of the night. When I get home from school I'll try and check again, but I want to see what experienced guinea pig owners can tell me about it all before I let myself panic.

I had a 2x2 before and recently moved them into the cage my dog had, which is 2x3. Its a temp cage until my mother and I can get a 2x4 or a 3x3 or a 2x5, but they seem to be fighting less. They're also in the living room now

 

[Wiebke]

I've noticed the shaving in my piggies cage near the litterbox has been pink sometimes. I've been reading a few of the threads and some owners have mentioned pinkish or red urine coming from their guinea pigs. I've seen some areas with the shavings pink and I assumed that it was just a coloration thing in the production of the shavings, but now I'm a little worried. I've switched to a fleece blanket but I white, soft bedding material in the litter box. I think that's the reason for the white substance on Pitch's gentiles. I noticed it and tried holding him on his back so I could get a better look but he bit my thumb really hard and drew a bit of blood. I don't blame him, I'd bite someone too if they were doing that. I washed my hands after and left him alone for the rest of the night. When I get home from school I'll try and check again, but I want to see what experienced guinea pig owners can tell me about it all before I let myself panic.

I had a 2x2 before and recently moved them into the cage my dog had, which is 2x3. Its a temp cage until my mother and I can get a 2x4 or a 3x3 or a 2x5, but they seem to be fighting less. They're also in the living room now

Hi! If you are worried, please see a vet.

Your description is too vague to decide whether you are just dealing with the white residue from a powdery calcium pee (nothing to worry about if it happens only every now and then). A firm substance that looks or feels like dried glue is 'boar glue' (dried semen fluid). If any chalky residue has sharp bits in it or if you you see calcium pees or dried powdery patches on the fleece on a daily basis, then see a vet. Calcium pees can increase at the very early stages of an onset of a urinary tract infection or cystitis when other symptoms have not yet manifested and any blood in (clear!) pees is not consistent, either, and therefore every difficult to diagnose.

When people speak of red pees at the onset of a UTI or cystitis, they are generally a really intense deep red and look like a piggy has been peeing pure blood (which is thankfully not the case).
Veg can also cause more mildly coloured pees without their being anything the case. Beetroot for instance can colour a pee quite strongly pink and beetroot poos are purple.

Right now, as long as there are no other symptoms, it is more of a matter of keeping an eye out, but to not fret yourself into fine shreds.