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Wee stains

J

JayF04

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With my older piggie patch, cleaning his lower half has become a daily occurrence. When I wake up in the mornings and feed them, his bottom is back to being stained yellow and requires yet another rinse or wipe down. I don't mind doing this, but it's confusing.. All my other piggies move away from the spots they wee in. But not Patch. He has a 'potty' that we fill with Hay as it's the only place he'll eat hay from ( some reason refuses hay racks ? ) and it keeps him warm. But, he'll just lay in it and not move when he goes to the toilet.

He also drinks a LOT. Since we got him he's been a very heavy drinker. I think it may be because he struggles to get water down and dribbles a lot. We took him to the vet but they say he's a very healthy piggy.

I don't think I can continue to give him a wash every morning as I'm starting back at school next week. Is there anyway to get around this ? My mum said we should go and shave his bottom but I don't know.
 
Once you have ruled out medical reasons for the problem (has he been seen by a vet and had his urine checked) maybe trying a larger potty with a layer of absorbent substrate underneath (we use paper based littler for small animals, but puppy pads are another option). A larger tray will give him more space to move away from the wet patches while still munching his hay.
Plus hay doesn't absorb urine so it will just puddle underneath the hay. An absorbent layer will help stop that happening, and hopefully help keep him a little drier.
 
Also bear in mind that if your piggy isnt getting wet and sore from the wee and it is just stained fur, and your vet thinks he's fine, piggy probably doesnt mind having wee pants. My Jezzy floof is notorious for smelling of wee and sitting in her own wee and sleeping in the toilet and generally having yellow floofy trouser fur. I check twice a week that she isnt sore and wipe and moisturise her feet twice a week... clean the toilet trays and everywhere she sits regularly every day... but she just has wee pants!
 
Yes my Jess also likes peeing in her sleep spot and having pee pants! Rupert was bad in his last 6 months as struggled to clean himself as much and with him being all white the peepee pants could get quite obvious but a ‘baby wipe bath’ sorted it out normally!
I always thought my Jess was the big drinker, she’s so loud at the bottle you notice more but it turns out now he’s gone it was Rupert! My last two boys drank a lot too.

He’s a beauty :love: love his little ears:)
 
No one has asked i dont think. But is your vet a guinea pig experienced vet?
 
JayF04 said:
With my older piggie patch, cleaning his lower half has become a daily occurrence. When I wake up in the mornings and feed them, his bottom is back to being stained yellow and requires yet another rinse or wipe down. I don't mind doing this, but it's confusing.. All my other piggies move away from the spots they wee in. But not Patch. He has a 'potty' that we fill with Hay as it's the only place he'll eat hay from ( some reason refuses hay racks ? ) and it keeps him warm. But, he'll just lay in it and not move when he goes to the toilet.

He also drinks a LOT. Since we got him he's been a very heavy drinker. I think it may be because he struggles to get water down and dribbles a lot. We took him to the vet but they say he's a very healthy piggy.

I don't think I can continue to give him a wash every morning as I'm starting back at school next week. Is there anyway to get around this ? My mum said we should go and shave his bottom but I don't know.
Click to expand...

Older piggies tend to sleep more deeply. Some love to sleep in their toilet corner, which you need to chance very regularly; but you can do that after school instead of the mornings. Hay is unfortunately not absorbent, so the pee can stain the fur coat and oxidise to a rather strong colour.

Please keep an eye out on his weight in order to monitor the food intake, which should be mostly hay (over 80% of what a piggy eats in a day) - you cannot control that by eye. Pain and discomfort are real appetite killers! :(
Weight - Monitoring and Management


Please keep the hairs on bum area cut short in long-haired piggies, but be aware that shaving short hairs will only increase the risk of sores from urine scald.

What you can do is change his hay corner daily or replace it with a washable fleece cosy or vetbed bedding pad in his favourite place in the mornings and evenings. When washed without softener, they allow any fluid to pass through them to an absorbent layer below but stay dry on the surface.
Vetbed you can find widely online when looking for dog accessories. Just cut one or two pieces into smaller 'bed squares' for your boy to sleep on in his favourite place that you can change in the morning, which only take a minute or two. ;)
Give your boy a quick bum wash when you have time in the evening but it will hopefully not be as bad.

Some piggies drink much more than others (some even don't drink at all); there is a wide individual variance.
All About Drinking And Bottles

Look out for sudden changes in the amount he is drinking (see guide link above). If the urine is suddenly very stale smelling, then this is generally a sign of an infection somewhere in the urinary tract.
 
I use kitten litter trays filled with hay and with back to nature pellets on the bottom. My boys love their hay tray. (I have 2 in the cage they just choose to share) IMG_20190522_220009_985.webp
 
he is gorgeous.... i was just going to suggest a larger tray but thats already been mentioned... x
 
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