white powder?

[Jesslovespigs]

My guinea pig's urine leaves behind some white powdery stuff. It doesn't feel gritty, just powdery. Is there something i should/ shouldn't be feeding them? Is this a warning sign for something or is it just normal? please help

[bpatters]

White powdery stuff is a sign of excess calcium in the urine, which has been implicated in urinary tract stones. Here's a start on how to reduce it or get rid of it altogether:

If you're feeding romaine lettuce, switch to red or green leaf lettuce. Romaine isn't any higher in calcium than the others, but some pigs will have powdery/sludgy urine when fed romaine.

Some greens are much higher than others in calcium, or have too many oxalates and too much vitamin A, and should be fed only sparingly. Check http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ants-list.html for what can be fed when.

If that doesn't work, the pellets are next. Some pigs will have powdery/sludgy urine when fed Oxbow pellets, while others eat them all their lives with no problems. But if you're feeding Oxbow, switch to Kleenmama (order from KMS Hayloft, Grass Hays & Fortified Feeds From the Valleys of the Pacific Northwest) and see if that helps.

If your water is hard, put a filter on the faucet or buy a pitcher with a filter. Vets in the south of England often recommend filtering water because of the high limestone concentration there. Do not use distilled water -- you don't want to take all the minerals out, just reduce the calcium content.

If all that fails, you may need to really dig into the diet and see exactly how much calcium is being fed. Let us know if you get to that point, and I'll have some more suggestions.

For me, stopping the romaine was all it took to get rid of the white spots. Others have more difficulty, and some pigs will just excrete excess calcium no matter what you do. It's probably a genetic thing, but it's not well understood.

[Jesslovespigs]

I looked and I was feeding them collard greens and that is high in calcium, ill see if feeding them that less will help :) thank you. what do you feed your pigs?

[Delaine]

I follow pretty much what bpatters has said plus I keep the Guinea Lynx Vegetable Chart on my fridge as a guide. I used to have lots of white urine deposits but have finally got a feel for the foods that affects this problem and it has really helped. It takes awhile to figure it all out. It can be a bit confusing. I have read (Becky's Sample Stones Diet) that it is beneficial to keep a good calcium/phosphorus ratio in the daily diet. Guinea Lynx veggie chart addresses this. Endive or chicory greens and escarole have a good ratio so I have added them to my pigs diet with success. Good luck.