Hi everyone, i have just got my first Guinea pig ever. yeah. his name is frodo and i think i have had him for around 3 to 4 weeks. Although, frody has a problem, every now and them his pee is white, and it drys like white paint. Could this be because if lack of water? He doesn't drink much because his new but only young, but when he does it goes away for a little bit. Any ideas????.
I am pretty sure that is ok. A white compund is normal.
Please correct me if I am wrong
Thank you for that, just what i wanted to here. Sorry, i accidentlly made two threads.
Hi Looby and welcome!
The white stain you are descibing is excess calcium deposits. Are they ''grainy''? Can you rub it between your fingers?
Calcuim deposits can cause bladder stones and kidney stones, this is why a good diet is essential. Do you feed him lots of carrots? If yes then cut down to only one baby carrot per day. If you have no baby carrots then only feed one thin slice of carrot per day.
Good daily vegetables to give are:
Cos lettuce
Red, Green and yellow capsicum
Endive
Corriander
Any lettuce but No iceburg. Iceburg causes stools and Diarrhea.
No cauliflower, Brocolli, cabbage. These veggies should be fed rarely and infrequently as they can cause gas and bloat.
Please read this link here for more diet information:
http://www.guinealynx.com/fave.html
http://www.guinealynx.com/hay.html
Also always provide hay 24/7 and fresh water. The capsicum has loads of vitamin C which is why it is such a good daily vegetable.
Any more questions dont hesitate to ask! I hope you will like it here as much as we all do.
Well I hopetthe piggies has some sort of stools or it would be full of s&%t!!!Iceburg causes stools and Diarrhea.
Sorry i couldn't help it, I know you meant loose stools.
Hehe Its 4 am and im tired, at least you gave me a laugh
Fluffball- (love the name by the way), it's not grainy. I think it could be because of the carrot, i have always given him alot of that. I give him Guinea pig mix(should i give him hay as well as that?), cucumber, lettuce(is it true that too much lettuce gives them diarrhea?), carrot, apple, tomato, a little banana, water melon and rock melon.
thanks for your help.
Too much iceburg lettuce will give dirrahea. Other lettuce will not. You can feed one cherry tomato each day. Too much and your piggie may get sores on the inside of his mouth.
Here is a great list composed by cool-cavy-crazy on what veggies you can feed daily and which ones are safe:
Guinea pigs must have at least one cup of fresh vegetables each day each. Good veggies to offer daily include:
Lettuces - all types but iceberg (contains mostly water and very little nutritional value), Good lettuces are Romaine, Green/Red leaf, butterhead/boston, curly or belgian endive, raddichio and others.
Cilantro (coriander)
Peppers - all colours, no seeds
Baby carrots - one small/medium per pig or same equivalent of regular carrot.
Chard, Red or Swiss is most commonly preferred
Zucchini (Courgette)
Corn husks and silks
Cherry/grape tomatoes (no more than 1-2 per pig)
Good every other day foods:
Parsley
Celery - chopped up small plus leaves
Cucumber
Broccoli leaves
Dandelion greens
Green beans
Summer and Winter squash (all varieties)
Chicory Greens
Some fresh foods should be limited to twice per week:
Fruits - apple, plum, apricot, melon, cucumber, peach, grapes and a few others.
Cabbage
Broccoli
Herbs such as Dill, Chives, Basil, Mint, Thyme
Collard Greens/Turnip Greens/Mustard Greens
Kale
Spinach (in small amounts)
Asparagus
Beets
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Sweetcorn on the cob
Pumpkin
Turnips
Other foods, such as radishes, banana, sweet potato and beet greens should only be given as occasional treats, say once or twice a month.
Vegetables are important to provide essential vitamins, and if provided with a good variety of fresh foods daily, there is rarely a reason for supplements of any kind to be given.
Hay is essential everyday. Give unlimited amounts. Lucerene will suffice if you do not have hay available but it is best to get good quality hay from a feed store, or supplies store. No straw.
Hay must be green, fresh, and have no sharp bits in it.
With the guinea pig mix: What is in it? Mixes that contain seeds, colours, presevatives, sunflower seeds e.t.c are very bad for your piggies health. If possible get a plain pellet mix only. This should contain plain pellets and nothing else. Vitamin C that is added would also be good.
Many Australian users tend to by a pellet by ''peters'' that is a plain pellet. I stopped feeding pellets because ive found that most have no used by or best before date and they contain preservatives. I only feed hay and veggies and my piggies stay healthy with that.
Vitamin C is also essential. Cavies cannot make their own vitamin C so we have to give them foods rich in vitamin C like Red, green and yellow capsicum.
Never buy salt licks, mineral wheels, or vitamin drops. These are bad for your cavy and will only deprive them of the real nutriants and minerals their bodies need.
I think thats all! Sorry for the long post but diet is the number one thing to provide your cavy!
No, the long post is helpful.
i tried all colours of capsicum, but he didn't like it at all, wouldn't eat it.
the guinea pig mix has seeds, dried up greens and pellets.
He is an outside Guinea pig, he has a water proof house with a yard (my dad made it) so he always has grass.
i would love to see pictures of fluffball, i will send some of frodo.
I give him a little Guinea pig mix in the morning, he eats grass all day, but since i only have one Guinea pig i hand out with him too, then at night i give him a bowl of vegies.
He might like the piggie mix, but guinea pigs can choke on the seeds. Try changing back to plain pellets.
Also, have you considered getting him a friend? Guinea pigs are social animals and need a friend.
Ill see if I can download some pigtures today : )
Try some corriander, that also has a good balance of vitamin C. Many piggies wont like capsicum, but if you leave it in their cage overnight everyday they may be brave enough to try it!
My piggies didnt like it at first but after a few weeks they love it now. Try going back to plain pellets like JSR said and he also does need a friend. Guinea pigs are social animals and he will be much happier with another male or a sprayed female. Always make sure you know the gender of the animal. I would go with another male guinea pig, who is younger and smaller. This way dominance hopefully will be sorted out.
When you get a new piggie make sure you quarantine him for 3 weeks.
Please read this link it has everything you need to know about why two guinea pigs is better than one and how to introduce them:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm
Thanks guys, i was going to get him a friend it's just i am new and i wanted to see how i'd go with one. but i will get him a friend soon. thanks for helping with everything.
I have read that green beans are poisonous to guinea pigs
I used to feed them as well, and was confused why I could not find them on any dietry sheets, then later I discovered a couple of articles, from different sites that say green beans are poisonous.
Green beans are fine and are not poisonous. They are listed on guinealynx as a very safe food to eat. http://www.guinealynx.com/diet_vegs.html
Here is their nutrional information just so you know they are a safe food to give to your cavy:
Green beans: percent water 90.27[font=Times New Roman]
Energy (Kal) 31
Protein (g) 1.82
Ascorbic acid (C) 16.3
Calcium (mg) 37
Phos (,mg) 38
Ca: P Ratio: (Calcium: phosphorus) 1:1
[/font]
Thanks for the link,
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