Urine White urine? Calcium build up or something else??

What pellets are you feeding them? And how much?
Some people have a problem with Oxbow pellets because their calcium is in a different form (and is definitely more) than the calcium in pellets like KMS. Also, if you are giving them 1/4 cup each, try cutting down to 1/8 cup.

Are you feeding them romaine (cos) lettuce? That can also cause calcium problems.

You could go over this chart and give them veggies that are low on calcium for a few days and see if it helps.

What is the rest of their diet like? And how many pellets do they get, and what brand? Do you give them filtered water?

The white spots are dried calcium, and excess calcium in the urine contributes to urinary tract stones. Not every pig with excess calcium will get stones, but pigs without excess calcium apparently won't get them.

I'd definitely try to reduce their calcium intake, which is why I asked the questions above. But it's possible to do everything "right" in regards to dietary calcium, and still have a pig whose genetics causes urinary calcium.

I feed them 1/8 cup each so 1/4 cup for 2 pigs of oxbow natural science adult guinea pig pellets and oxbow western timothy hay. Yes they do get a lot of romaine I didn't know it was high in calcium. and yes they get either totally filtered water or bottle spring water.

Romaine isn't high in calcium, but some pigs will definitely produce white urine if they eat it. I'd stop feeding it altogether, and switch to red or green leaf lettuce and see if things improve after a week or so. If that doesn't clear things up, I'd definitely switch to KMS pellets -- the price works out to be about the same, and hers not only have less calcium, but she uses a different calcium compound than Oxbow for her pellets, and pigs usually don't have any problem with them.

Do they get any other vegetables?

Yes they get carrots,cherry or grape tomatoes,bell pepper,fruit Strawberries,blueberries ect,cilantro,parsley and sometimes basil.

I would take out the parsley for sure. I never feed it to my two, they're sensitive to calcium too.

Not sure about basil.

If you feed them clover or mint, that's also really high in calcium and should be occasional only.

Basil has higher calcium than parsley.

The absolute calcium value of a food is not necessarily the determining factor in whether it will produce white urine. Romaine is a case in point. It has about the same calcium content as red or green leaf lettuce, but some pigs excrete calcium when they eat it. Cilantro is low in calcium, and supposedly can be fed almost daily, but I have one pig whose urine will be cloudy white if she eats it.

I'd say watch your pigs carefully, and monitor which foods give them problems with urinary calcium. You can't totally depend on the nutrition chart to give you the answers, since pigs obvious process calcium in some foods differently than others.

@lissie That's what I thought, I just wasn't sure.

Herbs in general are higher in calcium. Cilantro isn't bad though. I don't think

Okay so last night them green leaf lettuce and cilantro for veggies. I know parsley is high in calcium so I haven't fed that recently and they rarely get basil I think they've only had it about twice. They haven't had mint in a while and clover only once. is wheat grass like the kind you buy for cats okay?

Wheat grass is safe for piggies. It sounds to me like you are dealing with an improper ca ratio.

@Travelingirl916 That's good to know because my girls are nuts about wheat grass and they might hate me if I stopped giving it to them although they haven't had it in quite a while. Are there any supplements,added vitamins ect that I should be giving them so they have a balanced calcium ratio?

cavyluvr said:

@Travelingirl916 That's good to know because my girls are nuts about wheat grass and they might hate me if I stopped giving it to them although they haven't had it in quite a while. Are there any supplements,added vitamins ect that I should be giving them so they have a balanced calcium ratio?

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You figure out the calcium to phosphorus ratio based on the fruits and vegetables you feed every day. The produce charts on Guinea Lynx and here show the ca ratio for all the different fruits/veggies/forages you feed pigs. You then just look at the particular ones you are feeding and the amounts you are feeding. Then figure out the average ca ratio for all those foods. You want the average/overall ca ratio to be between 1.5:1 and 2:1 to help prevent stones and sludge.

You don't give any supplements or anything for the ca ratio.

@Travelingirl916 Okay thanks for the helpful info =)