General Weird looking poop

[FishinJoe]

can someone help me in identifying this I started to notice it yesterday when I was cleaning out my cage.

 

[bpatters]

That's dried calcium from your pig's urine. How old is your pig?

What exactly are you feeding? What hay? What pellets, and how many? What veggies, and how many of each?

 

[FishinJoe]

I am very unsure of the age as I got him from a owner turn in from a pet store. He gets about a 1/8 cup of pellets a day, they are labeled premium guinea pig food at the store. And the veggies vary. Is this anything to be considered about?

 

[bpatters]

Yes, it's definitely something to be concerned about. Excess urinary calcium is a contributing factor to urinary tract stones, which are painful/dangerous to your pig and your pocketbook, as they usually require surgical removal.

Your pellets should have .4% calcium or less, if you can find them. The only ones we recommend are KMS Hayloft, which have to be ordered online, or Oxbow. Oxbow currently has a higher amount of calcium, but they're changing their calcium source, which should take care of the problem.

For veggies, he needs bell pepper or another high vitamin C food daily. He needs leafy greens, such as red or green leaf lettuce. Avoid romaine as it causes calcium excretion in some pigs. For other things he can have, see https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List for how much and how often.

What kind of hay does he get? He needs a long strand grass hay ALL the time -- timothy, bluegrass, meadow grass, orchard grass, or brome. Hay is the most important item in his diet -- it's what keeps his teeth ground down and his gut moving properly. The cheapest way to buy it is from a local farmer if you can find it, or online if you can't. You'll pay triple the price of online if you buy in a pet store, and many times what you'd pay from a local source.

 

[FishinJoe]

He gets Timothy hay I haven't been feeding him many peppers. How much a day should he get? I am sorry I am new to all of this and am trying to do my best for the little guy. My girlfriend brought him home one day and he has kinda become a obsession of mine. I am trying to learn all that I can, it is just hard to take it all in.

 

[bpatters]

He should get roughly 1/6 - 1/4 of a pepper per day, depending on the size of the pepper. Guinea pigs are like people, they can't manufacture their own vitamin C.

Here's some reading links for new guinea pig owners:

-- http://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html
-- http://www.guinealynx.info/emergency.html
-- www.cavyspirit.com
-- the stickies at the tops of the main forums here
-- https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...us-Plants-List for what you can feed and how often
-- https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...ur-guinea-pigs!

We'd love to see pictures!

 

[FishinJoe]

here is my buddy

 

[bpatters]

Cute!

If that tube in the middle has seeds and nuts in it (I can't quite see what it is), you need to throw that way. Guinea pigs have very narrow throat openings, and can easily get choked on nuts and seeds.

 

[FishinJoe]

Which KMS food should I be feeding him? also what Oxbow should I purchase for the time being? I will go to the store tomorrow to get some for the meantime.

 

[bpatters]

If he's over six months old, by your best guess, he needs plain timothy pellets.