Milky Urine

Question
I have read about guinea pigs and milky urine and that if it drys like it they might be have too much calcium and if it goes on they can get bladder stones. how can i prevent her from getting any . how can i reduce the calcuim in her diet? i dont really know what i can be feeding her that has calcuim in ? please get back to me asap . thank you ..
Ema xx  

Answer
Hi Ema,

Milky urine in itself is normal, but when it dries white and powdery it can sometimes suggest a little too much calcium in the diet. An adult guinea pigs body doesn't have the need for calcium that younger guineas bodies do, so all the excess calcium goes into the bladder and is excreted through the urine. If the calcium intake is not reduced when very white drying pee is detected, there is a risk of the calcium building up in the bladder and forming into stones.

The hay guinea pigs over 6 or 7 months of age should have is any type of grass hay - so timothy, oat, brome, orchard, orchard-grass, bluegrass and meadow (and varieties of each) are all great to feed.
Legume hays, such as alfalfa, are considerably higher in calcium and protein, so are much more nutritionally suited to developing young up to around 7 months old, and to pregnant and nursing sows. Alfalfa should only be fed as a treat, if at all.

Pellets should be a plain pellet, ideally based on timothy hay. Oxbow Cavy Cuisine is pretty much a perfect nutritional pellet for adult piggies. If you are in the US, Kleenamama (www.kmshayloft.com) also sells very high quality timothy pellets.
If you are unable to get a timothy based plain pellet, and you end up with an alfalfa based pellet, don't worry but be sure to limit the amount of other high calcium foods you feed and try to limit the amount of pellets you feed your piggie too.

The vegetables high in calcium include:

Carrot
Parsley
Spinach
Kale
Carrot tops

Those are the main high calcium foods which spring to mind. If you would like more dietary advice, and to read up about a nutritionally balanced diet, copy and paste the following link into your browser addess bar:

http://caviesunited.bravehost.com/feed.htm

If you require any further assistance, let me know and I will be glad to help.

Best Wishes,

- Laura
www.cavy-care.com