mackie
Junior Guinea Pig
hi so i typed this in my notes but i wanted to make sure it was accurate? my sources were The Guinea Pig Forum (of course
), GuineaLynx, and the Small Pet Select website. i was wondering if i missed anything or needed to change anything. i want to make sure i’m understanding it correctly. does anyone have any suggestions or better information? this is what i have written down so far (it’s copy and pasted):
calcium
i could not find an “exact” amount of calcium that a guinea pig would require in their daily diet. note that it’s completely normal for guinea pigs to excrete calcium from their urine, as it’s the body's way of getting rid of the excess amount. calcium goes hand-in-hand with phosphorus. phosphorus attaches to calcium, so if there is a lack of calcium, the body may take calcium from their bones to “match” the phosphorus. this may cause their bones to weaken. one thing that must be taken into account is the Ca
ratio (calcium to phosphorus). too much calcium can contribute to the formation of bladder stones without the proper Ca ratio. very low calcium diets are a fad. it’s normal for their urine to be cloudy/milky, but if it feels particularly gritty…reduce calcium veg by using 1-3 low calcium vegetables for a week or two paired with filtered water (some people claim that the UK actually has more calcium in their tap water). of course babies, pregnant or nursing sows need more calcium in their diet.
phosphorus
phosphorus is an essential mineral needed in guinea pigs’ diet to “flush” out excess calcium in their kidneys. this is why it’s important to have a proper Ca ratio. The ideal ratio is approximately 1.3:1. this the ratio for the entire diet, not specifically each vegetable. phosphorus also contributes to “building” (for lack of a better term) healthy bones. phosphorus is what determines how much calcium is absorbed, so a guinea pig will actually get more calcium if there’s enough phosphorus.
), GuineaLynx, and the Small Pet Select website. i was wondering if i missed anything or needed to change anything. i want to make sure i’m understanding it correctly. does anyone have any suggestions or better information? this is what i have written down so far (it’s copy and pasted):calcium
i could not find an “exact” amount of calcium that a guinea pig would require in their daily diet. note that it’s completely normal for guinea pigs to excrete calcium from their urine, as it’s the body's way of getting rid of the excess amount. calcium goes hand-in-hand with phosphorus. phosphorus attaches to calcium, so if there is a lack of calcium, the body may take calcium from their bones to “match” the phosphorus. this may cause their bones to weaken. one thing that must be taken into account is the Ca
ratio (calcium to phosphorus). too much calcium can contribute to the formation of bladder stones without the proper Ca ratio. very low calcium diets are a fad. it’s normal for their urine to be cloudy/milky, but if it feels particularly gritty…reduce calcium veg by using 1-3 low calcium vegetables for a week or two paired with filtered water (some people claim that the UK actually has more calcium in their tap water). of course babies, pregnant or nursing sows need more calcium in their diet. phosphorus
phosphorus is an essential mineral needed in guinea pigs’ diet to “flush” out excess calcium in their kidneys. this is why it’s important to have a proper Ca
ratio. The ideal ratio is approximately 1.3:1. this the ratio for the entire diet, not specifically each vegetable. phosphorus also contributes to “building” (for lack of a better term) healthy bones. phosphorus is what determines how much calcium is absorbed, so a guinea pig will actually get more calcium if there’s enough phosphorus.
