Do I need a vet visit?

[rosienruby]

New here so bear with!

Have noticed my piggy is making some noise while she poops, not a really loud or high pitched squeal but more of a groan - similar to the noise she makes when my other pig is annoying her! The poops are the proper form and colour. Wee has some calcium deposits in it.

Other than that she is completely fine? She eats all her veggies and squeaks at me in the mornings, anticipates feeding time, curls round to eat her poop and is cleaning herself.

One thing to note is that I made a big mistake with food a few weeks ago, which was feeding her spinach daily. I have completely stopped feeding spinach now after finding out it was too high in calcium.

Just need to know whether this needs further monitoring or if I should go to the vets ASAP! Thank you!

 

[sport_billy]

Yes, squeaking when weeing could mean a urinary tract infection so yes please get a vet visit booked

 

[Piggies&buns]

Squeaking while peeing and pooping indicates pain/discomfort so please have your piggy seen by a vet.

yes spinach is high in calcium, so is kale and parsley. These should be fed no more than once per week.
also be aware that pellets and unfiltered drinking water contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg so keeping pellets strictly limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and ensuring their water is filtered reduces calcium intake

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

How old is your guinea pig and how long have you had her? Is she an only piggy?

Squeaking when peeing and pooing is generally a symptom of problems in the urinary tract, whether that is a bacterial urine infection, a bacterial or a sterile cystitis (bladder infection) or whether it is caused by bladder stones or sludge.
Please have your piggy seen during regular opening hours. It is not an emergency but if possible book her in before the weekend.

Take the time to read our comprehensive diet advice, which looks at all food groups as part of a whole but also at every group in detail. Most of the calcium in a diet does not come from veg but from unfiltered water and too many pellets.
You will find the guide very helpful: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[rosienruby]

Hi and welcome!

How old is your guinea pig and how long have you had her? Is she an only piggy?

Squeaking when peeing and pooing is generally a symptom of problems in the urinary tract, whether that is a bacterial urine infection, a bacterial or a sterile cystitis (bladder infection) or whether it is caused by bladder stones or sludge.
Please have your piggy seen during regular opening hours. It is not an emergency but if possible book her in before the weekend.

Take the time to read our comprehensive diet advice, which looks at all food groups as part of a whole but also at every group in detail. Most of the calcium in a diet does not come from veg but from unfiltered water and too many pellets.
You will find the guide very helpful: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Rosie is about about 9-10 months old, i’ve had her since June and she lives with her sister!

As a student I’m going to find it hard to pay the vet bills so I’ve signed up for pet insurance to help cover the costs, this takes two weeks to come through unfortunately. She’s happy in herself so hopefully this will be okay. This is the diet I have my pigs on for reference, as well as pellets, hay and fresh water.

 

[Wiebke]

Rosie is about about 9-10 months old, i’ve had her since June and she lives with her sister!

As a student I’m going to find it hard to pay the vet bills so I’ve signed up for pet insurance to help cover the costs, this takes two weeks to come through unfortunately. She’s happy in herself so hopefully this will be okay. This is the diet I have my pigs on for reference, as well as pellets, hay and fresh water.

Hi!

PLEASE have a read of our diet guide. We can't repeat everything in a single post for everybody, considering we are doing this for free in our free time. Here is the relevanhttps://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/long-term-balanced-general-and-special-needs-guinea-pig-diets.116460/

You are feeding too much veg and it is not the best combination. Stay off any root veg; carrots are like feeding a bar of chocolate to a guinea pig; overfeeding on high sugar veg and fruit can lead in the longer term to more of a risk of having digestive problems (dysbiosis = overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut, which can come out either as severe bloat or diarrhea).
Your diet is also too high in calcium, even more so if you do not filter your water and feed more than 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day - it can lead to bladder stones or sludge. Have a look at our sample diet in the guide. You want to feed ideally as green and leafy a diet as possible with a mix of high fluid content veg and just a bit higher calcium/trace element stuff.

Hay, hay and more hay is the mainstay of the diet - the more, the better because guinea pigs have evolved on a diet of fresh or dry grass which they supplement with some forage for trace elements. The rare find of fruit is a very special treat. The chewing molars and premolars at the back of the mouth have evolved against the very abrasive silica in hay and the gut is working at its very best when breaking down the tough grass fibre in two runs through the gut. Your piggies will be much healthier and longer lived if you stop seeing veg as the mainstay and rather concentrate on feeding a more limited but more suited diet. A good diet can easily add another 1-2 years to your piggies' lives and take a healthy piggy from the lower to the upper end of the average life span or even beyond.

As to seeing a vet; you will know when it becomes more urgent. If you are upfront about still waiting for your insurance to come through, you may be able to sort out a payment arrangement.
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[Siikibam]

Just be aware that the insurance may not cover ‘existing illnesses’. Make sure to read the small print . Perhaps you can speak to them about a payment plan when you take her in.

Pellets should be one tablespoon per piggy per day rather than the constant supply (or large amounts) that’s mentioned elsewhere and on the packaging.