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Does my piggy have a UTI?

J

jrdngriffin1001

New Born Pup
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So, I am a newish owner to 2 guinea pigs. I have had them for about a year now and honestly came into owning them just to get them out of a bad situation. They were previously owned by a family that purchased them for their young twin boys. Probably not the best pets for young, rough, and rowdy boys though. When I was introduced to my piggies the cage was disgusting, they were very scared, underweight, and had very overgrown nails. The mom asked me if I wanted them and I couldn't leave them.I have cared for them to the best of my abilities and try to do my research. I got them off of wood shavings for bedding and use the fleece method with about a quarter of their cage shredded paper bedding. I feed them veggies and leafy greens daily with the occasional fruit. I try to provide them with enrichment. In the last year my one pig has come so far! She is chunky and happy! Loves running around her room and exploring. My second piggy is albino and she is special. You look into her eyes and there is not a single thought going on in that little head of hers. We aren't sure but she may be at least partially blind. She never moves much honestly and spends all day laying in her hide/bed. A few weeks ago I went to clip their nails and noticed that she was covered in urine with some discharge on her vulva. I gave her a bath and got her cleaned up and monitored her pretty closely. Everything cleared up and the swelling and discharge went away. When I took them out of their cage today to allow them some free roaming time I noticed again that she had a lot of urine on her underside. I didn't want to give her another bath so I used a soft cloth and warm water to clean her up. She doesn't seem to have any swelling or discharge this time. She literally spends her whole day in her bed where she poops and pees. I clean the poop from inside daily and removed the pad from inside to allow to air dry daily while they free roam. I change her pad about every 3 days or so. Should I be worried about her behavior of laying all day in her pee? Should I take her to a vet?
Sorry for such a long post for a simple question... 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
:wel:

Please do have any concerns checked by a vet. She is at risk of urine scald if she is sitting in pee.
Ensure you change her bedding every day - probably a few of times a day - to stop her from sitting anywhere wet

To add, there are no albino guinea pigs.
A white piggy can have red (Red Eyed White) or dark (Dark Eyed White) eyes. This is a normal colouring and REWs aren’t blind (unless of course they subsequently go blind).

There is also a genetic condition called ‘lethal’. Lethal piggies are white (but, to be clear, not all white piggies are lethal) but they have a lot of medical issues - they are blind, deaf and have dental problems, sometimes very severe. They can have internal problems as well.
 
:agr:
I would pop her along to a vet for a check up.
It sounds like you have done a wonderful job with them, and they are lucky to have found you.
 
Have you got any idea about how old they are? Just wondering if she's an older girl?
 
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