gritty & powdery spots

[alvarezboy]

guys i just found these 3 tiny spots on my pigs fleece. one of them feels little bit gritty and the others is powdery. what should i do?
i give them oats before because they're pretty underweight but i stopped giving them oats like a week ago. is that okay because its just a little spot? i found several time this week but just like this tiny spots. most of their pee is clear and they're not squeaking while peeing and i give them small amounts of calcium veggies. they're only 4months pig. what should i do?

 

[alvarezboy]

is that the 'residue' because of oats before?

 

[Evenfall Rose]

The spots are caused by excess calcium, but unless you're seeing other signs of stones (blood in urine, squeaking while peeing, pain, etc), I wouldn't worry. Some calcium deposits are normal and inevitable. It's an essential nutrient for them, but sometimes the body gets too much and the urinary system has filter out the excess. This happens with a lot of nutrients, not just calcium -- it's just that eliminated calcium tends to manifest as powdery crystals, which don't absorb into the fleece well, leaving behind that sludge.

I've also never heard of a 4-month-old pig getting stones -- honestly, that's probably a time when you should be giving them a ton of high-calcium foods, since their growing bodies can benefit from it.

If you're still worried, though, you can encourage them to drink more water to keep their urinary system nice and flushed out. Watery veggies like cucumber or even wet lettuce can be used if your pigs aren't big drinkers. You can also check your pellets -- calcium carbonate (also listed as limestone) is the main component of most bladder stones, but a lot of pellets seem to use it in their formulas as a source of calcium. Other sources of calcium, like calcium iodate or mono-dicalcium phosphate, are better.

I've seen mixed answers about oats. They're definitely not a necessary food, so I wouldn't feed them every day, but I've given a little pinch of them as occasional treats and my pigs are fine for it. I have read they can be given to pigs who are underweight and need a little boost. Oats can be high in calcium, but I don't think they alone are responsible for the sludge.

 

[alvarezboy]

thank u so much for your help but is this boar glue? just found it few minutes ago

 

[Piggies&buns]

What makes you think your four month old piggies underweight? Have you checked their heft?

Weight Monitoring and Management

At their age they are growing rapidly and will put on weight through a good hay based diet. They should not need oats at this point. Typically they are used to help gain weight after a period of illness.

The diet guide below will help.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Pantalaimon]

thank u so much for your help but is this boar glue? just found it few minutes ago

That does look like boar glue. As gross as it sounds, if unsure give it a poke. Boar glue should be just like a blob of dried/drying glue, either slightly rubbery or completely hard.
Guinea pigs do produce a lot of strange and often unidentifiable gross things, especially boars!