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Possible urine scald

LaurenS

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One of my guinea pigs has to me what looks like urine scald, she’s a bit bald and around her bum and the skin is a little red. Other than changing her bedding more frequently I wondered if there is anything else I could be doing to help/stop this happening again.
 
A healthy guinea pig in a properly sized clean cage should not get urine scald.

If this is a new problem I would be concerned it might be indicating an underlying problem and have her seen by a vet.
 
It would still definitely be worth having a vet check carried out.

Are the bath mats staying dry? I personally dont rate towels as the absorbent layer as they dont always dry properly and can mean the top layer stays damp.
 
A healthy guinea pig in a properly sized clean cage should not get urine scald.

If this is a new problem I would be concerned it might be indicating an underlying problem and have her seen by a vet.
They live in a very large space around 8 feet by 6 feet. She’s active and is acting normal. I’m going to change their bedding even more frequently and if nothing changes I’ll take her to the vet. My other guinea pig that lives with her doesn’t have this problem.
It would still definitely be worth having a vet check carried out.

Are the bath mats staying dry? I personally dont rate towels as the absorbent layer as they dont always dry properly and can mean the top layer stays damp.
Yeah I feel the same about towels, so sometimes I use them and sometimes I just use the mats alone and change them frequently. I’ll make an appointment with the vet.
 
Is there alternative bedding anyone can recommend as even though the mats seem to absorb the urine I feel like it can’t be good enough
 
The towels underneath might be the problem rather than the mats themselves. You need something which is going to stop the moisture from seeping back up to the bath mats - towels dont always do this. Something like puppy pads would be better but covering your cage size with them will likely use quite a lot of them (you can get washable ones though).
The alternative is a disposable bedding which you can scoop out and replace every day. I use aubiose or megazorb primarily and any wet areas get scooped up in a dustpan and replaced daily.

Health issues must be checked out first though. The bedding may not be the whole problem.
 
The towels underneath might be the problem rather than the mats themselves. You need something which is going to stop the moisture from seeping back up to the bath mats - towels dont always do this. Something like puppy pads would be better but covering your cage size with them will likely use quite a lot of them (you can get washable ones though).
The alternative is a disposable bedding which you can scoop out and replace every day. I use aubiose or megazorb primarily and any wet areas get scooped up in a dustpan and replaced daily.

Health issues must be checked out first though. The bedding may not be the whole problem.
Thank you, I’ll probably give puppy pads a go. She also likes to lie on the hay piles so maybe peeing on that and sitting in it too I’m thinking. I have a hay bag but haven’t used it much as I like to put the hay down in piles.
 
The towels underneath might be the problem rather than the mats themselves. You need something which is going to stop the moisture from seeping back up to the bath mats - towels dont always do this. Something like puppy pads would be better but covering your cage size with them will likely use quite a lot of them (you can get washable ones though).
The alternative is a disposable bedding which you can scoop out and replace every day. I use aubiose or megazorb primarily and any wet areas get scooped up in a dustpan and replaced daily.

Health issues must be checked out first though. The bedding may not be the whole problem.
The towels underneath might be the problem rather than the mats themselves. You need something which is going to stop the moisture from seeping back up to the bath mats - towels dont always do this. Something like puppy pads would be better but covering your cage size with them will likely use quite a lot of them (you can get washable ones though).
The alternative is a disposable bedding which you can scoop out and replace every day. I use aubiose or megazorb primarily and any wet areas get scooped up in a dustpan and replaced daily.

Health issues must be checked out first though. The bedding may not be the whole problem.

And the fact it’s only happening to her is also strange so I’ll get a vet appointment just incase
 
Hay doesnt soak up urine so it needs to be soaked by a good absorbent layer underneath, with any areas of wet hay removed regularly.

Yes, as it is just her its more concerning that it might be a health issue rather than a bedding issue
 
If she's got long hair on her back legs/bum that can hold the urine too. Or if she's visibly wet or dirty round the bottom end it could indicate a little urine infection which can make them drip pee. Puppy pads under your bath mats would be a good first step to investigate though - as a short term trial you can get pretty cheap packs from B&M (if you are UK based).
 
If she's got long hair on her back legs/bum that can hold the urine too. Or if she's visibly wet or dirty round the bottom end it could indicate a little urine infection which can make them drip pee. Puppy pads under your bath mats would be a good first step to investigate though - as a short term trial you can get pretty cheap packs from B&M (if you are UK based).
She’s not a long haired guinea pig but also not short haired kind of in between and yeah I agree I think the slightly longer hair around the bum doesn’t help so I try to keep it short and have gave it another trim today. I’ll get her seen by a vet incase of a urine infection as that does make sense I never thought of that thank you. Yes I’ll get some puppy pads also thanks again ☺️
 
I would get her checked for some underlying urinary problem, just to be safe. One of my pigs did get urine scald when she was older, but it was because she had long-term bladder issues and would 'leak,' for lack of a better term.
 
I would get her checked for some underlying urinary problem, just to be safe. One of my pigs did get urine scald when she was older, but it was because she had long-term bladder issues and would 'leak,' for lack of a better term.
Yes I definitely will, thank you 😊
 
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