It results in swollen, red skin between their back legs, and it has the potential to create major medical problems such as bladder stones or urinary tract illnesses in some cases.
What is urine scalding in guinea pigs?
When your guinea pig is having difficulty peeing, urine will sink into their fur and flow down towards their legs, causing their fur to turn yellow as a result.
The health of guinea pigs is extremely endangered as a result. Because of this, the fur begins to come out and infection develops. Guinea pigs are susceptible to flystrike, which can be lethal if not treated promptly.
Please keep in mind that the symptoms of urine scalding are usually signs of something worse going on with your health. Consequently, simply cleaning your guinea pig will not be enough treatment. This means that you must identify and address the underlying cause of the problem.
What are the symptoms of urine scalding in guinea pigs?
Urine scald can have a variety of effects on your guinea pigs. Here are some examples.
Your guinea pig’s back will be damp or soaking wet depending on the intensity of the urine scalding.
For our guinea pigs, neither of these scenarios is ideal in the least. All of the time, it needs to be dry!
Some symptoms of Urine scalding in guinea pigs are as follows:
- Clear and visible urine stains on the backside.
- The strong smell of ammonia from your guinea pig back part.
- Bald patches and lacking fur around the back legs and bottom.
- Red skin patches and open wounds down the hind legs.
- Squealing noise due to pain while urinating
- Loss of appetite.
If you see any of these problems, you must act immediately since your guinea pigs are not comfortable and are in danger of suffering from serious health problems as a result.
Urine scalding in guinea pigs can be prevented if appropriate precautions are performed in a timely manner. In any other case, it could result in major health problems.
What are the causes of urine scalding in guinea pigs?
For guinea pigs who have experienced urine scalding, there are a variety of plausible explanations. It could be related to their way of life or medical condition.
Among all some of the most common reasons for urine scalding in guinea pigs are as follows:
- Obesity
- Arthritis and Joint pain
- Urinary tract infections
- Injury or trauma
- Neutering complications
In addition, urine scaling might occur if your guinea pig is housed in an unsanitary setting.
The cage of a guinea pig requires good quality absorbent bedding as well as frequent upkeep. This will assist in reducing waste accumulation and preventing scalding to a certain extent.
Table of Contents
Obesity:
In guinea pigs, obesity can be the most significant contributing factor to urine scalding.
Guinea pigs living in the wild do not have the luxury of becoming obese as they do in captivity.
When your guinea pigs urinate, the excess skin will become caught between the urine and the bladder, causing the urine to become trapped.
It is likely that the urine may dribble down to their backside and legs, potentially causing scorching in the long run.
You must reduce their intake of pellets and veggies while increasing their intake of fresh, high-quality hay.
After that, your guinea pig will begin to lose weight gradually.
You can also incorporate some exercise into your guinea pigs’ routine, which will aid them in losing weight more quickly.
Arthritis and Joint Pain:
If they have arthritis, they will not be able to shower backwards as they do while they are urinating. Their legs and bottom will come into contact with the ground and urine, causing scorching.
Give your guinea pigs’ hind legs a good massage to help loosen up their muscles and make movement more comfortable.
Supplements can also be used to provide pain relief. The relief of arthritis pain will allow them to move more freely and have greater flexibility, which will help them avoid scorching in the first place.
Urinary Tract Infection:
Your guinea pig may have crystals in their urethra, which may cause them a great deal of discomfort when they go to the bathroom.
As a result, their pee will flow and discharge out, and their rear legs will begin to roll down. Although this may not be the case with all guinea pigs, it is most certainly not an uncommon occurrence in the animal kingdom.
It is important to obtain adequate treatment as soon as possible if you are suffering from a urinary tract infection.
The following are some of the signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection:
- Discolored urine.
- Blood in the urine
- Constant and small urination
- Severe pain and distress while urinating.
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
UTI in female guinea pigs is common; however, excessive stress increases the likelihood of these infections occurring. Make every effort to keep your guinea pig quiet and content.
It is important to remember to keep their cage clean on a regular basis and to feed them a well-balanced diet. Excess calcium in guinea pigs can potentially result in urinary tract infection (UTI).
Injury or Trauma:
If your guinea pigs have suffered a significant injury to their hind legs, they may become less flexible in those areas. It will be difficult for them to move around while urinating as a result.
When our guinea pigs lose their ability to move around, the situation can become exceedingly tough. As a result of the constant scorching, an infection might develop in the wound.
Even if your guinea pig is experiencing discomfort that prevents him from moving, it can be addressed.
The leg of your guinea pig could be muffled as a possible option. It is recommended that you use a bandage or anything similar to protect the skin.
Ideally, you would remember to change it at regular intervals when your guinea pig urinates, but that is not always possible.
The use of this technique is prohibited if your guinea pig will be left alone for an extended amount of time.
Neutering Complications:
Neutering Complications are uncommon, but they do occur because neutering a male guinea pig is a delicate treatment that requires special care. We would only advocate that this be attempted by a veterinarian with extensive experience in dealing with these animals.
The urethra of a neutered guinea pig might occasionally be unusually constricted due to this condition.
Guinea pigs find it difficult to eliminate their waste, however this can be remedied by using a catheter. The urethral hole of the guinea pig will need to be stretched. An competent veterinarian can perform this procedure with ease.
Why does urine scalding in guinea pigs needs to be treated?
Sometimes it’s impossible to keep your guinea pigs from getting scalded by urine. When it comes to rear leg paralysis, your guinea pig will have a difficult time avoiding it at all times. In order to reduce your risk, you can adopt a healthier lifestyle.
It is not sufficient to simply clean up your guinea pig’s urine scald. Your guinea pig is experiencing an issue that needs to be resolved. Always keep in mind that if you are unable to resolve the troubles that your guinea pig is experiencing, it could result in major health complications. Additionally, continual urine scald is quite painful.
Urine scald should not be taken lightly, as the longer the problem persists, the greater the likelihood that a guinea pig would suffer flystrike.
What is flystrike and what is its potential danger for our guinea pigs?
Flystrike occurs when a swarm of house flies begins to circle your guinea pig and bite him. Your guinea pig’s pee and droppings are the primary sources of attraction for these animals. Because of this, the enclosure must be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.
Guinea pigs who are subjected to continuous urine scalding will develop open sores on their skin. These lesions are ideal for flies to lay their eggs since they are moist. After a few hours, these eggs will hatch and become maggots.
Maggots feed on dead flesh, which means they will begin to consume the necrotic skin. After that, they will begin to consume foods that promote healthy skin. Flystrike is a condition in which your guinea pig is eaten alive from the inside out by insects. Your guinea pig may suffer excruciating agony as a result of this.
You must remove all of the flies from your guinea pigs’ cage as quickly as possible if any are found. After that, keep an eye on your piggie. You should be on the lookout for any open wounds because flystrike is on its way to them very quickly. In such a circumstance, take them to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
An skilled veterinarian who specializes in guinea pig care will be able to provide superior care for your piggie. They will use tweezers to remove any maggots that have gotten into their skin. Please keep in mind that this is not something a newbie should attempt because a sedative will be required first.
Following treatment for the maggot infestation, the wound on your guinea pig’s leg will be wrapped. There will be a prescription for antibiotics, which may also include painkillers.
Guinea pig urine scald treatment
The most important thing is to treat your guinea pig’s urine scald as soon as it occurs, since this will significantly reduce the amount of agony he is experiencing. After that, you must determine what is causing the difficulty.
After that, you may require the assistance of a professional veterinarian. The tests to determine the cause of urine scalding will be carried out by a veterinarian. If any medication is required, it will be prescribed by the doctor. Antibiotics for urinary tract infection are one example of such medications.
Ideally, you should modify the environment in which your guinea pig lives. Try to eliminate some of the vegetables and pellets from their diet and replace them with some fresh hay. Hay contains fiber, which is vital for maintaining a healthy digestive tract and bladder control.
Urine scald treatment at home
If your guinea pig’s skin is scorching, you can apply Sudocrem directly to the bump region. It will aid in the healing of your guinea pig’s sore skin.
Examine the dimensions of your guinea pigs’ enclosure. Guinea pigs grow at a rapid rate, and it is not difficult to predict how large they will get. Is the guinea pig cage the proper size for your pet?
Always keep in mind that if your guinea pig does not have enough space, he or she will be exposed to their urine.
And this can result in scorching as a result. As a result, you should make sure to improve your guinea pigs’ cage to accommodate their increasing size in order to avoid such medical complications.
How to clean urine scald in guinea pigs?
If you notice urine scorching on your guinea pig’s fur, clean it as quickly as you can to prevent infection. It can be prepared in two different ways: wet or dry (see below). Cleaning your guinea pig without bathing it requires some actions that you should follow.
- Make sure that your guinea pig is calm and comfortable.
- You can also take some dry cornstarch and apply this to their rear legs.
- Make sure that you do this softly because urine scald is very painful for your guinea pigs.
- Softly hold your guinea pig in place, and make sure that they are calm and as they need to sit still till the cornstarch dives into their fur.
- After a few minutes, the cornstarch will start absorbing the dampness.
- Lastly, brush and cuddle your guinea pig and set them free.
You will still need to figure out what is causing your guinea pigs’ urine scald because treating the symptom is not the same as curing the underlying problem. It will be necessary for you to eliminate the source of the problem.
However, keep in mind that if your guinea pig suffers from an uncontrollable urine scald, you will need to bathe him.
Bathing your guinea pigs
If you are bathing more than once a week, you should be aware that some animals may become stressed by the experience. As a result, if you wish to bathe your guinea pigs, you must follow these steps:
- You will have to fill a basin or sink with approx 3-4 inches of lukewarm water. Ensure that it is not too hot as guinea pig’s skin is delicate and can burn quickly.
- Pour some guinea pigs shampoo in the water and mix it properly. It must be made for the guinea pig’s skin pH.
- Gently, pick up your guinea pig and hold them close to you but not so tight that they will hurt themselves trying to escape.
- You are covering your guinea pigs backside gently and adequately lower them into the water. Make sure that the water should not be higher than its rear legs.
- Gently massage the shampoo into their fur and then wash it off properly. You must empty and refill the water at least for one time during the process.
- Once your guinea becomes clean, you can dry them off with a soft towel. Ensure that they are appropriately dried because if they are not adequately dried, they can get chills.
Following these instructions will assist you in removing pee stains from your guinea pig’s fur, which will make them more comfortable and safe for a short period of time.
It is important to remember that cleaning urine scald cannot be seen as a form of treatment for the underlying disease.
Keeping the house clean is only a temporary solution. It would be beneficial if you could identify and eradicate the source of the problem so that it might be permanently resolved.
How can urine scalding in guinea pigs be prevented?
Unfortunately, there is no preferable solution to prevent urine scalding in the first place.
Many guinea pigs, at one phase of their life, will have to struggle with urine scald. You can take some following steps to delay the inevitable:
- Proper Enclosure: If your guinea pigs cage is too small, it will increase the chance of them urinating into their skin. Your guinea pig’s cage should be upgraded with size, as it is not difficult to estimate how big your guinea pig can get.
- Litter Training: If you litter train your guinea pig, they will start urinating in one particular place. This also helps them to spend less time in their waste. It, therefore, decreases the chances of urine scalding.
- Regular Cleaning: An unhygienic cage increases the health risk for guinea pigs. It would be best if you keep cleaning your guinea pig’s cage once a week and should change their bedding every other day to maintain proper hygiene. An unclean environment is the root of many diseases.
- Diet And Exercise: You must not serve excessive fat to your guinea pig as a guinea pig with excess weight gives an invitation to urine scald. Make sure that your guinea pigs intake a healthy diet and exercise regularly to stay fit and active.
- Grooming: Your guinea pig will perform a marvelous job of taking care of their hygiene. But they will never say no to a helping hand. Grooming is also a great idea to detect any problem with their fur.
- Identifying the symptoms: You must learn to detect the signs of Urinary Tract Infection in your guinea pig. If you are successful in treating it quickly, urine scald will not be an issue.
Conclusion
You should always make sure that urine scald is treated as soon as possible because your guinea pig will experience excruciating agony while suffering from this condition if left untreated.
It is not acceptable for a guinea pig’s bottom to be wet. If you ever find that your guinea pig’s behind is moist, you should immediately begin an inquiry to determine the cause.
If you notice that your guinea pig is smelling like ammonia, this is not a good omen, as guinea pigs are quite fastidious groomers. If they are beginning to feel unwell, it is likely that they are unable to fulfill their hygiene objectives.
It is not a major issue as long as it is addressed in the early stages of the disease process. If it is treated casually, it has the potential to be a life-threatening situation.
Finally, we recommend that you never demonstrate a lack of knowledge about health-related concerns, as this might result in serious consequences for our guinea pig. Always make an effort to maintain a hygienic atmosphere, as well as to shower them with love and affection.
