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Post by SiLamb on Nov 9, 2014 14:44:33 GMT
In another thread I was educated that the white stains and scales where the boys pee is evidence of too much calcium in their diet. Since reading this I had stopped all veggies completely and have only recently reintroduced low calcium veggies (mostly green/red bell pepper, some cucumber, and some carrots). I have noticed an improvement in the scales but there is still a white residue.
Hubby reminded me that I feed the boys bottled spring water and that this contains minerals. I don't remember where I learned that this was what I was supposed to give them.
My question: should I switch to reverse osmosis water?
Kibble: Oxbow Young Guinea Pig mixed with Small Pet Select pellets
Thanks
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Post by Bean on Nov 9, 2014 20:08:41 GMT
The Oxbow for young cavies is alfalfa based which is high in calcium. I'm not sure how long Oxbow recommend they're on it for, but I'd have thought it would definitely be under a year? It sounds like you might be in the process of phasing them over to the adult timothy based feed anyway - you might find the white spots reduce when the bag of Oxbow runs out. A tiny bit of of a white mark is nothing to worry about though.
Sorry, but I'm lost on the reverse osmosis water thing, but it's probably something to do with Christmas, right?
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Post by SiLamb on Nov 9, 2014 23:06:11 GMT
Bean, thanks for the response. Harry and Weasley are 9 months old I had them on the alfalfa based pellets. I'm slowly moving them to Timothy based pellets. I figure in about a month, I'll have them completely converted. Lol. Reverse osmosis is a water treatment method. I only wish it was Christmas related. espwaterproducts.com/about-reverse-osmosis.htm |
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 9, 2014 23:15:33 GMT
Oxbow Cavy Cuisine is fine for the boys. The organic food has more calcium, so avoid that.
If you are seeing some residue, try filtered water. It will still have some calcium, as do the hay, pellets and veggies. I don't worry about a lite residue, but if I get even small piles of crystals, I cut out all the Calcium I can. I can't access the reverse osmosis link right now, but will try to read it later. Wifi issues.
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Post by SiLamb on Nov 9, 2014 23:18:00 GMT
3piggles, what organic food? Are you referring to Small Pet Select.com's food?
Thanks for the response.
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Post by cookie72 on Nov 10, 2014 0:26:11 GMT
I give mine reverse osmosis water...just for the reason that I have the system installed at my kitchen sink and it's what I drink. Also figured it's better for them since it wouldn't have as many contaminants as the unfiltered tap water. It tastes better too!
A while back I had noticed some small white areas on the bedding where my girls would pee. Not crystals, just sort of a powdery appearance. I used to give them spinach regularly, but since then read that is high in calcium, so I've cut way back on that.
I should add that's an interesting question Silamb. I guess I never even realized that bottled water has minerals in it.
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Post by Bean on Nov 10, 2014 9:24:20 GMT
Is it just basically a water filter with a fancy name?!
When I was 13 we had a supply teacher cover our biology classes for a few months and she taught us all about osmosis. I live in Yorkshire (that's northern England for anyone from elsewhere who doesn't know) and she had a high squeaky voice with a really strong cockney (London) accent that was quite alien to us all at the time - to this day I can't hear the word osmosis without hearing her squeak it in her cockney accent!
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 10, 2014 13:04:22 GMT
Finally managed to Google reverse osmosis. I also. Checked regular filtering. RO is the only pne pretty much guaranteed to remove calcium sufficiently to make a difference. It also uses about 4 gallons of water to make one gallon of filtered water, so I won't be getting one any time soon! It is highly recommended for people with compromised immune systems or negative reactions to any things commonly found in water, as it totally removes contaminants.
Other under-sink or whole-house filtration systems can remove a large amount of salts and minerals, but the right filter is needed, and it's not the same filter used to remove odors and certain contaminants. So it sounds like a very thorough filtration system that does remove calcium.
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Post by SiLamb on Nov 10, 2014 14:46:25 GMT
So if I understand everyone's opinion correctly, it would be wise to switch to the RO water away from the spring water because the spring water is giving them too much minerals. Thanks everyone!
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Post by Bean on Nov 10, 2014 20:20:13 GMT
4 gallons to make 1 gallon? What happens to the rest?! Does it just go down the drain?
How come you're giving them spring water rather than just regular tap water? Sorry if I've missed something, I'm just curious. I've never thought about using anything besides what comes out of the tap!
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Post by SiLamb on Nov 10, 2014 20:23:06 GMT
I've not experienced that ratio in making RO. My parents have RO and they don't have that ratio.
I read that tap water wasn't good because of the chlorine,etc. Used to chemically process the water.
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Post by Bean on Nov 10, 2014 20:38:24 GMT
Do you not drink the tap water yourself either? I've not heard of any cautions about giving tap water to pets over here - or people for that matter. Just wondered if it related to your water quality where you are or was a general concern in the US?
If you're happy to drink the tap water yourself, I'd just give them that - and you may find that when you finish the alfalfa pellets, the white residue will decrease anyway. I'm a cheapskate though, don't listen to me!
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Post by SiLamb on Nov 10, 2014 21:03:11 GMT
Water quality depends upon where you are in the US. Some water has more of a particular mineral than another. Some regions there water just taste bad. The water where I am isn't really bad tasting. It is also known for being a good water per se. When I was in Wyoming over the summer they have spring fed water straight to the tap. I got used to that so since I've been back as in mainly drinking spring water. I can get the water for 64 cents a gallon. If I want reverse osmosis water I can get it from my parents. When I first got my boys I fed them tap water until I read that I should have been feeding them spring water or dechlorinated pills inside of the tap water . The whole matter is just plain confusing.
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 10, 2014 23:56:02 GMT
We have city water, and csn smell the chlorine. It doesn't taste bad, but it smells. SiLamb is right. Water quality varies widely even within one neighborhood. At our last house, we all had wells, and no two houses had the same water quality. I like tap water filtered, but I don't know what gets filtered out.
Some bottled water is just tap water. Poland Springs is one with a real spring. If calcium is a major problem, I would get all the reasonable water sources tested before settling for one.
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Post by Bean on Nov 11, 2014 9:25:20 GMT
Every time I scan the title of this thread I think it says 'Spring Onions'!
It depends on the method of chlorination but a lot of the time the gases will evaporate by letting the water sit in an open jug for a while. I started using a water filter because I lived in an area where I felt I could taste the chlorine, and a friend (a chemistry boffin) pointed out I was spending money on something that could be achieved for free. I think I still carried on filtering for a while (although I haven't in years now) - we all do what suits us in the end!
When we go abroad to countries where the tap water is definitely safe to drink, even though everyone else in my family does and is fine, I can't as the different mineral levels upset my stomach. Some people (and animals) are just more sensitive to things than others.
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