white urine???

first off apologies if this does turn out to be just me being silly, im still learning bout my buns

i was doing sum reading on here the other day nd found people saying that white/cloudy urine can be a symptom of a UTI or other urinary disease, and it worried me slightly cos my mummy bun Maisy has always had cloudy white urine as long as ive had her (bout 7 glorious months now)

i thought this was just a calcium thing and so hav been careful to avoid alfalfa hay or anything else i kno to be high in calcium because of it and ive always kept an eye out for urine burns (i understand this to just be a redness on her lady bits yes? PLEASE correct me if im wrong i dont wanna be looking for the wrong thing!!!!) but i didnt realise it could be sumthing more sinister :?

basically my question is this: am i just being paranoid as white urine is "normal" for her? or should i take a sample 2 the vets just in case?

since learning this ive thought about it a lot, and since moving house she has been doing lots of little pees about her pen which she never did in her old place not even before her spay - she could just be marking her territory? but weve been here for nearly 2 months nd she still dus it :?

other than the piddle-puddles she looks perfectly fine, bright, active, greedy and binkies like the loon she is :lol: but i kno how well buns hide illness nd she is tough as old boots this one so im second guessing everything! especially as ive had problems with recurring UTIs myself and so know first hand just how awfully painful and uncomfortable they can be!!!

right im gonna stop rambling, attempt to stop worrying and wait patiently for replies lol!!! :lol:

thank you for reading!!!! liv xxx

If it's white when she just 'does it' then that would be a concern in my opinion, but if it's only white when it dries that means too much calcium. My boy Leo's is drying white ATM caused by the excel nuggets which have been known to cause many problems in rabbits!

really???? cos i feed her excel! i thought that was good? ooooh im so confused :? :? :?

and yea it is white wen she first pees ive seen it wen cleaning out her litter box she often hops in and goes in the empty box and i see the white stuff swirling around in it its almost like that really fine glitter in nail varnish... quite pretty if you forget its urine lol!!!

It depends on the rabbit, but excel does contain high amounts of lucerne which is alfalfa, and too much of that means too much calcium! It's also been known to cause excessive amounts of cecals which it does with my older rabbit Blossom.

If she's peeing white, AND spotting urine, those are 2 symptoms of UTI. Does the urine have a strange odour?

Oh, and is she spayed?

My 13 buns all produce a multi coloured myriad of wee wee = ranging from red through creamy white to yellow - all are healthy and happy - it can depend on what they eat -

she is spayed, which is why i think its so odd that she seems to hav abandoned her litter training. but the urine doesnt smell like anything other than rabbit pee to me :? although the smell is more potent than that of the two boys urine, but shes older and female too so maybe thats why?

i think im gonna have to take her and a sample to the vets on monday, its reached the point where its worth making the trip and paying the money just for the peace of mind even if it achieves nothing else!!!

she is spayed, which is why i think its so odd that she seems to hav abandoned her litter training. but the urine doesnt smell like anything other than rabbit pee to me although the smell is more potent than that of the two boys urine, but shes older and female too so maybe thats why?

i think im gonna have to take her and a sample to the vets on monday, its reached the point where its worth making the trip and paying the money just for the peace of mind even if it achieves nothing else!!!

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It's a hard one, could be something, could be nothing.

Leo occasionally spots wee around the shed (it's got a lot better now he's neutered) - At first I was concerned but I believe it's just marking his territory as he lives within a divider with Blossom on the other side.

ok so fingers crossed it is nothing, the other thing i forgot to include is that since moving she has been reintroduced and bonded with her two sons (also neutered), so that is a possible explanation for her marking her territory.

i guess the only way to know for sure is to get a urine sample sent off via the vets for analysis. as she seems to be fine do we think its not worth putting her thru the stress of going to the vets herself? or shud i take her just in case? i guess i can discuss with the vet on the phone wen i make the appointment first thing monday. im just stressing now, these things always have to come to a head at the weekend dont they? :evil:

LeahsRabbits said:

If it's white when she just 'does it' then that would be a concern in my opinion, but if it's only white when it dries that means too much calcium. My boy Leo's is drying white ATM caused by the excel nuggets which have been known to cause many problems in rabbits!

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I didn't know this. You learn something new every day Thanks for this :wave:

oh also that just reminded me, if excel is too high in calcium (0.8% according to the packet which doesnt seem like much but im no expert lol!) what would you recommend as a possible alternative?

JemimaH said:

I didn't know this. You learn something new every day Thanks for this :wave:

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Lol no problem, a lot of people feed the regular excel nuggets to guinea pigs, that's why there is white stains all over the hutch! Same with rabbits, but it sometimes goes un-noticed if are living indoors/in a shed

liv862 said:

oh also that just reminded me, if excel is too high in calcium (0.8% according to the packet which doesnt seem like much but im no expert lol!) what would you recommend as a possible alternative?

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I'm buying Allen & Page Rabbit Natural Pellets for my 2 tomorrow. It's very cheap (5-12 pounds for a 20kg bag), it's very high fibre (23%) and is made with all natural ingredients with added probiotics which stimulates gut flora, and also mint for digestion.

A lot of people swear by A&P (allen and page) and say it beats all the foods on the market, where as a few people say they lose weight and condition on it .. So i'll just have to see.

Another alternitave I would recommend is SS (supreme science) which is also very high fibre, but on the more expensive side.

It is a possibility that you won't have to change though, if the vet says it's a UTI then you know it's obviously not food related - but in my personal experience i'll never be buying burgess excel again! (the regular adult nuggets anyway)