What is urinary calcium in rabbits?
First of all, let’s introduce the definition of urinary calcium to everyone: urinary calcium refers to the determination of the calcium content in 24h urine. Calcium is one of the most abundant elements in any living body. On average, the total body content is about 1kg, and most of it is in the bones. Rabbit urine calcium means that the liquid in the rabbit’s urine is turbid, such as milky white, milky yellow or precipitated, and leaves a layer of white sediment after drying, indicating that the rabbit has urinary calcium. Because normal rabbit urine should be transparent, if urinary calcium occurs, it is generally caused by the rabbit ingesting too much calcium. Note: If a rabbit has urinary calcium for a long time, it will cause a burden on its kidneys, and in severe cases, it will lead to urethral stones or kidney stones in rabbits.
Will rabbit urine calcium harm it?
If it is a young rabbit with urine calcium, the breeder does not need to worry too much. Because young rabbits are in the growing stage, they need to eat a certain amount of alfalfa grass every day to supplement the nutrients needed for body growth, so calciuria in young rabbits is not a big problem, as long as it is not always calciuria.
And when the rabbit is an adult (after 6 months), there is no need to feed alfalfa every day. Because the growth rate of rabbits will become very slow and no longer need a lot of nutrients, if you continue to feed a large amount of alfalfa grass, it will easily cause urinary calcium. Note: If the adult rabbit has been urinating calcium all the time, it will put a burden on its kidneys, and even lead to kidney stones in severe cases.
What should I do about calcium in rabbit urine?
After 1 and 6 months old rabbits become adults, they need to adjust their dietary structure, and feed less or no food with high nutritional content such as rabbit food and alfalfa grass. Instead, replace with timothy grass and foods that are low in calcium.
2. The breeder should also provide the rabbit with clean and sufficient water, which will promote the renal excretion of excess calcium in the rabbit.
3. It is recommended that the breeder ensure that the rabbit has an hour of sunlight every day, because sun exposure helps the rabbit to synthesize vitamin D and facilitate the absorption of calcium.
