Sludge questions

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 7sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 3 months ago by Jessica.

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- 01/11/2017 at 9:29 AM
  Jessica
  Participant
  349 posts
  So I have noticed when I’m cleaning Amelia’s litter box each day that any urine that’s not absorbed by the paper pellets looks very milky. Now the pellets just look like wet newspaper, there is no white build up on them. Amelia uses a grated litterpan for cleanliness so that nothing is getting caught up in her wool. I’m having a hard time telling if everything is ok or if she is starting to have issues with sludge.
  
  She is great about using her litter boxs and hasn’t had an accident in months. I’m wondering if the extra milkiness I’m seeing is because the pellets don’t hold the calcium, rather just the liquid.
  
  Behavior wise she is perfectly fine, eating drinking, pooing, peeing, running, playing, binkieing, and cuddling like normal. I’m just trying to access if this is a potential problem starting and if so I will start her on urinary track support now and be extra vigilant in watching for a more serious issue
- 01/11/2017 at 9:40 AM
  Tgbarber
  Participant
  85 posts
  What is sludge? That’s a new term for me
- 01/11/2017 at 10:47 AM
  Jessica
  Participant
  349 posts
  It’s a build up of calcium in the urinary track and can lead to stones
- 01/11/2017 at 11:21 AM
  Tgbarber
  Participant
  85 posts
  Thank you Jessica
- 01/11/2017 at 11:49 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Are you seeing any of the sediment on the base of the box instead?
  
  I believe it is quite normal for the amount of sediment to fluctuate a bit. They’ll pass out what the body doesn’t use. So if they were getting more calcium via greens i(n addtion to pellets) for example, you may see more white sediment.
  
  True sludge is more a dark yellow colour and thick like toothpaste.
  
  Does she drink well? You could experiment with trying to get her drinking more to help flush out excess calcium. Offering both chilled and room temp water, or adding a little bit of juice (cranberry) to the water to make more enticing. You can even give a bit of brewed herbal tea after it’s cooled.
- 01/12/2017 at 8:47 PM
  Jessica
  Participant
  349 posts
  it may just be sediment, and I’m guessing that the liquid is just extra that the specific spot she pees in her litter box (she will only pee right in the corner squished into it as tight as she can)
  
  Her greens are pretty low calcium, red and green leaf lettuce is her favorite, and her main staple green.
  
  She is a very good drinker, and usually pees every couple of hours when she is running about. There is nothing thick about her urine, and I’ve only seen the milkiness when cleaning out her pan
  
  I’m certainly a bit of a worrier and I’m just trying to make sure I keeper her happy and healthy ?
- 01/13/2017 at 4:59 AM
  JackRabbit
  Participant
  5451 posts
  Urinary sludge is more the consistency of toothpaste. It is totally normal for bunny pee to have a milky appearance and even normal for there to be a thin white paint-like residue in bunny’s favorite pee corner in the litterbox (white vinegar used to clean and sanitize the litterbox will remove the residue). As long as your bunny is peeing normally (colorwise, not straining, etc), drinks plenty of fresh water, has the appropriate amount of exercise, etc, it sounds like all is good.
- 01/13/2017 at 4:40 PM
  Jessica
  Participant
  349 posts
  Thanks everyone
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