Bedding Options!

Doragon

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
May 5, 2015
Messages
950
Reaction score
1,323
Points
675
Location
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Hello! I was hoping you guys could please give some advice on bedding?

I now have three girls - Beans, Toast and Oatcake! They’re currently on Pets At Home Woodshavings. However, I’ve noticed Beans and Toast have been sneezing a ton right after I’ve cleaned the cage. It’s not a respiratory as I’ve had them checked, so I’m wondering if it’s something to do with the bedding? After cleaning it can be upwards of 5 times a minute for each of them. Oatcake seems fine!

I’d love to get fleece, but my issue with that is I live in a one bedroom studio - with my 2x4 C&C, I just can’t dry the fleece. I struggle enough to get my own clothes dry sometimes!

I was looking at carefresh or back to nature, but I’ve read a lot of different opinions about it! So I thought I’d put this question out there <3 I’ve never had an issue like this with any previous piggies so I’m not sure where to go! Something not too expensive but less dust would be great. My hamsters do well on carefresh but wanted to check before I tried the piggies!
 
Could it be dusty hay?
That’s... a solid point. They’re on the Pets At Home hay as well, mainly because I was broke at the time and just got a big bag of whatever was cheapest (not my most proudest moment of struggling to find £3 for hay... much better now as have a steady income!)

I was going to swap them onto Alfafa King Timothy Hay anyway - yah? Nay?
 
I use fleece for my piggie with respitory problems, (the vet thinks he has a shavings allergy), it's a shame it's not an option for you. I use back to nature as a base in his hay tray, it's brilliant and very absorbent but would work out quite expensive in a 4 x 2. I was buying mine online from vetuk, the 30 litre bag is about the same price as a 20ltr in pets at home, but now they have changed their free postal offer it may be no cheaper and I will have to look elsewhere!
 
I think it's going to be a case of trial and error for you, Timothy Hay is often worse for allergies than meadow. We don't seem to have a problem with Nature's Own Meadow but of course batches of hay vary due to season and weather.
 
I’ll just have to see what happens! It only appears to be an issue when I pull out new hay or shavings to place into the 2x4. The only way for me to do fleece is most likely get at least 2 sets, and use my heated airer and pray it dries! I do have an heated airer from Lakeland with a cover which is fantastic, my main concern is I can’t do my bedding at all. My washing machine is meant to have a tumble dryer which hasn’t worked in ages - maybe if I pester landlord to get that replaced or fixed it could become an option?

I need to get more hay tomorrow anyway as they ran out today (still enough for tonight!) anyway, so I’ll try the Alfafa King. If that fails, I’ll probably try Hay Box Club and see if meadow hay is better? Hay Box Club is meant to be really good from what I’ve found out!

I’ve been dying to swap to fleece so fingers crossed I can make that an option!
 
Back
Top