beginner question about woodshavings

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I currently only have the shaving seeing as they came with my new pup Lora, once i get some fleece can i safely have the shavings underneath the fabric? i ended up with a very large bag of it and i'd hate for it to go to waste. will the fabric over top cut down on the problems caused by the shavings?
 
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ide say go for it! :P

Hi i'de say that it would be fine, although you might think of putting a towel between the shavings and fleece as they stick to fleece and are really hard to get off, so your washing machine might not like it!
 
Welcome to the forum!

Despite reported problems with shavings (I'm not denying it must be a bit difficult having your nose and feet so close to them all the time), my piggies have spent time on shavings with no problems. It's only really ever been a temporary measure when I couldn't afford to buy new fleeces, but they were fine with it all the same. I know there are some forum members who use shavings all the time with no problems so I wouldn't feel guilty about using them on their own until you get rid of them! My biggest problem was the mess they made when the boys kicked them out of the cage!rolleyes
 
I had this same question before the summer and i went ahead and used it, but a month after the change in bedding (hay to sawdust) i noticed my piggies started to sneeze a lot so i swaped back to hay and they stoped sneezing ! I also noticed it worked out a tad bit cheeper ! Hope this helped,

Alan
 
It is currently considered good practice not to use shavings/sawdust at all, though I realise that many still do.

Nearly every rescue piggy that comes in to LB with a problem (either feet or skin) has been kept on sawdust or shavings.

The whole point of having shavings is that it soaks up all the urine - it does a great job at that - but in the meantime it also soaks up all the natural oils in your piggy's coat and leaves them very susceptible to skin conditions aswell as cracked feet. Try rubbing a handful of it all over your arms or face and see how drying it feels. It is not nice stuff.

Don't feel you have to use it just because you have got it there - your piggy doesn't need it and there are plenty of cheap alternatives. Start as you mean to carry on I say. :)
 
I have to agree with Louise's post, but would also add that if you absolutely needed to use it, I would place a very thick layer of hay over the top of it so the pigs don't actually come into contact with the shavings. it won't eliminate any potential problems with shavings, but should reduce them greatly.
 
I'm not an expert just started out, only had george 4 weeks now & already I hate woodshavings, on my second bag already and at £4 something a bag not cheap, they get all over my carpet & poor george sneezes load when I have just cleaned him out, going for fleece at weekend which will probably much easier & quicker to clean out & will be better for him X
 
Oh i have just found this thread and am now a bit concerned. tallulah has always been on woodshavings (dust extracted ones) and i have only heard her sneeze twice and both were when i got to the bottom of the compressed hay bags from p@h. (i have stopped using this now and buy a hay from my local pet shop who scource it locally, cheaper too!)

anyways, i dont like the idea of using vet bed or whatever its called as i dont have my own washing machine at my flats and have to use comunal washers and it costs £2 a load which is quite expensive to wash and i just dont like the idea of that soggy material sat there for ages before it gets washed.

any thoughts?
 
I am no expert, and there are obviously people on here who know more than me about guinea pigs, but i have had them as pets since i was 10 (I am now 34) and have always used chippings.

My piggies have mainly been kept outdoors (except in bad winters) and i always change the chippings (and everything else in the cage) twice a week. They also get plenty of hay.

I have not had any problems with feet or coughing, and my piggies generally live to a right old age !

Maybe i sound very naive - but i didn't know there was an issue with using chippings! I do not like the idea of using material/fleeces, so what other alternatives are there?

I am not disputing what the experts say on here - but i just wanted to reassure Blondie_Kate and any other 'chipping users' that you are not alone!

Rach
 
Thanks thats what i wanted to hear. i wanted to make sure i wasnt shortening her life. my old piggie peanut was on shavings and he never had any skin or chest problems.

thanks!
 
Megazorb or something along those lines are probably the best bet for you then Kate. I think Megazorb tends to be the most popular since it's a bulk buy - when I last used it (a few years ago) it was sold in 75 litre bags!
 
boureki said:
I have to agree with Louise's post, but would also add that if you absolutely needed to use it, I would place a very thick layer of hay over the top of it so the pigs don't actually come into contact with the shavings. it won't eliminate any potential problems with shavings, but should reduce them greatly.
Click to expand...

I always used dust extracted shavings, but also as you advised, had a very thick layer of timothy hay over the top. Never had any problems, although I appreciate others have had.
 
I agree Sue.

The shavings are really poor quality at the moment, due to down-turn in the building trade, so they're being imported! I'm back on Megazorb, which I'd forgotten how good it was.

Sophie
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