Cage cleanliness — help!

Swamp Pig

Swamp Pig

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Hello! I am a recent pig mom of Ginger and Snap — both boys about 15 weeks old. I adore them and give them lots of love and care — endless hay and pellets, daily veggies, time to run around in their pen and just the right amount (I think!) of cuddles. The problem is… their cage stinks!

I live in a small flat so their huge cage is in the living room. It always seems to stink of wee. This is my current set up:

Ive tried wood shavings but am currently using absorbent pet blankets with puppy training pads underneath and newspaper because I hated the cost and waste, not to mention the mess of wood shavings.

Every morning, I scoop out the poop and dispose of any soiled hay and give the blanket a little wipe. Once a week I give the cage a deep clean, take everything out and wash the blankets/ replace them with clean ones and new puppy pads.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The smell is really overpowering and I hate to feel like they/ me and my son are living in mess.
 
Do the blankets get soaked through? Do you have to change the puppy pads regularly? It may be that they are scent marking. When you wipe the blanket you may be getting rid of some of their scent and they may feel more inclined to scent mark even more. The other thing to consider is to leave a soiled blanket in the cage when you do the full clean every week.
 
You have a pair of boys who are just coming up to their teens. Teen boars are smelly testosterone fuelled beings! I’m afraid some smell is going to happen no matter what you do.
Check the fleece is definitely wicking properly.
Also, I agree with Siikibam about the wiping and removing of the blankets - the more you clean, the more boars will scent mark to make it smell like them. Two smaller blankets are best because you can then remove one at a time. Remove one and replace for a fresh on (for example) Saturday and leave one half of the cage with a soiled blanket. Then remove that other half on the Wednesday. That way there is always something in the cage that smells like them and it can help reduce the need to scent mark. Or, if you can only use one whole blanket in the cage at a time, rub the new blanket with the old blanket to transfer scent
Also, to check, what size is their cage?
 
Ahh thank you! I had no idea about the marking. That makes sense now. I read on a forum somewhere that G pigs like their cages really clean so I was conscious of that — I didn’t know they needed the smell!

I don’t know the exact size as I can’t find it on the PaH website but it was the biggest one they had and was for 2 Guinea pigs and has two floors I think it’s big enough for now but when they are older they will need more space :)
 
Swamp Pig said:
Ahh thank you! I had no idea about the marking. That makes sense now. I read on a forum somewhere that G pigs like their cages really clean so I was conscious of that — I didn’t know they needed the smell!

I don’t know the exact size as I can’t find it on the PaH website but it was the biggest one they had and was for 2 Guinea pigs and has two floors I think it’s big enough for now but when they are older they will need more space :)
Click to expand...

If it is a pet shop cage then it is highly likely to not be big enough - a pet shop cage sold as suitable for two piggies is not likely to meet the requirements for specifically two boars. The ferplast plaza 160 is one of the only commercial cages big enough for boars and even that is only just above minimum. Boars need 180x60cm on a single level. Upper levels don’t count towards the cage size so don’t double the amount of space. The minimum for a boar pair is 150x60cm

i would highly suggest you measure the internal measurement of the bottom level of the cage and if it isn’t 180x60cm then get them a bigger cage asap. They are at the point right now where they are hormonal teens and if there is going to be problems, it’s going to be from anytime now. Lack of space between teen boars is a major risk factor in fall outs as they need a huge amount more space than sows do.
Also be aware that as you are likely to need to get a bigger cage, then that in itself is a change in territory and will cause a reestablishing of their relationship and more dominance. You will need to make sure to use soiled bedding when moving them to another cage so to help mitigate some of the effects of new territory. This is why they need the right size cage from the very beginning - it’s not about their physical body size, it’s about the size of their required territory.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Cage Size Guide
 
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I wondered If you’ve tried bathroom where your piggies can use as a bathroom?
My piggies have a hay filled bin they use as their bathrooms, a hay bin separate from their living area. Their bathroom bin/hay bin is cleaned out most frequently.
 
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