Guinea Pig Hygiene!

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flintstones

flintstones

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I need some advice. I change my cages every 3 - 4 days, but with this horrible UTI, I am really up against it.

The base of the cage is being cleaned with Hibiscrub. Than dried and new incontience pads are put down. I am doing Horrendous amounts of piggy washing. I was thinking of changes the fleece every day and leaving the incontience pads for 3 days as there really isn't much wrong with them. My thoughts if the top layer is cleaned everyday, maybe that might help.

Milo with his stitches is getting cleaned daily everything, do you think I could just change his fleece and leave the incontience pad?

The hayloft I have also been cleaning everyday what used to last 4 days, in a fatal attempt to kick the UTI's Butt!

Not to mention between every floortime I am disinfecting the floor and putting a new floor spread down, to keep it from passing between my pigs.

Any other Ideas what I can do too improve piggy hygiene, also I wash my hands with Hibiscrub before touching another Pair!

All advice Welcome, no matter how OCD :)).
 
Are you washing the washing at 90 degrees? Can you (and I genuinely don't know the answer to this) add a bit of detol to the softner bit and then do another rinse cycle after with nothing in the softner tray? Although a 90 wash should kill everything

I would think you are fine with the others only changing the fleece but personally I wouldnt with Milo for about 10 days. But I think they should be okay as long as the top layer is clean and germ free as poss.

What I did (and still do) is keep the fleeces personal to each cage. Dolly had a UTI not long after she came here and I only ever used her fleece for her - it didn't get given to anyone else after washing. Her, Duke and babies only every have the spotty fleece now, no one else. Then the others have different fleece. That way if there are any germs left on the fleece they don't go to anyone elses cage?

Once I do the bedspreads then every group will have their own which wont be shared between cages.

I know fungal spores are airbourne but I don't think UTI's pass that way?
 
I use Zoflora as a disinfectant, just a small capful in the final rinse when washing anything that could habour germs - it's safe to use.

Suzy x
 
No UTI's are bacterial. I must say I have been a bit neglectful by not using the same fleece for the same pig after it's clean! Can you wash in contience pads at 90 degrees? Who would have thought so much cleaning could be involved. I shall get them some new fleeces and use them individually! Is fleece ok at 90 degrees too?

I am using the old incontience pad for Milo and Bettes floortime obviously it has been washed. I think I'll throw that in for 90 too.
 
I get it in Wilkinsons but it's widely available - a bright yellow box usually, and not very big as it's very concentrated. 100-200 ml bottles.

Suzy
 
Any supermarket will sell zoflora - it smells lovely.

I don't know is the answer to incontenence pads at 90 but yes you can wash fleece at that temp.

If your fleece is all the same then stitch a little bit of ribbon on of something that tells you whose fleece is who's
 
Yeah was thinking that, kicking myself I didn't realise sooner I bet that's how it's been passing between the cages!




Lisajazz said:
Any supermarket will sell zoflora - it smells lovely.

I don't know is the answer to incontenence pads at 90 but yes you can wash fleece at that temp.

If your fleece is all the same then stitch a little bit of ribbon on of something that tells you whose fleece is who's
Click to expand...
 
Hey we live and learn. You sound like you've been flat out!
 
oh wow, hibiscrub... If I washed my hands with that they would have no skin on them after a day and that would look pretty yuk... :))

I wash suspected stuff in 95 degrees. I think what could maybe not make it in the inco pads is the waterproof layer... I've washed fleece at 95 and it works fine. The wood houses and bridges I used for my 30 lodgers I popped in the oven on 120 degrees for 20 min thinking it would kill most stuff, right? Plastic hideys got wiped with a chlorine cleaner (wearing thick gloves), left for a while and then rinsed really well.

Good luck!
 
flintstones said:
No UTI's are bacterial. I must say I have been a bit neglectful by not using the same fleece for the same pig after it's clean! Can you wash in contience pads at 90 degrees? Who would have thought so much cleaning could be involved. I shall get them some new fleeces and use them individually! Is fleece ok at 90 degrees too?

I am using the old incontience pad for Milo and Bettes floortime obviously it has been washed. I think I'll throw that in for 90 too.
Click to expand...

Hey where have you been today?!

I wash my inco pads at 80 degrees and fleece things at 60. I'm sure the pads I've got said up to 95 on the packaging but I threw it out!

I have 2 sets of each patterned fleece cos I wanted my 2 cages to match, but now I've got Henrys cage too, he's getting the same set rotated whilst the other 2 cages have matching. When I build the new cage I think I'm just going to use one particular pattern per group so I know that I'm not mixing their bedding up between them. Although saying that, I was going to wash all their fleeces together, which would defeat the point, but if people are washing fleece at 90 degrees fine, I could just put one whole cage in the wash together, just on high.

xx
 
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