Housing

[ddc08]

Hi all.

Just having a look around the forum and have picked ut some good ideas, like the C+C cubes for a run. We're just looking into the housing - bedding and flooring issue. It appears a lot of people don't like woodshavings from what I gather whcih is what we use and ahay and sawdust in their bedding area.

What would you guys suggest is good for flooring and bedding?

Thanks.

 

[charlie23]

i use shavings for my piggies lots of people use fleece and carefresh my piggies didnt take to care fresh when i used it so went back to shaving and hay. I would stick with what the piggies are happy with. I dont use fleece as my piggies eat it when they sit on the sofa with me. They nibble on my fleece throws thought it couldnt possibly be healthy for them to eat it.

 

[ddc08]

The only thing that made us look into alernative beddings is one is sneezing a little bit every now and then. We think it's dude, but both noses are dry so it doesn't look like a cold.

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

My boys were on fleece for a time but then they got really tatty. Due to money restraints, I switched them back to shavings with hay on top, which they seem fine with. Dave has a sneeze every so often, but it's nothing major. Once I get home again, I'm looking to buy some new fleece blankets and will put them back on that. Means cleaning them every couple of days or so, but it's easier and less messy as they'll no longer have shavings to kick around!

 

[Hoshishi]

I have no personal experience of woodshavings but believe it can be a bit dusty and I guess some guinea pigs are fine with it while others have a low dust tolerance.

I’ve tried the following:

- Paper shreds: I was constantly worried about paper cuts. It looks pretty when you put it in but they will soon trample and pee all over it and then it looks really messy. Plus it’s not very absorbent. I wouldn’t recommend paper shreds at all.

- Carefresh: I seem to remember that it was quite good but cost a fortune. Plus it looks a bit dull (it’s just cardboard bits)

- Megazorb: I tried it for 30mins and decided it was too dusty and I didn’t like the smell.

- Vet bed: it’s great! I really liked using vet bed. It’s a bit expensive to start with, but it really works. It lets the moisture through but not back up again so your piggies stay dry. Plus if you check on ebay you can get some really nice colours. The downsides is that it’s a bit bulky and I struggle fitting it into the washing machine (I need a lot of it as I have a large c&c cage). Also hay and poo get stuck to it and you have to brush it off before putting it into the washing machine. Regular de-pooing in between cage cleans would be recommended. I still use vet bed every now and then.

- Fleece: I am absolutely in love with fleece. The idea is the same as vet bed: it lets the moisture through without staying wet on the surface. It doesn’t work quite as well as vet bed but it’s really light so you can just roll it up, take it outside and give it a good shake and then pop it into the washing machine. Again I would de-poo the cage in between cage cleans. Fleece is also cheaper then vet bed and you get some really nice colours. I’ve discovered this white fluffy fleece in Dunelm Mill: it’s got a kind of rigid underside similar to vet bed and stays drier for longer then most other fleeces I’ve tried.

That's just my opinion based on my own experience and what works best for me. Different bedding works for different people, all based on their needs and piggies. Also I should mention that my girls are kept inside and I've got no experience of keeping piggies outside so couldn't really advise if you keep them outside.

I hope some of this is useful.

 

[Dacota]

Just changed to fleece in my C&C cages - only been a few days, but so far very impressed.

I also put a litter tray in each cage with woodshavings and hay on top. Above each litter tray is their hay rack and also they have their pellet bowl in there as well.

So far, on a daily basis I sweep up any stray poo's and clean out and refresh the litter trays - so easy - and so far no smell and shavings over the floor from the popcorning

Vet bed sounds great, but I would imagine it to be quite pricey for doing a C&C, also the poo's and hay could be difficult to clean off - no expert though as not used it.