Might getting the pigs sooner than i thought! and some questions :)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Fidgetthefirst

Fidgetthefirst

Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
129
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Birmingham
So, after thinking I'm going to have to wait a year atleast for pigs, my sister said she might move out in summer! thats only a few months!drool rolleyes so excited! but yeah;

I'm going to try woodshavings first, as thats what i use for my hamster so its easier :)

- How deep should the bedding be for a pair of pigs?

- Ive been reading that the poop is good for plants, we have a compost bin and loads of flower beds, i will most likely spot clean and I'm going to try my best to not let the cage smell, as my mom won't be happy :x So the poop will probably be pretty much just poop, hardly any wood shavings, would i be okay to put on soil, or is it best to just put it in the bin, or in the compost bin?

- Pellets topped up in the morning? would that be okay, until the next morning?

- Hay unlimited constantly? :)

- Fruit and veg salad in the evening? :) And if i have time, would giving them just a little bit of veg be okay for the morning?
 
Hi i never use wood shavings for my bedding, only hay. Are your pigs going to be indoors cause if so vet bed lining the cage is a good idea and its what i use for my indoor pigs. I give my pigs nuggets in the morning and veg at night. Pigs can eat almost any veg but please be aware not to give them any ice burg lettuce. I have a list of all the fruit, veg and salad that i can give and i suggest it would be a good idea for you to do the same. This forum is a great way to get advice as there are some guys on here that really know their stuff. As for the poop and the composting i am not exactly sure as i put all my hay and poop in the garden waste bin so it gets used for composting around our city, i dont have praticularly green fingers.
All the best with your new pigs.
 
arrr brilliant news, and brill that you are sorting things out in plenty of time, doing research, nice one x
 
Fidgetthefirst said:
So, after thinking I'm going to have to wait a year atleast for pigs, my sister said she might move out in summer! thats only a few months!drool rolleyes so excited! but yeah;

I'm going to try woodshavings first, as thats what i use for my hamster so its easier :)

- How deep should the bedding be for a pair of pigs?

- Ive been reading that the poop is good for plants, we have a compost bin and loads of flower beds, i will most likely spot clean and I'm going to try my best to not let the cage smell, as my mom won't be happy :x So the poop will probably be pretty much just poop, hardly any wood shavings, would i be okay to put on soil, or is it best to just put it in the bin, or in the compost bin?

- Pellets topped up in the morning? would that be okay, until the next morning?

- Hay unlimited constantly? :)

- Fruit and veg salad in the evening? :) And if i have time, would giving them just a little bit of veg be okay for the morning?
Click to expand...

I don't use woodshavings tho' many do with no problems. However, if your pigs are to be indoor pigs i'd imagine your floor could get rather messy when they're running about.

I use short- cropped straw over newspaper & make sure all the newspaper is covered, then cover the straw with hay.

Pig poop can go in your compost bin or your general waste bin. Have to say i don't envy you spot cleaning poop from woodshavings tho' :))

Yes, unlimited hay 24/7.

Veggies can be given when it's easiest for you, pigs soon learn a routine. I feed mine veg on an evening & top up dry food bowls when they're empty.
 
Oooo so exciting! It lovely planning, researching and getting everything prepared for the new arrivals! :)


- How deep should the bedding be for a pair of pigs?

I had woodshavings in the beginning with my boys but Artie was very wheezy and came down with a URI three days later at that point we took the boys off woodshavings. It also was a pain in the house as they would kick it out of the cage so i ended up hoovering everyday.... however if you want to try sawdust I'd suggest a thin layer, with newspaper underneath topped by hay. :)
Another cheaper alternative, if you can use the washing machine, is fleece or vetbed with newspapers or inco. pads underneath. Which saves pennies on buying hay and sawdust in bulk :)

- Ive been reading that the poop is good for plants, we have a compost bin and loads of flower beds, i will most likely spot clean and I'm going to try my best to not let the cage smell, as my mom won't be happy :x So the poop will probably be pretty much just poop, hardly any wood shavings, would i be okay to put on soil, or is it best to just put it in the bin, or in the compost bin?

Yerp you can put poop and small amount of shavings in your compost bin its good for your plants!

- Pellets topped up in the morning? would that be okay, until the next morning?

30-50g a day (small egg cup full is suggested)

- Hay unlimited constantly? :)

Unlimited...you could try a mixture of timothy, oxbow and herbage hay.

- Fruit and veg salad in the evening? :) And if i have time, would giving them just a little bit of veg be okay for the morning?
A bowl full a day is great.

Hope this helped :)
 
I use a layer of newspaper, then a layer of sawdust topped with russell bedding straw in my cage.
They have unlimited hay in their hay manger, a bowl of fruit/veg/sald in the mornings and evenings, dry food topped up as and when needed, which is usually once sometimes twice a day.
They get ready grass as a treat maybe twice a week and fresh water everyday. I do spot clean, but their cage is cleaned fully on a weekly basis and we litterally just tip the cage onto a compost heap in the garden - mother in laws request.

Hope this has helped.
 
I always heard sawdust was a complete no-no!

Personally, I won't use woodshavings again as, despite using for many years without problems one of my current guineas china developed a respiratory problem and dust from the shavings the most likely cause (I now use Carefresh paper pet bedding).
 
JoBo - Yep! Ive been researching since christmas rolleyes got a whole timetable of veggies ready :D Got a 'need' list with everything :) And yeah i know, no iceburg.

Niki - i dont mind sweepinga bit of sawdust up everyday, do it for my hamster already! :)

Audioheart - I did consider fleece, but we already have sooo much washing (two big baskets that are never empty!) in our house! it'd just be sucicidal! mallethead and then i did think about handwashing them, but i dont think my family would appreciate guinea pig hairs in the bath :))


I think at the rspca place where i will get them from, there kept on wood shavings, so they should be fine, but if something does occur, of course i'll change it - probably to fleece :)

Thanks everyone!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top