New owner of 2 guniea pigs

[Marc c]

Hi all,
am recently the proud owner of 2 male guinea pigs (3 weeks ago) & have a few questions if anybody could give me any help would be much appreciated.

I am using wood shavings dust free for the base of their cage & feeding on Timothy hay & fresh veg, kale romaine lettuce, few carrots etc..all seems to be fine with their appetite no problem, one thing I have noticed is the last few days they both seem to be scratching a lot, could this be a reaction to the shavings? As I have read up about mites etc & was thinking of taking a trip to the vets just to get them both checked over, am I overreacting or is this normal behaviour in guineas?

Also my other question is bedding...I am using the hay as bedding but was wondering if I could use a blanket instead of the wood shavings to see if that would stop the itching/scratching at all? I’ve read a lot about bedding & some use blanket some hay some carefree, so not to sure, just thinking it may stop the scratching? Sorry if some of this seems obvious just want to make them the happiest they can be.

Any advice or tips would be much appreciated,

Many thanks
Marc

 

[ladymuck83]

Heeeey welcome I’m also new owner so can’t give too much advise but the wood shavings drove me insane so I’m changing to fleece this week. I have ordered it I’m using the freshcare tissue sort of stuff for now

 

[gmsong]

I use fleece despite it being smelly it works great!

 

[Siikibam]

Guinea pigs in general will scratch themselves, but if you think it seems excessive just pop them in to the vet to be checked. It could be any number of things or nothing. Wood shavings should t really make them itchy.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello and Welcome to the forum

If scratching is an issue then a quick vet check might be your best bet. I don’t think wood shavings should make them scratch either, for you to notice them scratching then it must be fairly excessive? I use newspaper then a thick layer of hay on top for the base of their cage and outside hutch/run and fleece for their inside playpen (used in winter and holidays)
Photos please, we all love a photo of piggies x

 

[Marc c]

Thanks for all your comments I will keep a close eye, not sure if I’m overreacting, sounds like I maybe as today they not been scratching half as much, certainly not put them off their food!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw, they are gorgeous x

 

[nedajaffa]

Love fleece liners and so do my two boys. They need a bit of maintenance but less dust etc. With Guineas, no paranoia is too much! If you have a niggle about something it's always reasurring to go an visit a cavy savvy vet.

 

[rhymer]

I used wood shavings for years and recently changed to fleece liners. Made them myself from fleece and padded mattress protectors. They work great with puppy pads underneath, just wish I'd done it years ago. Much less mess and easy to spot clean.
Some people moan their OH doesn't like them evening washed in the machine, but I would just do it any way. Brush of the worst bits and put several liners in together.
Perhaps piggies would moan about their liners being washed in the same machine as people's pants and things of they could.lol

 

[Neuromancer]

I got a real telling off from a rescue centre for using woodshavings. Apparently research has shown that piggie urine reacts with the woodshavings and can cause irritation. I use fleece topped with hay now

 

[Little Ones]

I switched to fleece liners about 2 years ago, best decision! I just buy cheap fleece blankets from b&m (the ones I get have two in a pack) and then some terry toweling I think it’s called, then I cut them to size and use hemming web to attach them together. The guinea pigs find it much nicer on their feet and the woodshaving doesn’t end up all over the house. I usually just put some newspapers under the fleece in the areas they pee the most (I usually just nab a few of the free newspapers off the bus lol).