Newspaper alone as hutch lining?

[AbiS]

Morning all,

Just a quick question. My piggies are currently on newspaper and fitch through the whole hutch and then hay in the bedroom and hidey. It is a big hutch so uses quite a lot of fitch. I have been thinking about just putting the fitch in their pee areas (so basically underneath the hay) and just having newspaper alone through the rest of the hutch. This will be time saving when cleaning out and more cost effective however, neither of these facts are relevant if it wont be good for the boys.

Does anyone else just have their piggies running around on newspaper? are there any issues with this that I am not aware of? Will they still be comfortable lying on the newspaper alone without fitch?

Thanks all

x

 

[Jerrybelly]

Mine have layers of newspaper under their vetbed, but newspaper alone wouldn't be absorbent enough for my boys.

Have you considered puppy pads with hay on top, instead of newspaper?

 

[AbiS]

They are quite consistent in where they wee so am still going to put Fitch in those areas. I quite like Fitch - very absorbent. Was just thinking about using newspaper alone in the areas they don't wee in.

 

[Nicola_]

I use Fitch and have quite a sizeable cage that uses up a lot of it. I line it with puppy pads, it is more expensive (works out about £2 per big clean for my cage when bulk buying them). I then put newspaper down in their main weeing areas which gets changed as and when necessary. I then use a fairly sparing amount of Fitch over the puppy pads - then if It bunches up and leaves bare lining they still have a soft floor. There is one bit of the cage I've left as just newspaper over puppy pad and they clearly haven't gone near it all week so I'm guessing they're not huge fans of just newspaper on their feet.

I think maybe rather than cutting out the Fitch altogether just cutting down on how much you use in the main - non weeing - area might be worth a try.

 

[Silly]

Morning all,

Just a quick question. My piggies are currently on newspaper and fitch through the whole hutch and then hay in the bedroom and hidey. It is a big hutch so uses quite a lot of fitch. I have been thinking about just putting the fitch in their pee areas (so basically underneath the hay) and just having newspaper alone through the rest of the hutch. This will be time saving when cleaning out and more cost effective however, neither of these facts are relevant if it wont be good for the boys.

Does anyone else just have their piggies running around on newspaper? are there any issues with this that I am not aware of? Will they still be comfortable lying on the newspaper alone without fitch?

Thanks all

x

I tried newspaper and hay but the paper wasn't absorbent on its own even with several layers.

I added some shavings and it was a lot better.

I use paper pellets in the four corners too.

 

[madguinealady]

you could put puppy pads then towels then fleece on the bits they don't pea on but it depende whether you want the extra washing

 

[AbiS]

Thanks all.

I'm not going to add puppy pads into the equation as that just makes it all more expensive and I have enough absorbency when using fitch which I would keep using in the areas they like to pee in.

I was more concerned about them not liking to just walk/lie on newspaper as Nicola pointed out.

I might just have to give it a go with less fitch and see what happens over a couple of days.

I'm not keen on the idea of washing fleece so will be steering clear of that for the time being.

 

[Silly]

I suppose newspaper like Nicola says on it's own is like laminate and carpet is to us on bare feet x

 

[AbiS]

I suppose newspaper like Nicola says on it's own is like laminate and carpet is to us on bare feet x

Valid point! So its either continuing use of fitch all over or I have to get my knitting needles out and create some piggy slippers!

 

[Sarah-sore]

I've tried just shredder newspaper before and it was a disaster! I only had it in there for a day or two and it basically stunk out the whole house and the poor girls had yellow tummys! They also nibbled on it like crazy which was not good because of the ink. Needless to say I never tried it again.

 

[AbiS]

I've tried just shredder newspaper before and it was a disaster! I only had it in there for a day or two and it basically stunk out the whole house and the poor girls had yellow tummys! They also nibbled on it like crazy which was not good because of the ink. Needless to say I never tried it again.

Lol! poor stained piggies!

In the end I have decided to stick with the way I was doing it and instead of just keeping the fitch in the toilet areas I have kept it throughout the hutch.

They just have newspaper in the run which is attached to the hutch. I am in the house whenever they have access to the run so can change the paper as soon as soggy - although saying that - they do normally go back into the hutch for pees n poos