Outdoor Bedding: Help!

[MollyB]

Hi guys,

I'm still very new to guinea pig owning and I need some help!

I'm worried Teddy (my mostly blind guinea pig that lives outside) is getting bumblefoot. His back heels are starting to go red. Now, I'm pretty sure this is my fault for thinking his bedding is dry when it isn't, and also his back nails are getting too long and he barely lets me near them to trim them. I only managed to do 2 nails today and I caught the wick on one of them

I'll be taking him to the vets, as from what I've researched this is a VERY bad thing for him to have. I'm also ordering a proper waterproof cover for his hutch, as a tarp and some blankets clearly isn't suitable (sorry, again that's my fault )

What I'd like to know is if there's a bedding that I could put in there, that would be warm, absorbent, and easy to swap out once wet. Does fleece stay wet or does it make what's underneath wet? I'm currently using a mix or wood shavings, fitch and straw, but I'm desperate to get this fixed for him. The less waste/mess the better, but at this point I just desperately want to do what's best for him. His poor little feet and it's all my fault!

Please help! I'm really freaking out right now ! :'(

 

[Lady Kelly]

Red feet could be caused by urine but not always from the bedding. How old is Teddy? I experienced similar with my late Bumble but as none of the other pigs were suffering I went to the vets and in the end it turned out that she had a UTI(possibly caused by sitting in her wee) but also arthritis in her spine which was causing her to stay in the same place. She had antibiotics for the UTI and then went on daily pain relief to cope with the arthritis until she was ready to leave this world. So I think your idea of going to the vets is the best option.

My pigs are also outdoors and I have them on aubiose bedding which is designed for horses but the urine is supposed to soak down into the bottom while the top stays dryer. I find it much more suitable than woodshavings

 

[MollyB]

Red feet could be caused by urine but not always from the bedding. How old is Teddy? I experienced similar with my late Bumble but as none of the other pigs were suffering I went to the vets and in the end it turned out that she had a UTI(possibly caused by sitting in her wee) but also arthritis in her spine which was causing her to stay in the same place. She had antibiotics for the UTI and then went on daily pain relief to cope with the arthritis until she was ready to leave this world. So I think your idea of going to the vets is the best option.

My pigs are also outdoors and I have them on aubiose bedding which is designed for horses but the urine is supposed to soak down into the bottom while the top stays dryer. I find it much more suitable than woodshavings

Thank you Kelly, I think I'll have to try that. Does the top definitely stay dry even if the bottom is wet?
I'll have to just give him clean dry bedding for tonight and sort something else out tomorrow. I'm so upset, this is horrible. I really dropped the ball

 

[Gem789]

Thank you Kelly, I think I'll have to try that. Does the top definitely stay dry even if the bottom is wet?
I'll have to just give him clean dry bedding for tonight and sort something else out tomorrow. I'm so upset, this is horrible. I really dropped the ball

Don't be hard on yourself, one of my pigs has red feet but I heard that's normal.It may not be anything to do with wee.If you are worried then a vet check is a good idea.My pigs also won't let me cut their nails so they go to the vets for that x

 

[MollyB]

Don't be hard on yourself, one of my pigs has red feet but I heard that's normal.It may not be anything to do with wee.If you are worried then a vet check is a good idea.My pigs also won't let me cut their nails so they go to the vets for that x

Thanks so much Gem, I really, really appreciate you saying that. I've made sure he's got fresh bedding for now at least. It buys me some time to work out a better solution.

 

[Gem789]

Thanks so much Gem, I really, really appreciate you saying that. I've made sure he's got fresh bedding for now at least. It buys me some time to work out a better solution.

We all learn as we go along, I've had pigs since I was 19 and that was 10 years ago and I'm always finding out things I didn't know.Yes fresh bedding will be fine until you find something you think is better x

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thank you Kelly, I think I'll have to try that. Does the top definitely stay dry even if the bottom is wet?
I'll have to just give him clean dry bedding for tonight and sort something else out tomorrow. I'm so upset, this is horrible. I really dropped the ball

No if you are looking for a bedding that stays completely dry then you are looking for a miracle that said the bedding area usually has 2-3 damp patches but the rest of the hutch the top layer does stay dry. It works better than wood shavings in that respect.