Pee pads in paper bags?

[Posyrose]

My piggies, especially Bertie, love a paper bag filled with hay, and thanks to Amazon's recent policy of using sturdy paper bags that can survive a long time before they disintegrate, they often have one. However, the white fur on Bertie's underneath has turned yellow and I'm sure it's because he's lying in his pee in the bags. He's fairly recently been diagnosed with a heart murmur and it is well managed with meds and last saw a vet a week ago, so I don't think it's a medical reason. He's pretty active for a middle aged piggy. It seems to have got worse after introducing paper bags more often.

For those of you whose piggies also love a paperbag ( @Merab I'm thinking of your far superior paper palaces) have you had the same problem? Do you put pee pads in the bottom and if so does that work. I've ordered some vet bed so I can cut some up to fit the bags, but I'm wondering how practical that will be.

 

[flowerfairy]

Would fitch paper bedding be an option for you? It is what I give my 12 year old rabbit, Snowflake because he also sits in his wee, on his hay tray (newspaper and fitch one end newspaper and hay the other end]. I clean him out once a day and the fitch is great at showing up the wee!

 

[AidaB]

Our boys & 2 visiting piggies, have just enjoyed a week of paper bag fun. I don’t usually put pee pads in bags. The bags were replaced quite a few times this last week, as various pigs decided to pee in them, or roll about inside(Loki)and create skylights/backdoors(the visitors). I did take the bags out overnight.

We usually use thin simple brown paper bags. Like you would get from a market.

I haven’t tried the stronger Amazon bags. Popping a pee pad in for Bertie to still enjoy paper bag fun, sounds like a good idea. Wonder if the stronger bags are coated with something making them water/pee resistant.
Alternatively how about a wad of newspaper,inside the bag, which is surprisingly absorbent?

 

[Posyrose]

Would fitch paper bedding be an option for you? It is what I give my 12 year old rabbit, Snowflake because he also sits in his wee, on his hay tray (newspaper and fitch one end newspaper and hay the other end]. I clean him out once a day and the fitch is great at showing up the wee!

I used to use fitch for the whole cage before I switched to fleece and I used it in their hay tray for a time after that before finally switching to puppy pads. I'd rather not have to get paper bedding as well as everything else and would ideally like a washable or more easily stored option.

@AidaB Bertie has his bags for quite a while before there are too many skylights/ backdoors or they've disintegrated. I turn them over daily to give the wet side a chance to dry out. I wonder whether the bags are coated; that's a good point. Newspaper would be a good idea. My neighbours sometimes get a paper I could offer to recycle for them.

 

[JaseChase]

I recently put pee pads inside a paper bag for the first time because I had a piggie with bumblefoot. He loved paper bags so I didn’t want to remove them but they would make his feet flare up. Popping in a pee pad helped his feet and meant he could still nap in the midst of the hay, which he loved. So I think it’s a good idea

I did have to check and change the pad regularly because it would soak through fairly quick, but no more than the other favourite spots in the cage

 

[Posyrose]

I recently put pee pads inside a paper bag for the first time because I had a piggie with bumblefoot. He loved paper bags so I didn’t want to remove them but they would make his feet flare up. Popping in a pee pad helped his feet and meant he could still nap in the midst of the hay, which he loved. So I think it’s a good idea

I did have to check and change the pad regularly because it would soak through fairly quick, but no more than the other favourite spots in the cage

Thanks @JaseChase. Bertie often naps in the poopy wet paper bag, so a pee pad would help make that more comfy too. I'll check the state of the pad when topping up the hay. It's good to know a pee pad in a bag works.