Puppy Pads Versus Guinea Pigs!

[Gimz]

I've been using puppy pads ontop of the fleece liner for almost a year now and it has worked really well until recently. I tended to use it in their hidie areas or favourite snoozing spots to soak up the wee. I also occasionally used it at feeding time too to protect the fleece from food bits for a bit longer.

However recently my piggies have taken to chewing the puppy pads. Not just a little nibble at the edges. They scrabble up the corners until they can get into the middle of the stuff and they chew it to pieces from there. The fluffy bits get everywhere and of course it renders the puppy pad then useless for soaking up wee.

I have no idea why they started doing this after almost a year, but now the puppy pads don't last more than 4 or 5 hours before being ripped to shreds. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyone have a solution apart from putting the puppy pad under the fleece liner, which defeats the object for me. The only thing I can think of is to buy more small squares of fleece liners to put under the hidies and in high useage areas. But I wanted to avoid this extra cost if possible, as I still have 2 boxes of puppy pads to use!

 

[piggieminder]

I must admit I have to burry the pads under the fleece, can't have the slightest bit showing or it's pulled out and chewed. I've made some double thickness fleece pee pads filled with quilted matress cover material for under the houses and in heavy wee corners. I used reallt cheap blankets from B & M.

 

[Tam Piggy love]

As far as being able to keep them from chewing the fully exposed puppy pads, I really don't think you will be able to stop them from doing this. I use the puppy pads under my fleece, and I trim the plastic over hang down because mine were chewing it if it was sticking out from under the fleece a little bit. And I buy pee pads from the guinea pig market to place under my houses, and in corners where they go to the bathroom a lot. I agree this can be expensive, but it is totally worth it! I can pull the pads out from under the houses to sweep the poo off, and every couple days I throw them in the wash and replace them with clean ones. It helps to keep my fleece liner cleaner longer. But I find that if they can see the puppy pad, unfortunately they will chew it.

 

[Alycat]

I put the puppy pads under the fleece as they will chew it otherwise.

 

[Pawz]

You mentioned that putting the puppy pads under the fleece defeats the object for you. Actually they are supposed to go under the layer of fleece else there is no point in having the fleece there at all due to the waterproof backing on the puppy pads.

Pee wicks through the fleece and dries on the pad thus making sure piggy feet stay dry and the pad is "supposedly" out of chewing range. Some piggies are diggers however who will even get at the pad when it's under its fleece layer.

 

[Gimz]

You mentioned that putting the puppy pads under the fleece defeats the object for you. Actually they are supposed to go under the layer of fleece else there is no point in having the fleece there at all due to the waterproof backing on the puppy pads.

Pee wicks through the fleece and dries on the pad thus making sure piggy feet stay dry and the pad is "supposedly" out of chewing range. Some piggies are diggers however who will even get at the pad when it's under its fleece layer.

I know how the fleece works as I have fleece liners in the cage area - so towel inner core with fleece outer core and the whole thing sits on wipe clean lino. I use the puppy pads to extend the length of use of the fleece liner by sitting them on top in the high traffic areas. That way I only have to replace puppy pads every couple of days, not the liner, which then only has to be washed once a week. So putting the puppy pads underneath the fleece liner serves no purpose for me.

OK so from the comments above, I don't appear to have any option but buy wee pads for their hidie houses as I really don't want to be washing a heavy fleece liner every two days - the cage area I have fleece liner in is more than a metre square. I will constantly be having a large liner drying on the backs of my dining room chairs if I go down that route. Thanks for your input all.

 

[Pawz]

I know how the fleece works as I have fleece liners in the cage area - so towel inner core with fleece outer core and the whole thing sits on wipe clean lino. I use the puppy pads to extend the length of use of the fleece liner by sitting them on top in the high traffic areas. That way I only have to replace puppy pads every couple of days, not the liner, which then only has to be washed once a week. So putting the puppy pads underneath the fleece liner serves no purpose for me.

OK so from the comments above, I don't appear to have any option but buy wee pads for their hidie houses as I really don't want to be washing a heavy fleece liner every two days - the cage area I have fleece liner in is more than a metre square. I will constantly be having a large liner drying on the backs of my dining room chairs if I go down that route. Thanks for your input all.

Ah sorry it had sounded like you were just using a fleece layer and puppy pads, not fleece liners. Maybe I read it wrong earlier.

Then yes it looks like the option here might be pee pads or perhaps when you next make some new liners instead of one large one maybe you could make a number of smaller ones to patchwork fit the cage? You could then just switch out the problem areas as needed without the heavy wash.

 

[flowerfairy]

Could you make fleece pillow cases in miniature to fit over the puppy pads? I am currently hand sewing a load of fleece and zorb pads as wee protectors for weed on areas.

 

[artcasper]

i have started to add smaller fleece pads in the areas where they eat and sleep .. this is working well and the bottom big cage liner is lasting an extra few days now..