Shredded newspaper and staples hazard

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Andersons

I use paper to line the bottom of the hutch. I find it excellent to soak up pee. Also, I use shredded paper as bedding because hay has the potential for spreading mites. (There is controversy about this but I`m opting for not using hay).

I just wanted to remind people about the danger of staples from shredded papers. I`m sure you remove your own staples before shredding but can you be sure about shredded paper from friends and colleagues. Imagine a staple in the gut of one of your piggies - it doesn't bare thinking about. It probably isn't worth risking using their shedded paper.

Anders :)
 
I have 8 sows (including mum) >. Also, 4 boar brothers (kept apart of course).

Now that its springtime they get a big bowl full of freshly cut grass every day. Also they still get `Timothy Hay` and as you know its dry and makes a change from the wet fresh grass. If Tim Hay has mites they are eaten.

Its all eaten up within the hour and never has the chance to became bedding.
 
Just incase any new piggy owners doing their research read this post i just think its important to add that 80% of a Guinea Pigs daily diet should be Hay so in my opinion Hay should be a contant supply so piggy can eat it as and when. :)
 
I may be being thick here :-\ but do you mean your piggies get a bowl of timothy hay & a bowl of grass or do your piggies get a bowl of grass & unlimited hay? They should have access to hay, whatever type, at all times :)
 
Bear in mind that cavies need a constant source of fibre that can't be met through pellets. If it's eaten up in an hour do you put more in at the end of the hour? Hay is effectively the most important component of their diet as it keeps their digestive system moving and is extremely important for their dental health too. If you are worried about them coming into constant contact with hay provide them with a hayrack. However I've had guinea pigs since I was 12 (I'm now 27) and have had few cases of mites. My guinea pigs now have hay in a rack and in an area of their cage and I have only treated one pig for mites in the 2 years I've done this and that was because she was a new rescue and came to me itchy, not because of the hay. My vet would be appalled at anyone not offering their pigs unlimited hay!
 
Thanx for your comments. My GP`s eat every type of veg (and some fruit as a treat) all day long. Nuggets are given at dusk. Their bowls are topped up with fresh grass and dried hay when they have finished eating it all.

I like the idea of a hay rack so I`ll start that as from tomorrow.

PS. to daftscotslass - not all vets are rodent savvy so it doesn't wash with me about `my vet would be appalled .......`.
 
how does the mites thing work, is it in the hay or do pigs have it when you get them, or can they just get them all of a sudden?

I'm not really familar with this I haven't seen anything on my guinea pig I pet and brush her everyday, so could she have them without me seeing it or..I dunno :-\
 
Kristin said:
how does the mites thing work, is it in the hay or do pigs have it when you get them, or can they just get them all of a sudden?

I'm not really familar with this I haven't seen anything on my guinea pig I pet and brush her everyday, so could she have them without me seeing it or..I dunno :-\
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Mites can be carried on hay but you wouldn't see them as they're not visible to the human eye - the signs are hair loss, greasiness to the coat & if severe scabs caused by the piggy scratching. Mites are easily treated at your vets :) If mites are left un-treated piggies can start fitting and die :(
 
she has a hay rack, whats the likely hood for her getting it if she uses a hay rack?

she scratches but I think its normal scratching, YOU ALL ARE MAKING ME NERVOUS lol
 
dont worry about it. its not as if its untreatable. mine have had mites before, you just take them to the vets for treatment with ivermectin

i have piggies on hay with no problems. if you check them over regular you should notice any health problems such as bald patches fairly early anyway.
 
yeah you'll soon know if it's normal scratching or mites. Probably normal and nothing to worry about :)

I completely disagree sorry to say Andersons about you not giving your pigs unlimted hay, mine always have it unlimited as it's their fave thing (more than veg I think!) aids digestion and wears down teeth. A hayrack is a good idea.
 
thanks, I'm always scared to hear things that can happen to guinea pigs :'(

I use a hay rack I bent a storage cube in half and its huge, I fill that and in two days its empty and thats just one pig, shes a hay dominator. :) ;D
 
;D ;Dmine get through two hay racks worth of readigrass a day each! :o plus unlimited hay
 
Use a hayrack, then the piggies can't sit and pee and poop on the hay they are eating.

Every pig has mites on their body. Only in stressful times the mites can dominate and take over the fur and you have to spray the piggy or go to the vet for an injection, depending on how bad the infestation is.
So keep your piggy stress free and you will hardly find a problem.

Yes, there can be mites in purchased hay, depending on where you buy it and how it has been stored before you got it and how you store your hay. The risk is not that great.
I use hay bales purchased from a farmer and bags of hay purchased from pet shops and I haven't had a mite infestation because of it!
 
Well, what started as a thread about the hazards of staples in shredded paper has turned into a debate about mites. I don`t mind. At least I`ve learned to use a hay rack which will keep the mites off their fur and stop them weeing and pooing on the hay. However, I`ll still use shredded paper for their bedding.

Anders :)
 
Isn't it Lice that can be got from Hay and not Mites which all pigs have but come out with stress and illness?

Mine have unlimited hay and a bowl of readigrass per day. I don't use shredded paper, I did for sleeping at first but my boys are peeing monkeys so I don't bother with it anymore. ;D
 
Definitely lice....poor Garry! And poor me having to try and wash both him and Minty...they didn't appreciate it! ;D Think we caught it early though. But, it's a hazard of being a piggy I guess. I'm always filling the rack up - seems that every time I walk past, it's emptying again! ::) ;D :smitten:
 
My understanding is that mites (which are not visible by to human eye) are already on the pigs (all of them). However in periods of stress and/or illness they can multiply and cause irritation and scratching etc...
Lice are visible to the human eye and can come in the hay.

Kristin said:
she has a hay rack, whats the likely hood for her getting it if she uses a hay rack?
she scratches but I think its normal scratching, YOU ALL ARE MAKING ME NERVOUS lol
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Kristin, there is not much you can do to stop it if it's going to happen I am afraid. The risk of Mites are part of the parcel of having piggies.
However I have kept piggies for over 6 years now and the best part of this time they were kept on hay as bedding and I have never had a problem with either mites or lice. I am not doing anything different from anybody, just luck I think. Now fungal that's another issue.....
 
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