Smelly guinea pigs

Sherbert and Leia

Sherbert and Leia

New Born Pup
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
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Location
Nottingham England
Hi! So my guinea pigs are in my room and they have started to smell. I have bath mats and then underneath newspaper. I don’t know if that is absorbent enough. Do any of you guys have any ideas how I can reduce the smell
 
Newspaper alone likely isn’t enough. You will be better off with something like puppy pads or a mattress protector as they’ll keep moisture away and allow the bath mats to dry better.

It can also make a difference as to the sex of your piggies, the size of your cage (a cage too small will smell more quickly).
How often do you fully change their bedding? How often do you spot clean (removing wet hay for example)
 
I spot clean about 3/5 times a week and I fully change their bedding around once a week. I have 2 female piggies and they are in a c and c cage. The c and c cage is an 2x8 and then a 1x2 loft. I recently got an air purifier( I can’t remember where from) and that has made a big difference.
 
The problem is that just bath mats on paper isn't really a great combo.
A possible solution would be to have fleece (a fleece blanket will do) over a more absorbent layer like a cotton topped mattress protector, puppy pads, etc.
Then just use bath mats on small areas so they can be replaced more regular with the main fleece/absorbent layer being changed once a week.
Your cage is a decent size so it really shouldn't get smelly too quickly.
 
I’ve never found my piggies to be smelly.
Mine are on bath mats. With puppy pads and towels underneath. I spot clean twice a day as a minimum and full clean out once per week. They tend not to get too dirty as it’s quite a large area (just lots of poops to spot clean). The only thing I’ve ever found to smell is wet hay, so when I spot clean I remove any soiled hay too.
 
I have my boys on bath mats with fleece underneath and towels under that and extra flannels under the corners where their hides are. Spot clean daily, full clean weekly. They start to smell a bit by the end of the week but I don't really mind as they have their own room.

I can't imagine paper being absorbent enough but all animals will smell a bit anyway.
 
Can I ask when u say Bath mats what u mean? Could you send pics?
I’ve just got my C and C cage today - temporary whilst it’s winter they back in the coach house when it’s warmer
 
Wow that’s fab. Why is it u use these? And not fleece or sawdust. I’m keeping mine inside sometimes now and wonder the best way. Have u got puppy pads under?
 
I used them on top of fleece when my piggies lived inside. It meant the fleece lasted a couple of days longer.
 
I use the noodle bath mats over puppy pads. I find the Ikea bath mats are better/quicker drying. but are also more expensive! I used to use towels underneath but the smell was awful and they needed changing out every 48hours. Now I change the puppy pads as and when they need it (daily in some spots, every 2/3 days in others) and change the bath mats weekly. They also wash really easily and dry super quick!
 
I use noodle mats (ebay shower mats) over cage liner (fleece, zorb, fleece) to help the liners last longer. I use a couple of layers of liners plus the mats and change mats every few days and liners whenever they get damp.

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ok so I took your advice (bath mats are awesome btw) and done layer of puppy pads, towels and bath mats and then a layer of fleece. Within 3 days tho it’s really smelly! I seen granules for smells in wilko are these bad? I didn’t buy them wanted to ask u guys first.
Would you think fleece and then just puppy pads under would be enough?
 
I use washable puppy pads (incontipet by vet bed) , guinea dad fleece as a middle and on top in high traffic areas noodle bath mats.
I change the bath mats twice a week and the fleece and puppy pads once a week. It works for me. :)
 
Thank you will do that now!
You know the noodle mats? Do u put them over the fleece? Do they not hold the wee and make the pigs wet?
 
I've recently started using bath mats over wood pellets, after reading about some positive experiences with this combination. I'm very satisfied with this so far. I have one piggy that pees a lot, and even more so now that she's on heart medication. I had to change pee pads 2-3 times a day (they were soaked then) and the fleece liners every two days. They were completely soaked through. Before that I tried lots of other beddings, none of which was able to keep my piggy dry.

Now with bath mats and wood pellets the mats just stay dry. I've checked it multiple times a day, and every time the bath mats were dry. Also, there are no urine smells. I change the mats after half a week because of stains rather than them being wet. First I started with half the cage and yesterday I put them in the whole cage. So happy that I've finally found something that works for us.
 
OkiDoki said:
I've recently started using bath mats over wood pellets, after reading about some positive experiences with this combination. I'm very satisfied with this so far. I have one piggy that pees a lot, and even more so now that she's on heart medication. I had to change pee pads 2-3 times a day (they were soaked then) and the fleece liners every two days. They were completely soaked through. Before that I tried lots of other beddings, none of which was able to keep my piggy dry.

Now with bath mats and wood pellets the mats just stay dry. I've checked it multiple times a day, and every time the bath mats were dry. Also, there are no urine smells. I change the mats after half a week because of stains rather than them being wet. First I started with half the cage and yesterday I put them in the whole cage. So happy that I've finally found something that works for us.
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Sounds like a good plan!
 
OkiDoki said:
I've recently started using bath mats over wood pellets,
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I've not seen 'wood pellets' before, just shavings - can you put in a link to the product or tell me a bit more about it so I know what to look for?
 
Free Ranger said:
I've not seen 'wood pellets' before, just shavings - can you put in a link to the product or tell me a bit more about it so I know what to look for?
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I'm in The Netherlands, so it won't help you much if I give link to the exact pellets I use, but they are sold in most pet shops and even some supermarkets over here, different brands. They are not always in the small pet section in pet shops, but you can usually find them among the cat litter products. Usually it says on the package if it's also suitable for rodents/guinea pigs. Just make sure there are no additives and that they are non-clumping.
 
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