Substrate?

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AnimalLover

AnimalLover

Junior Guinea Pig
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So currently I use woodshavings (pets at home sutible for piggies) and i was wondering are there any other substarte i could use as they are quite active and kick and run around alot which makes the sawdust fly everywhere!
 
I used sawdust for ages for my piggies, years, infact, it eventually ended up giving Amber soar feet so I actually changed over to fleece! Its more expensive, but it doesn't go everywhere, doesn't smell as quickly as sawdust did. Also Amber always popcorns around when I change her feet. In her sleeping area though I do put shredded paper, just so she can curl up, and she tends to pee in there too, so its just a bit of extra protection for the fleece. You can always spot clean areas of poo so much easier! Literally just pick it out and your done! I remember with sawdust if you took any out you'd have to get the sawdust out and put more sawdust in. So much easier with fleece.
Its more expensive obviously but it only needs replacing fully on a yearly basis.

If your interested I just got some new fleeces from a lovely lady, I could give you the link?
 
A&T said:
I used sawdust for ages for my piggies, years, infact, it eventually ended up giving Amber soar feet so I actually changed over to fleece! Its more expensive, but it doesn't go everywhere, doesn't smell as quickly as sawdust did. Also Amber always popcorns around when I change her feet. In her sleeping area though I do put shredded paper, just so she can curl up, and she tends to pee in there too, so its just a bit of extra protection for the fleece. You can always spot clean areas of poo so much easier! Literally just pick it out and your done! I remember with sawdust if you took any out you'd have to get the sawdust out and put more sawdust in. So much easier with fleece.
Its more expensive obviously but it only needs replacing fully on a yearly basis.

If your interested I just got some new fleeces from a lovely lady, I could give you the link?
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Yes please! Also could you explain to me how you put your fleece in the cage how often you clean it etc etc? Thank you
 
It lets moisture soak through and onto an absorbable layer underneath like towels or puppy pads. They soak up the urine :)
 
So how often do you clean it and do you just put it in the washing machine? Also an additional question. i have two souls and the oldest will always like bite/lick her mouth bit and the younger one will put her head up. Is it something to do with dominance?
 
Vetbed is good too, can be costly initially but worth it as it lasts at least a year. You would need something underneath to absorb the wee like washable bedpads, puppy pads, newspaper or towels. It wicks away all of the moisture so they stay completely dry.
 
I use the same fleece as @A&T. The liners are fab as they are all you need :)
I also use carefresh/fitch.
 
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helen105281 said:
Vetbed is good too, can be costly initially but worth it as it lasts at least a year. You would need something underneath to absorb the wee like washable bedpads, puppy pads, newspaper or towels. It wicks away all of the moisture so they stay completely dry.
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How many layers of newspaper would i need?
 
Ok, so the basic rules to fleece are:
-Buy your fleece and wash 3 times to allow the material to work and wicking away moisture.
-Choose your under layer, both towels and puppy pads works equally well.
-Poo pick the fleece twice a day, more if possible.
-Wash every 3 days, both fleece and towel or just fleece if you are using puppy pads and replace them.

This is the way I do my fleece system and it works brilliantly. The fleece should be washed at 60 degrees so that any germs are killed. Hope this helps :)
 
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Fleece takes more time to keep it too, that's a downside to it. I love Aubiose, but it can get kicked about like shavings. I like back to nature, but it's expensive. I haven't used anything else.
 
AnimalLover said:
So how often do you clean it and do you just put it in the washing machine?
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Some people say to wash them every 3-4 days in the washing machine (I do it every week as I only have one piggie and use shredded paper in wee areas as extra protection and change that daily), get as much hay off as possible, unless you use a hay rack (I dont). Then put it in with non-bio tablets, no fabric softner. I put mine on at 30 degrees, some people put them on at 60.

http://ziggyspiggies.webs.com/
If you measure your cage size exactly and email her she will let you know on price and stuff, You'll probably need two if you do decide to go with fleece.
 
AnimalLover said:
How many layers of newspaper would i need?
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I would say at least 4 sheets, I tend to use a whole paper under each bit but we use the free newspapers from the train. I have fleece too and use washable bedpads under that and it would work well with Vetbed.
 
A&T said:
Some people say to wash them every 3-4 days in the washing machine (I do it every week as I only have one piggie and use shredded paper in wee areas as extra protection and change that daily), get as much hay off as possible, unless you use a hay rack (I dont). Then put it in with non-bio tablets, no fabric softner. I put mine on at 30 degrees, some people put them on at 60.

http://ziggyspiggies.webs.com/
If you measure your cage size exactly and email her she will let you know on price and stuff, You'll probably need two if you do decide to go with fleece.
Click to expand...
Liners get washed at 30 or 40, due to not shrinking or destroying them, so it is suggested that you use antibacterial wash stuff also. You can buy the dettol sensitive antibacterial stuff in order to destroy any nasty bacteria :)
 
A&T said:
Some people say to wash them every 3-4 days in the washing machine (I do it every week as I only have one piggie and use shredded paper in wee areas as extra protection and change that daily), get as much hay off as possible, unless you use a hay rack (I dont). Then put it in with non-bio tablets, no fabric softner. I put mine on at 30 degrees, some people put them on at 60.

http://ziggyspiggies.webs.com/
If you measure your cage size exactly and email her she will let you know on price and stuff, You'll probably need two if you do decide to go with fleece.
Click to expand...
May i ask why do you only have one piggie?
 
AnimalLover said:
May i ask why do you only have one piggie?
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Trixie (the white one in my display photo) passed away last year. I did have two. But now I only have Amber. I looked at getting her a friend, but the set up I have, rescues probably wouldn't allow me to take another because of size.
 
AnimalLover said:
Aww I'm so sorry for your loss i cant imagine what youve been through ❤️
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Thank you! I'm glad I've had Amber through it all, I feel as if me and her have made such a wonderful bond from it all. I try to give her a lot of attention because of course she's a lone guinea pig now. She gets lots of cuddle lap time!
 
Ideally it needs to be anti-pill fleece as that wicks the best. These can be picked up anywhere from asda, tesco, the range and Ikea. I didn't take to fleece the first time I tried, but then got frustrated with normal substrate and tried it again. Love it now!
 
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