Very Smelly Messy Boy Piggies

[inkyguineapig]

I have two little piggie boys who are about 5-7 months old now. I recently moved them onto fleece as I was told it was not only more eco and budget friendly but good for the piggies and my asthma as there's indoor pigs.

Now I've been trying to potty train them with a corner potty and litter but don't seem to have any luck. they seem to soil their cage and it becomes smelly quite quickly within 2 days and I'm struggling to keep re washing everything after they keep soiling their fleece things so quickly.

I at first wondered if it had something to do with the Water bottle possibly leaking but this doesn't seem to be the case. if anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly aappreciate it. The fleece liners I have are made with an absorbant layer on the inside but often put a puppy pad liner on the bottom of the cage to catch any extreme moisture.

Katie

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Are you spot cleaning twice a day?
I use towels as the absorbent layer underneath, and find it to be great.

 

[inkyguineapig]

Are you spot cleaning twice a day?
I use towels as the absorbent layer underneath, and find it to be great.

Hi Chief guinea pig,

Yes I'm spot cleaning about 2 sometimes 3 times a day , they have a relatively big cage for 2 piggies so space to popcorn and run around aswell as toys and such to keep them occupied. My sister has tried towels in the past, however since I make my own liners I'd have to try making a sample one to see how they go with that. Thanks for your suggestion I just cant believe how two little piggies can pee so much.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Hi Chief guinea pig,

Yes I'm spot cleaning about 2 sometimes 3 times a day , they have a relatively big cage for 2 piggies so space to popcorn and run around aswell as toys and such to keep them occupied. My sister has tried towels in the past, however since I make my own liners I'd have to try making a sample one to see how they go with that. Thanks for your suggestion I just cant believe how two little piggies can pee so much.

I don't really think I have any advice at the moment. I hope someone else comes along to help.

 

[Marshmallows]

I also have a pair of smelly, messy boys! We have noticed one 'poops' in a neat pile, whilst the other is a 'walking pooper'. We have given up on potty training. I have just placed random smaller pee pads around where they would normally go and change it every few days. I use newspapers/cardboard as my base, place the bed pad (incontinence pads) then place the fleece over. I change my fleece every three days so it looks fresh and clean and bedpad on Saturdays. I change their hay tray everyday as moist newspaper/hay smells a little funky. I haven't had a problem with smell apart from that - we'll, at least I don't think I have!

I have found fleece easier to clean and maintain. I've taken onboard loads of tips found online and forums. I wash everything in bio soap and vinegar. I am a poop cleaning 2-3 times a day and give that cage a good vaccuming morning and night (if needed).

And a quick name and shame, Sven-Erik (the one to the left of my image) is the walking pooper!

 

[AuntyC]

Oh yes, boy piggies can be very messy indeed if they feel like it! Persevere with the cleaning up, I have no short cuts to offer. My latest foster boys use a small flat litter tray lined with newspaper with hay scattered on top. I clean and refill it first thing in the morning and at bedtime. They DO use it to poop and wee in, but not exclusively. Still love them to bits.

 

[Ma7ie]

Both my Bob and Barry are walking poopers. Within 12 hours, the floor is covered. I use vet bed with a puppy pad underneath but still need to change the vet bed every three days and the puppy pads every day. They are big boys and pee and poop constantly. I hoover them out twice a day to keep on top of it. Luckily I work from home, so I have time to do it.

 

[CubbyWolf46]

I finally got a proper litter tray recently and I was told that guinea pigs most like to pee and poop right where they eat (mostly because they are lazy) also, they like corner spaces. I placed the tray in the corner of my cage and put a sock stuffed with hay over the litterbox for them and wella! they now do most of their business in the litterbox. I was amazed at how much of a difference it made to my spot cleaning. I still find the occasional poop here and there and they still wee all over their bedding (because it's warm and they are too lazy to get up) but since I have invested in fleece bedding products the wee wicks straight through and goes under onto the absorbent parts so they stay warm. I am learning new little tricks every day now about how to better manage my babies and their cage. Try the hay/food over the litterbox, it might work for you too.

 

[MooMoo&Nibbles]

I'm not trying to advertise products but try a innofresh it last up to 4months. I bought one for my pigs and I smell nothing.
You can buy one for 5-10usd.
It's carbine charcoal and you can clip in at the sides or top of the cage. Just thought I would recommend it. I bought two.

 

[Kerrie74]

The problem is we can't use fragrance things so the stinky isn't nice lol. There's one cage that does get stinky often and it's clean twice a day, it has to be cleaned properly every two days due to the smell. I tend to use surcare (no fragrance) and have started to put a bit of dettol in and sometimes white vinegar.

 

[MooMoo&Nibbles]

The problem is we can't use fragrance things so the stinky isn't nice lol. There's one cage that does get stinky often and it's clean twice a day, it has to be cleaned properly every two days due to the smell. I tend to use surcare (no fragrance) and have started to put a bit of dettol in and sometimes white vinegar.

Pics

 

[Kerrie74]

I'm from the UK @MooMoo&Nibbles do they have them here?

 

[MooMoo&Nibbles]

You have paypal?
You can order one from a ebay seller. I bought two for 11usd. Free shipping.
I'll look for a UK website maybe. They c ship from the usa. Or where ever the seller who has then are in though. I'll look into it

 

[smileyface:)]

I had the same problem when I first moved my boys to fleece - but once I bought cage liners and also kept their hay in a big tub at one end, lined with a puppy pad under, I found that with a quick brush up morning and night there was no smell - did need to change the liner every two days though as the amount the boys pee meant the liner wouldn't have lasted another day!

If you get spare fleece liners you can stash a few and then just do a wash maybe twice a week.
Everyday I top the hay/or totally change it first - so the pigs jump in the tray - then just shake down the liner to quickly brush up the poop - I do use a Johnston cage cleaner on the base before I put the liner back and its got a nice smell which helps - be careful not to spray near piggies though!

 

[MooMoo&Nibbles]

I think it's a American product but I don't know the rules on here it would be cheaper for me to buy them in the us. And ship them to you but here is some I found on ebay

I really really hope this helps! It's safe and easy and I bought two for 11usd. Free shipping. So far.. no smell.
And I think it's good, on amazon it has bad reviews and good reviews but for me it works

 

[Kerrie74]

Ah ok thanks, I'll have to have a look

 

[Critter]

I've had problems with a leaky water bottle making the fleece stink stale, but that's been sorted...
If the stink is coming from their poo and wee there is something that you can try - It was worked for six out of the seven piggies I've had, and my seventh is new and getting used to her cage.
I have a large tray and fill it with Fitch bedding. You can put in wood shavings, or Carefresh, or any other none-dusty bedding - I just like the Fitch. In this tray I place a huge pile of hay. The pigs will do the vast majority of their wees in this tray, and I simply replenish the Fitch and the hay daily - just the wet Fitch, and all of the hay. It really does help to keep the fleece fresh.
A litter tray would have a similar effect but getting piggies to use it is hit-and miss, so perhaps yours won't use it because they just have no reason to stand in there.
Eating hay gives them a reason, and after a while they just tend to go and use the hay-tray as a toilet even when they are not wanting to eat hay!
It sounds a bit nasty - letting them wee where they eat, but if you have a large enough hay pile there should always be some fresh clean hay at the top of it, and as I say it gets completely replenished each day

As for poop - it ends up anywhere, but it's easy to scoop up off the fleece each day

 

[Lilly]

All 4 of my boys are walking poopers. But that's not a problem with daily pickups. All of them pee on their vetbed or onto any fleece cuddle cup/hidey so not a problem there either as it wicks through to the absorbent layer I have below that. I do have a problem with 2 of them though because they pee in their hay tray so the poop goes wet & everything starts to smell nasty within a day. I have to clean the hay tray out every single day. Tried puppy pad liners underneath the hay & the little buggers just shifted the liners about until half of it managed to be outside the hay tray so not much gain there. Got some small fleece lap pads that I am going to try next. Reckon so long as the pee is absorbed no more wet poopies & so no more smelly poopies - I hope!

 

[Critter]

All 4 of my boys are walking poopers. But that's not a problem with daily pickups. All of them pee on their vetbed or onto any fleece cuddle cup/hidey so not a problem there either as it wicks through to the absorbent layer I have below that. I do have a problem with 2 of them though because they pee in their hay tray so the poop goes wet & everything starts to smell nasty within a day. I have to clean the hay tray out every single day. Tried puppy pad liners underneath the hay & the little buggers just shifted the liners about until half of it managed to be outside the hay tray so not much gain there. Got some small fleece lap pads that I am going to try next. Reckon so long as the pee is absorbed no more wet poopies & so no more smelly poopies - I hope!

Your problem is my solution
I like the fact that they pee in the hay tray xx

 

[Gimz]

All sounds like a lot of hassle to me. Get yourself some aubiose and ditch the fleece and you can spot clean once a day and full clean once a week. No smells at all. My piggies also poo and walk around the same paths and generally ignore the litter tray but still don't get a smelly cage.

 

[Wigwig]

I find the recycled paper pellet things work best for me with regards to pee smells.
Archie is very stinky, but thats due to him scent marking everything all the time (i wash my hands, he races over and greases them up again urgh), I have just accepted that the house and me will stink of archies balls

 

[gogoguineas]

You have my sympathy! I have 2 pairs of boys, one pair messier than the other but one boy in particular in the messy pair, Wilbur, literally pees and poops all the time! I could easily spot clean 4 times a day but I'm at work all day so it's morning and tea time then maybe another quick poop scoop before bed.
What I would recommend is investing in a fleecey cage liner, check out paws up for cosy pets or 'just add pets' on facebook. They make really good liners that absorb a load more pee than fleece and newspaper alone, you get a few more days out of it for sure.
I use newspaper, old towels, then fleece anyway (so add old towels if you're not already) but a thick liner (they have extra inner wadding) makes a difference.
And of course, check or change your water bottle, good luck!