wood shavings as bedding?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Cassiedog

Cassiedog

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Messages
309
Reaction score
5
Points
255
Location
Linlithgow, Scotland
Do people keep their pigs on wood shavings or not? There seems to be some debate over this.....
I personally have always used shavings and never had a guinea pig with respiratory or feet problems but recently have tried Megazorb which also appears to be good bedding material

I'm just a bit confused...(easily done I should state!)
 
One of my piggies is on sawdust, my loan boar and I've never had a problem but my little duo were on it until one developed an allergy to it and so is now on fleece (:
I like it as a bedding but I'm very fussy on the brands I will and won't buy
 
twiams said:
As far as I'm aware they're the same thing ?
Click to expand...

Wood shavings are like.. shavings of wood I suppose (like little pieces of shaved wood). But sawdust is more like dust type of material I thought. If that makes sense. Sorry I dont mean to sound patronizing :x
 
There is debate over it and personally I do not use shavings for pigs at all. I use vet bed, megazorb or finacard which are much less smelly and more absorbent

Woodshavings ans sawdust are strictly two totally different things however the terms appear to be used interchangeably when referring to animal bedding and it means shavings.
 
I use dust extracted shavings, over which I put plenty of hay in the sleeping areas.
 
Pink Jumper said:
Wood shavings are like.. shavings of wood I suppose (like little pieces of shaved wood). But sawdust is more like dust type of material I thought. If that makes sense. Sorry I dont mean to sound patronizing :x
Click to expand...

That would make sense mallethead, but i just call them the same thing haha, on the pack it says wood shavings but i call it sawdust just because it sounds better :))
 
Bekki2308 said:
There is debate over it and personally I do not use shavings for pigs at all. I use vet bed, megazorb or finacard which are much less smelly and more absorbent

Woodshavings ans sawdust are strictly two totally different things however the terms appear to be used interchangeably when referring to animal bedding and it means shavings.
Click to expand...

What type of bedding is Megazorb and Finacard? Where can I buy them?
 
Bekki2308 said:
There is debate over it and personally I do not use shavings for pigs at all. I use vet bed, megazorb or finacard which are much less smelly and more absorbent
Click to expand...

I've never liked the look of finacard :x
looks a little uncomfortable, but then i've never felt it so wouldn't know haha.
 
Megazorb is a wood pulp based bedding...i get mine from a local equine supplier as it's also used for horse bedding. I've just cleaned mine out for the first time after starting using megazorb and have to say, i'm quite impressed...it's really absorbable....have taken it out of the cage but some of the papers underneath aren't even wet..unlike with shavings where everything has to be taken out as it's wet! Will be sticking with megazorb i think!
 
Well I used to use Wood Shaving briefly when I first got my Guinea Pigs but I didn't like it very much at all. It wasn't absorbent and got really soggy and smelt damp and horrible after a few days. As for the whole respiratory problem I think some Wood Shavings are poorly dust extracted so the dust can get breathed into your Guinea Pig's lungs and cause problems. And I also think it can cause some damage to the feet as Wood Shavings tend to be quite sharp and hard so not very nice on Guinea Pigs feet.

I also use Megazorb which is really absorbent and does not get soggy or damp at all with my experience. It also repels bad odours although it does have a strange smell of it's own but I don't think it's a bad smell really. It's also really soft so nice for the Guinea Pigs to walk over. I layer a thin layer of hay on top of the Megazorb as the hay will stop the Megazorb from being kicked up out of place and it's also nice for the Guinea Pigs to graze on.
 
I switch between megazorb and wood shavings each week or so. I prefer the smell of the megazorb as it doesn't set my nose off - (lots of wood makes me sneeze for some bazaar reason), but I think the pigs prefer the wood shavings. The wood shavings I get are like a mixture of wood shavings and hay, which is nice for the pigs. I've never had any problems with it, the pigs haven't got ill or had any respiratory problems or wounds. The megazorb is easier to clean but it is a bit more expensive, though I'm prepared to pay more anyway. I do like the fact that the megazorb doesn't stick to Bingo's bum as much - as she is a Peruvian I like to keep her back end hair short, but when she wees you get the bedding sticking to her! Though it doesn't bother her both beddings are easy to brush out.
 
Pink Jumper said:
What type of bedding is Megazorb and Finacard? Where can I buy them?
Click to expand...

finacard is cardboard bedding finacard.co.uk
megazorb is from local equine shops or online not sure where though and is wood pulp ... by far the least smelly bedding I have used!
 
twiams said:
I've never liked the look of finacard :x
looks a little uncomfortable, but then i've never felt it so wouldn't know haha.
Click to expand...

go tell my pigs its not comfy hahah, they popcorn like crazy when they get finacard its just cardboard so should be super comfy or comfier than shavings anyway!
 
The only reason I don't like using any kind of shavings or paper based bedding is because I can't stand all the little bits that get EVERYWHERE. Fleece is so much cleaner. I tried my pigs on a paper bedding for 2 weeks but stopped because the little bits were all over my house.
 
My pigs have been on woodshavings for the six years since we got our first. Until recently I had absolutely no problems with it but Nibbles got a little bit sniffly so we are now trying lots of different brands of paper pulp bedding to find the best. I never really noticed it before but people are commenting on how little the pigs smell now.

I don't think there is anything wrong with shavings. Just some piggies can be a little sensitive so there are alternatives!


Amy
x
 
Last edited:
Cassiedog said:
Megazorb is a wood pulp based bedding...i get mine from a local equine supplier as it's also used for horse bedding. I've just cleaned mine out for the first time after starting using megazorb and have to say, i'm quite impressed...it's really absorbable....have taken it out of the cage but some of the papers underneath aren't even wet..unlike with shavings where everything has to be taken out as it's wet! Will be sticking with megazorb i think!
Click to expand...

Would you say Megazorb is better than Carefresh?
 
I've never used Carefresh...have always just used shavings until i started to read that they might not be so good for the pigs.
 
twiams said:
That would make sense mallethead, but i just call them the same thing haha, on the pack it says wood shavings but i call it sawdust just because it sounds better :))
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw sawdust when I mean wood shavings...I think it is just easier to say. Rolls off the tongue better lol


I have always used woodshavings on my pigs and rabbits (and had no problems with it) until I discovered wood litter for the rabbits (since they are litter trained and the wood litter is more absorbent) And recently my local pet shop that I would get all of my sawdust from started stocking this nasty stuff that was literally like dust. I used it for a couple of weeks and after getting it all in my eyes and everything and thinking how nasty it must be for McMac I am now trying out fleece.
I would very happily use Megazorb if I can find some cheap enough.
I think I tried Carefresh once and although it is absorbent it is mad expensive
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top