wood shavings recommendations

piggiemummy03x

piggiemummy03x

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hi everyone!
just found the guinea pig forum and so happy i have! i have owned piggies in the past and am now in a place to once again give all my love and time to some new piggies!
my question today is in regards to wood shavings.. i am having an absolute nightmare finding what shavings are safe for my babies, with websites contradicting each other everywhere i look. i have been looking at P@H (thinking because it comes from a pet shop, says dust free and suitable for guineas, that it should be okay, right? but who knows!) or a brand called snowflake wood shavings, which state the same, safe for pigs, dust free etc. are these safe shavings to use or should i avoid? what wood shavings do you use and what do you recommend? thanks so much for your time! looking forward to hearing from you:hip:
 
Hello and welcome :) PAH wood shavings are absolutely fine to use. I have used snowflake in the past and they are lovely and soft but unfortunately my small local pet shop no longer stocks them. They do however stock large bales of dust extracted wood shavings so I use these as they only cost £9 for a bale
 
Any dust extracted shavings is fine but it also comes down to personal preference.
My animals live in sheds so I use disposable bedding, but I also have five animals in three enclosures so get through a lot so I buy in bulk bales of 20kg. I have used and do occasionally still use Snowflake shavings or soft chip or Bedmax shavings but my own preference is Megazorb as I find it much more absorbent than shavings and find I use much less of it than when I use shavings.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

When it comes to pet shop products, lots of items are absolutely fine but sadly some things are not - some toys and commercial treats etc can be unsafe and unsuitable/unhealthy
 
Claire W said:
Hello and welcome :) PAH wood shavings are absolutely fine to use. I have used snowflake in the past and they are lovely and soft but unfortunately my small local pet shop no longer stocks them. They do however stock large bales of dust extracted wood shavings so I use these as they only cost £9 for a bale
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brilliant thankyou! so either one would be suitable? i have read that soft woods aren’t recommended as they can cause respiratory infections!
 
Piggies&buns said:
Any dust extracted shavings is fine but it also comes down to personal preference.
My animals live in sheds so I use disposable bedding, but I also have five animals in three enclosures so get through a lot so I buy in bulk bales of 20kg. I have used and do occasionally still use Snowflake shavings or soft chip or Bedmax shavings but my own preference is Megazorb as I find it much more absorbent than shavings and find I use much less of it than when I use shavings.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

When it comes to pet shop products, lots of items are absolutely fine but sadly some things are not - some toys and commercial treats etc can be unsafe and unsuitable/unhealthy
Click to expand...
thankyou! iv read so many mixed reviews and its got me worried! ill have to look into megazorb!

yes i couldn’t believe the ingredients in about 98% of ‘treats suitable for guineapigs in places like P@H and jolleys! all things they should be avoiding and they sell them as a ‘healthy treat’?!
 
I only use a bit a shaving in litter trays, I prefer fleece liners, much easier to clean, and think my 8 like the softer feel on their delicate feet.
 
I cover all my disposable beddings with big piles of hay.

On fleece, if your piggies are living indoors, then using fleece is an option, but if they are living outdoors, then you cant use fleece
 
Tnoz said:
I only use a bit a shaving in litter trays, I prefer fleece liners, much easier to clean, and think my 8 like the softer feel on their delicate feet
Tnoz said:
I only use a bit a shaving in litter trays, I prefer fleece liners, much easier to clean, and think my 8 like the softer feel on their delicate feet.
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yeah i feel like being outdoor piggies woodshavings are a better option but will think i definitely would use fleece if they where kept inside!
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Piggies&buns said:
I cover all my disposable beddings with big piles of hay.

On fleece, if your piggies are living indoors, then using fleece is an option, but if they are living outdoors, then you cant use fleece
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yes they will be outdoor piggies so woodshavings it is!
 
piggiemummy03x said:
yes they will be outdoor piggies so woodshavings it is!
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I would recommend you fill hutches with lots and lots of hay to ensure they are kept warm and can snuggle into it

Snugglesafe heatpads are also essential for outdoor piggies, as well as thermal hutch covers
 
Piggies&buns said:
I would recommend you fill hutches with lots and lots of hay to ensure they are kept warm and can snuggle into it

Snugglesafe heatpads are also essential for outdoor piggies, as well as thermal hutch covers
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yes of corse! we have a thermal hutch cover and i’ve got my boyfriend to actually build a ‘piggy shelter’ in which we have placed the hutch, it’s essentially a shed with a large opening door that when pushed open turns into a wall, i can then keep it open in the summer and close off at night!
 
Wow your shelter sounds fab! I've used pah woodshavings for years and never had any issues.
 
Just started buying the Snowflake wood shavings - I can get the larger of the 2 sizes available at my local Tesco for £2.50 - great value and just as good as any other I've used. I just put it in the bottom of my 2 hay trays (on top of newspaper) that my boars use for added absorbency 🙂
 
Zanzan said:
Wow your shelter sounds fab! I've used pah woodshavings for years and never had any issues.
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thanks! very grateful for my boyfriend, would have never been able to come up / make it with out him! i’ll try to get some pictures once its all done and set up! okay thats good to know!
 
LollyJJ said:
Just started buying the Snowflake wood shavings - I can get the larger of the 2 sizes available at my local Tesco for £2.50 - great value and just as good as any other I've used. I just put it in the bottom of my 2 hay trays (on top of newspaper) that my boars use for added absorbency 🙂
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thats great! wilko sell 7kg bags for £3.50! i’m just about to order 4, £5 delivery, thats 28kg for just under £20! i did read that soft wood was a big no no for guineapigs but it seems lots of people use snowflake shavings and haven’t had a problem!
 
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