Are my piggies excessively dirty or is the bedding not right?!

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Lisa_Ann

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Hi, I have two young boy piggies, had them for nearly a week now and they live in a hutch outdoors.

I have noticed that the bedding gets dirty really quickly, with loads of poos and then the newspaper sheets are wet. I have cleaned the hutch out completely twice already in 5 days, and today again (one day after cleaning out with fresh everything, one part of their hutch is already a bit wet).


it might be that they are using a couple of places to do their business and these need more newspaper and care fresh.

I am using what I thought was quite a bit of newspaper, care fresh and lots of hay which I top up twice a day.

Should I try more newspaper? I have used a bit of care fresh but only a thin layer as already I have used nearly a whole bag. Should I be putting down a thick layer?

Any suggestions most welcome! Thanks!
 
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i used to use about a 2 inch layer of carefresh at the bottom of the cage with no news paper and i used to life out the wet patches when required. I gave the hay in hay racks as well instead of ot on the floor as it means they are eating it instead of weeing on it. I use shavings in my cages and fleece in my c&c now as I was spending a bomb on carefresh. I do know you can get auboise from equine suppliers and thats meant to be really good. xx I just realised your piggies were outdoors so they will need extra hay to keep warm x
 
I've always found piggies need a daily spot clean, whatever bedding I've used, to be honest...
 
Eugh carefresh, how to wave goodbye to a small fortune, hate the stuff!

I use shredded paper for my lot, I get it from my stables as my horse is kept on the same stuff, it's fantastic, I get a massive bag for £7.50 and it lasts four hutches for, hmm, about 4-6 weeks? I use a layer about 4cm thick on sheets of paper, and when you take it out you could honestly take the sheets inside and read them - it is SO absorbant. It's also nice and warm as the air circulates between the bits of paper. I don't know why it took me so long to switch from shavings!

If you are prepared to travel for your bedding I would be happy to order you some, next delivery is 2 weeks tomorrow.
 
Eugh carefresh, how to wave goodbye to a small fortune, hate the stuff!

I use shredded paper for my lot, I get it from my stables as my horse is kept on the same stuff, it's fantastic, I get a massive bag for £7.50 and it lasts four hutches for, hmm, about 4-6 weeks? I use a layer about 4cm thick on sheets of paper, and when you take it out you could honestly take the sheets inside and read them - it is SO absorbant. It's also nice and warm as the air circulates between the bits of paper. I don't know why it took me so long to switch from shavings!

If you are prepared to travel for your bedding I would be happy to order you some, next delivery is 2 weeks tomorrow.

Do you use this for outdoor piggies? and do you use instead of hay for bedding? and does it have a name? Cheers Paula x
 
Heyoo I have two boys too and they live outdoors, and had the same problem as you. :) I use this layer method: Table Mats in the bedding quater and lino for the living room area, then there is about four sheets of newspaper, then shredded paper, a good layer of sawdust and then lots of hay! The bedding area is made up of table mats,newspaper, shredded paper, vet bed/ fleece then hay, I always find the bedding area gets soiled quickly! It takes me about five mins each day to remove soiled areas and replace with fresh which i feel is a good idea! I use a tissue box as a make shift hay box too so they always have fresh clean hay, hope you find your ideal bedding soon :)
 
Do you use this for outdoor piggies? and do you use instead of hay for bedding? and does it have a name? Cheers Paula x

I do, all mine are outdoor except from October to April they come into our conservatory.

They still get some hay in their sleepy areas, more when it's cold obviously, but the majority of the hutch is the shredded newspaper. They get fed hay from hayracks so I don't waste too much on the floor - it's getting expensive and I am afraid depending on your area is only going to be going up :(

It doesn't have a name as such, just shredded paper, we get it from a local supplier called Ashurst Farm Feeds

http://www.ashurstfarm.co.uk/horses/horse_bedding.html

It's the stuff called Paper Horse Paper Bedding, we have to pay delivery charges too which is why it costs us a bit more than on the website.
 
I think megazorb with hay on top is great. I clean mine twice a week and they are still not wet as such, a big bag is 6.99 with £5 postage from farmway.Well worth the money
 
I think megazorb with hay on top is great. I clean mine twice a week and they are still not wet as such, a big bag is 6.99 with £5 postage from farmway.Well worth the money

I'm the same - use newspaper with a layer of megazorb then hay and clean the boys who live outdoors twice a week - paper will get damp but not wet. Leo bunny has the same. I do check twice daily for wet areas and spot clean where/if needed.
 
Mine live in a converted dog crate, made into 2 levels. girls on top level and boys underneath. I use a layer of newspaper, then a puppy pad then a fleece on top. hay is put in the corner in a plastic tray. I shake the fleece every day and change the puppy pads about twice a week. The fleece is washed every 3rd day.:)
 
Thanks everyone. I am going to try megazorb, it looks much cheaper too than care fresh and I can use a lot more. How much do you generally put down? I can't believe I have got through a whole small bag of care fresh in one week, and that was using it sparingly last clean out.

Am getting through lots of hay too as I am worried about them being warm enough and having enough fresh hay to eat. Got through nearly 2 bags already in one week!
 
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With megazorb, remember it swells when it gets wet, so don't think 'ah I will make a nice thick bed!' as when they wee on it it will swell up, and up, and up...you get the idea!

It would be very well worth checking local livery yards to see if they will let you order yours with their bulk orders, if they use it, as you get a decent discount for buying in bulk thus per bag it ends up cheaper. You may have to go and pick it up but it's never a chore going to see ponies...well not for me lol.

Re the hay, if you use a LOT, have you considered buying a bale? Bales are best stored off the floor on a table or pallet, covered LOOSELY in ideally a non-plastic material...we use one of our horse's old rugs but a blanket works just as well...and in a secure, dry shed/garage where you have not previously had a rodent issue. Of course we get rats in ours from time to time, but the yard dog sees them off pretty sharpish!
 
I buy megazorb for £7.20 from my local feed supplier so definitely worth shopping round to see if you can get it locally as the courier charges make it expensive online. :)
 
Megazorb

Just an update on my original post. I have been using Megazorb on top of newspaper for 2 weeks now and it is MUCH better. Still doing cleans out regularly but it is not so worrying and not drenched like it was before when using care fresh. Much cheaper too!
 
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