Bedding change and hay change - how often?

[BumbleMoon]

Hello!
I am one week in with 2 new guinea pigs and was hoping for some advice about bedding changes.
Both pigs are outside in a custom built playhouse, which has been insulated, lined with Lino, ventilation, rat wire, insect screens etc. (this was very much thought through )

However, I would like some advice about bedding and how often to change. We have about 3 inches of aubiose bedding topped with loads of hay across the whole of the floor. They have access to hay everywhere and it covers most of their floor space. Every morning and evening we poo pick as much as we can, and the bedding seems dry- no wet patches.

Every morning I remove most of the hay (leave a little for scent purposes) but I want to make sure that this is necessary? I’m fairly certain it is as they have most likely wee’d all over it (but it often feels dry.

I was going to change the aubiose totally every week, but a friend of mine said it can last longer and to just keep an eye on the top layer to make sure it’s dry?

So basically, do I totally replace the hay every morning, and does the aubiose bedding need changing every 7days or so, or can it be left longer if it seems dry?

Thank you!

 

[Betsy]

Welcome to the Forum! What part of Dorset are you from?

Mine are bedded on fleece in my garage. I don't change the hay every day. I just top it up with more. Obviously, all the damp stuff get removed on a regular basis. I leave all the rest in cos it smells of them. I haven't had any complaints from my three. It doesn't do them any harm if they eat some hay that's had wee and poop on it. I think they prefer it with a bit of extra "seasoning"!

 

[Truffolo]

I use wood shavings, but I also use hemp sometimes. It is a very good bedding. I don't change out the bedding entirely, but launder in new bedding in big handfuls every day. If I see pee spots, I dig out the bedding beneath the surface and throw away everything that is damp with pee. Hemp is better at absorbing fluid, but I like to get rid of the damp stuff wherever I find it. I put in dry bedding to replace the wet stuff I have removed and scrunch it around and toss it to get some air into it so that the pee spot is nice and airy and dry. Then I put in extra dry shavings, a handful or two, in sleeping spots and fluff up the bedding. You might want to roll the hay layer back to get at the hemp, and replace the flattened hay in the sleeping spots if they sleep directly on it. I have an area for feeding hay and replace this twice a day. I clean out poop and peed on bedding twice a day, but my piggies are indoor pigs and I have to prevent any smell or flies etc

 

[Truffolo]

If the bedding is broken down with lots of dust and hay dust, I hook out the bits of dusty stuff and put in fresh bedding.

 

[BumbleMoon]

Amazing! Thanks so much, that’s all really helpful. I think I will replace the hay in their hideys where it will be most used, and will continue to change the areas of pee. Think I will leave the aubiose for a bit longer before it is all pulled out. It is totally dry on top, which I was incredibly impressed with.

 

[Truffolo]

It's as pleasure. Yes, I like using shavings or hemp, it's a system that I find easiest as I don't need to use the washing machine for piggy stuff.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Aubiose is good (I used to use it at times, I now use snowflake softchip as it works much the same - I get a 15kg bale for £7 from my local farm shop as it’s much cheaper than I could get aubiose from them for) and you probably don’t need to replace it all every week given you are using a thick bed.

Mine live in my shed.
I bed on the snowflake softchip and hay. I remove just areas of wet hay and bedding every day and top it up. I do it twice a day in winter given they can’t be exposed to any damp. I remove as many poops as I can.
I then sweep out as much as is needed every week and sometimes it doesn’t all need to be replaced. I don’t use as deep a bedding as you are though, probably an inch deep - As I have so many animals it would cost a fortune!