Bedding check

[Qpigs]

So we're 5 days into our guinea pig journey. They are currently in a Ferplast 100 cage with wood shavings and newspaper - long story on another thread. I'm hoping to set them up in a C&C at the weekend. I want to use washable bedding but I don't want to pay out a lot in case I don't get on with it. Having read through this forum, I thought I'd start with bath mats. I do have some small fleece pet blankets I might wrap around a towel for 1 section too. I bought absorbant cleaning pads on the off chance they might work as pee pads? Do the mat and pads look OK to use? If not, any other cheap idea for me to try out?

I've bought disposable puppy pads to go underneath to start with.

We have names for them now - the light one is Muffin and the black & white one is Skittles. They love the carrot house and their hay cube.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m not sure how absorbent the cleaning pads are so would go with fleece blankets on top of the puppy pads. Towels can sometimes not dry quickly so would avoid them.

 

[Deleted member 151640]

A lot of people use just disposable puppy pads and then the fleece or bath mats on top, you can bulk buy them and reduce cost slightly.
With the bath mats mine took ages to wick, so you might want to start sooner rather than later.

When I first took my boys home, even after fostering pigs for years, I found using the search bit on the forum helpful to ask questions I had in my mind.
Just a thought as you will be getting set up and it can get very overwhelming and I personally did not always have time to make a new thread when I first took mine home.
(In no way am I saying to not make your own thread, just a tip if you get stuck with something and need a answer quick!)

You may find this guide helpful to help with your bedding and the new owners one has so much information incase you have not seen it -
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[Qpigs]

A lot of people use just disposable puppy pads and then the fleece or bath mats on top, you can bulk buy them and reduce cost slightly.
With the bath mats mine took ages to wick, so you might want to start sooner rather than later.

When I first took my boys home, even after fostering pigs for years, I found using the search bit on the forum helpful to ask questions I had in my mind.
Just a thought as you will be getting set up and it can get very overwhelming and I personally did not always have time to make a new thread when I first took mine home.
(In no way am I saying to not make your own thread, just a tip if you get stuck with something and need a answer quick!)

You may find this guide helpful to help with your bedding and the new owners one has so much information incase you have not seen it -
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

Thank you, this forum has been amazing. Unfortunately I'm a person who likes to get things right and there doesn't appear to be one right way to do things (the bane of my life in general!)
The piggies seem happy and are already taking food from me, so I'm doing something right.

 

[Jenni85]

The noodle mat looks perfect, I'm not sure about the absorbant cleaning pads though. I use disposable puppy pads under the noodle mats in the hay areas, they tend to toilet where they eat so it's easy to change every other day.

Your little ones are gorgeous enjoying their carrot cottage

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

I use newspaper under my fleece liners/noodle bath mats but I buy the newspaper anyway to read. I suspect it would be more expensive than puppy pads if you didn’t The C&C cage is lined with a correx base.

 

[Piggies&buns]

No there isn’t a ‘right way’! When it comes to bedding it comes down to what works best for you!

Mine are on a layer of newspaper, then a layer of disposable bedding and then all topped with hay.

 

[Dollyx]

I use old bath towels/beach towels underneath fleece and it works really well for me! The upside I find with it, is I wouldn't have to keep buying puppy pads/any other one time use absorbent layer. Downside that I can see most people having, is that it's quite the load of laundry. But I think it's worth it! You can find lots of big quantities of fleece from craft stores on sale and if you already have towels that aren't being used, you'll hardly spend anything! (The biggest cost is the laundry

 

[Qpigs]

Just popped to Wilko and found their bath mats at £3 each with shorter noodles. The longer-noodled B&M ones will be our new bath mats then!

I will try the bath mat on one side and fleece on the other, with disposable puppy pads underneath, and see how we go. Fleece has been washed several times and I'll try our old bath mat first as it's been washed more. Hoping the girls like it, me too, as I'm not a fan of the smell of wood shavings.