Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

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I have tried different bedding for my piggies,
Hay- Smells bad when it gets damp
Fleece- Keeps things tidy but caca sweeps (me and the other hlaf have fondly called them) have to be done a lot and fleece changed every couple of days.
Shredded paper- This was good but I went through so much so quickly Nan was inundated with requests for more bags of paper (older generation love shredding!)
Now on sawdust and that is going pretty well, I like to keep my piggies clean so clean them every two days. A little excessive perhaps?! Just like it all to be fresh and its cheap to keep on top of and buy! Also I have found this the easiest to clean and quickest :)
 
Which is why I use snowflake, its even better than shavings. ;)
 
I get mine from my local independent pet store. They order it in for me. Its a highly absorbent wood chip that locks in odours. Quite a few of us on here use it. Just google "snowflake soft chip animal bedding" ;)
 
Completely different, its small chips compared to shavings.
 
Oh cool I'm using Fitch at the min which I think you recommended before ( def someone on here) as wood shavings made my boys sneeze. But they did like them and they were super easy to clean.
 
Can I ask for those of you that have indoor cages, do you use shavings or blankets in the run? Thanks x
 
thanks :) ive been using it for a few weeks now i think its really good I'm using it for my chinchillas atm it looks like its sharp but its not its surprisingly quite soft and not dusty at all sometimes i find megazorb can be its also great for absorbing urine really like it seems to last longer than megazorb too and cheaper too win win by the look of it :) the chinchillas feet are fine too no sore hocks I'm sure it be fine for piggies too xx
 
Hi guys I'm new to all this. I'm looking at rescuing 2 guinea pigs and I'm trying to get everything ready for their arrival. I've read through all the bedding and I'm thinking of going for the fleece. My question is (which may be stupid) do I need to put an absorbent pad underneath the fleece or is it ok with just the fleece on its own? I was thinking of doubling the fleece if I don't need an absorbent pad underneath. The cage will be a c&c cage.

Thanks for any helping clearing this up
 
:agr: Its ever so helpful, i was worried about getting pigs for the first time, but all the info on here has made it so easy! :luv:
 
clefairyuk69 said:
Hi guys I'm new to all this. I'm looking at rescuing 2 guinea pigs and I'm trying to get everything ready for their arrival. I've read through all the bedding and I'm thinking of going for the fleece. My question is (which may be stupid) do I need to put an absorbent pad underneath the fleece or is it ok with just the fleece on its own? I was thinking of doubling the fleece if I don't need an absorbent pad underneath. The cage will be a c&c cage.

Thanks for any helping clearing this up
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You'll want an absorbent layer underneath. Otherwise, it will start to smell quickly. The fleece is just a pass-through for the urine. The urine needs to be soaked up by something. I currently have wood pellets underneath the fleece to catch it. Works great so far. But I am a bit of a neat freak and have two piggy bed spreads on the way. They are fleece liners with the absorbent layer in the middle. I'm in the room every day cleaning the cage anyhow, so the upkeep is fine for me.

Good luck with your new piggies!
 
stevsh said:
You'll want an absorbent layer underneath. Otherwise, it will start to smell quickly. The fleece is just a pass-through for the urine. The urine needs to be soaked up by something. I currently have wood pellets underneath the fleece to catch it. Works great so far. But I am a bit of a neat freak and have two piggy bed spreads on the way. They are fleece liners with the absorbent layer in the middle. I'm in the room every day cleaning the cage anyhow, so the upkeep is fine for me.

Good luck with your new piggies!
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Thanks stevsh that's very helpful. I have got a quote for the liners with the absorbent layer to see how much they are. I'm trying to get everything ready before the rspca come for the house visit so fingers crossed they will be a wonderful addition to our family
RedRosa I'm definitely worried about doing everything right ha ha
 
clefairyuk69 said:
Thanks stevsh that's very helpful. I have got a quote for the liners with the absorbent layer to see how much they are. I'm trying to get everything ready before the rspca come for the house visit so fingers crossed they will be a wonderful addition to our family
RedRosa I'm definitely worried about doing everything right ha ha
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I've got made liners with an absorbent layer, there good! I use a layer of paper and then a towel and then the liners just for extra padding really and so it doesn't need changing out as often. I also use shredded paper in areas where she wees a lot, I don't know if you plan on litter training?

Towel wise you can get really cheap towels from primark or the range :)
 
A&T said:
I've got made liners with an absorbent layer, there good! I use a layer of paper and then a towel and then the liners just for extra padding really and so it doesn't need changing out as often. I also use shredded paper in areas where she wees a lot, I don't know if you plan on litter training?

Towel wise you can get really cheap towels from primark or the range :)
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Sorry not been able to get on for a few days. Think I'm going to order the liners think they look really clean and I like the idea of just washing them ha ha

Thanks everyone for your help
 
I caved and ordered the liners as well ;) I was going to make them, but after finding all the different fabrics I would need, and then thinking about how lazy I am when it comes to actually sewing it all together, reality hit and I just hit the "buy" button. So much easier ;)
 
stevsh said:
I caved and ordered the liners as well ;) I was going to make them, but after finding all the different fabrics I would need, and then thinking about how lazy I am when it comes to actually sewing it all together, reality hit and I just hit the "buy" button. So much easier ;)
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Ha ha that's exactly what I did lol I'm Gona get mine from ziggies piggies she really cheap. Where have you got yours from?
 
Someone directed me to a piggybedspreads.com so I just did that. I didn't know of any other sites at that time. I will have to check out ziggies piggies! I have a Midwest Habitat, and this lady had the perfect measurements for that habitat already, so it was nice.
 
ziggy piggies made me some liners for my chinchillas they are really nice but i dont use them any more as ive switched to bedding so i might sell them in future not sure yet x
 
clefairyuk69 said:
Ha ha that's exactly what I did lol I'm Gona get mine from ziggies piggies she really cheap. Where have you got yours from?
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I got mine from Ziggie's Piggies . I note the laundry instructions advise washing a 40 degrees Celsius. I like to wash mine at 60 degrees so I order a bit larger than needed to allow for shrinkage
 
stevsh said:
Ah - Ziggies Piggies is in the UK. I am in the US, so that wouldn't work well for me shipping time-wise ;)
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I'm in the US too.
clefairyuk69 said:
Hi guys I'm new to all this. I'm looking at rescuing 2 guinea pigs and I'm trying to get everything ready for their arrival. I've read through all the bedding and I'm thinking of going for the fleece. My question is (which may be stupid) do I need to put an absorbent pad underneath the fleece or is it ok with just the fleece on its own? I was thinking of doubling the fleece if I don't need an absorbent pad underneath. The cage will be a c&c cage.

Thanks for any helping clearing this up
Click to expand...

I've had my two pigs for about a month now. I'm using fleece with newspaper underneath in a DIY C&C floor cage. It works pretty well, I change the paper about every couple of days, which is quick and easy. Although the pigs wee in two corners of their cage, so that helps. I clean the fleece outside to get hay and hair out, and machine wash once a week. I have a hay loft as well with just hay and newspaper.

They seem to like the set up. But I am thinking about putting a towel underneath, I'm worried about the thin paper/fleece combo being tough on their feet.
 
I currently use guinea-friendly shavings. I am looking into switching to fleece to avoid having to go buy shavings so often, as well as the mess of the shavings all over my carpet (both because I'm clumsy when changing bedding and because he runs in circles and kicks it out hah!). I had read that often they will get under the edge of the fleece and tunnel. I have a store bought cage with a plastic bottom so I wouldn't really know how to secure it easily. However, I just looked through the cage sticky and noticed many photos showed fleece that appeared to be unattached. Should I go ahead and try it out?
 
I have used few different types :lol: - thick hay on its own is not great as pee soaks through and so you still need to put puppy pad, or Snowflake under it to ensure that the pee gets soaked up, otherwise you will go through tons of hay! Just newspaper under hay went soggy very quickly, so I put paper under the Snowflake just to make cleaning easier (just roll it up and bin).

But I found Snowflake too messy inside, and the lovely smell of the Snowflake which I like, my OH didn't. :doh:

Since the boys have been inside in the cage over winter I have switched to a large tray of hay with a puppy liner under and then the rest of the cage with fleece liners which are amazing - easy to clean, no smells and they wash and wash and just get better.:clap: I didn't get on well with normal fleece layered on towels but these really work, so am converted.

Now the boys are back in the hutch and run during the day, I will stick with the liners for the main hutch and the hay and pad for the bedroom but in the shed I will probably use a layer of Snowflake on newspaper covered in a thick layer of hay in their bedroom, as it stays drier longer and I found no problems with the boys on this.
 
E2Pigs - You should really try the wood pellets under the fleece if you are in the US. They are sold at like Lowe's/Home Depot for wood stoves. As long as you can find 100% hardwood natural pellets, you can get a 40lb bag for about $5 and it will last 6-8 weeks under the fleece. No smell at all and they absorb fabulously! This is what I'm currently doing.

However, I am going to give the absorbent fleece liners a shot here this weekend. I hate the mess that comes with shavings/pellets, etc. So I have a little hand vacuum to clean up the poop a few times a day, and then the two fleece liners to change out every few days.
 
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I'm lucky in that my gang are in a shed in hutches, so the snowflake is perfect for me. ;) Plus since the new owners took over at my petshop, they have dropped the price of a bale by 50p - it doesn't sound much, but when you go through 30-35 bales a year, it soon mounts up. ;)
 
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