Bedding For The Floor

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Rachsan

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I am just setting my hutch up ready for my new piggies...so excited! One query I have though is what bedding to put where? I have two different hays already but do I put just hay on the floor or something else as well? My plan is to fill their 'sealed off' bedroom with lots of hay. Should I have anything else?
 
Are they indoors or outdoors?

My two are outdoor piggies, we laid vinyl tiles on the floor and part way up the walls to stop the wood getting wet. I started off using woodchips on top of newspaper all over the whole hutch and then plenty of hay piled into the sleeping area (we now have a hidey in the main area so there is hay in that too. I have since switched to a Fitch layer ( a recycled paper based layer) in place of the wood shavings with newspaper and puppy training pads. You do need something to soak up the wee or you they will be sitting in puddles! With the puppy pads I put one layer all through the hutch on top of newspaper and then extra strips where they wee the most, I pick up the poo and replace areas of soggy Fitch every day and then replace the extra strips of puppy pad every second day. I find the extra strips make it easier as I can just roll it all up and put a fresh bit down with fresh Fitch on top.

If they are indoors many people use towels and fleece or puppy pads and fleece but I'll leave advice on that to those who use it!
 
Lolly said:
Are they indoors or outdoors?

My two are outdoor piggies, we laid vinyl tiles on the floor and part way up the walls to stop the wood getting wet. I started off using woodchips on top of newspaper all over the whole hutch and then plenty of hay piled into the sleeping area (we now have a hidey in the main area so there is hay in that too. I have since switched to a Fitch layer ( a recycled paper based layer) in place of the wood shavings with newspaper and puppy training pads. You do need something to soak up the wee or you they will be sitting in puddles! With the puppy pads I put one layer all through the hutch on top of newspaper and then extra strips where they wee the most, I pick up the poo and replace areas of soggy Fitch every day and then replace the extra strips of puppy pad every second day. I find the extra strips make it easier as I can just roll it all up and put a fresh bit down with fresh Fitch on top.

If they are indoors many people use towels and fleece or puppy pads and fleece but I'll leave advice on that to those who use it!
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Hi
What adhesive did you use for the tiles ?
Thanks
 
I use a layer of newspaper (so I can roll everything up easily when cleaning) and then Snowflake wood shavings as an absorbent base with lots of hay over the top - I do this in both the bedroom and other bit so they are running over hay all the time - they do tramp the hay down quickly but I always top up the hay in the bedroom when locking them in at night. :)

I have a hutch with one of those plastic lined drawers which is great. I have started purchasing vinyl tiles to cover the shed floor, and have now realised they don't stick that great to the floor - so will probably need to paint the floor with some proper tile glue first to make sure they stay put :doh:
 
smileyface:) said:
I use a layer of newspaper (so I can roll everything up easily when cleaning) and then Snowflake wood shavings as an absorbent base with lots of hay over the top - I do this in both the bedroom and other bit so they are running over hay all the time - they do tramp the hay down quickly but I always top up the hay in the bedroom when locking them in at night. :)

I have a hutch with one of those plastic lined drawers which is great. I have started purchasing vinyl tiles to cover the shed floor, and have now realised they don't stick that great to the floor - so will probably need to paint the floor with some proper tile glue first to make sure they stay put :doh:
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If your shed floor is planks, they tend to give, you need to put ply wood down for a nice flat surface, that doesn't give. Prime the surface with PVA which is a glue, let that dry, then they should stick.
 
I use a layer of cardboard (just old packaging from things we've had delivered to us), then a layer of newspaper if I have any available (it is preferable to not for rolling up purposes as others have mentioned when cleaning out) then Fitch.

In the bedroom area the floor is covered with hay on top of the Fitch but not in the main "play" area.
 
What is Fitch?
The floor of our hutch is plastic lined. I may try out newspaper on the floor, then cover it with some shavings and hay as this seems to what a lot of people do and then I can try alternative things as I go along. Thanks for all of your advice! I love all of the piggie pictures above your names. How gorgeous they all are! :)
 
@Rachsan If you are in the UK I bought stick on tiles from Poundland, they come on a pack of 4. They stuck well to the floor but we put a bit of "No Nails" on the back of the wall ones - seem to have done the job!

Here is a link to the Fitch http://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/animal-bedding/fitch-pet-bedding.html I bought the 20kg bale and I have been using it for 4 weeks now. I think the bale will last about 9/10 weeks so it costs about £2 a week to use. Wood shavings are cheaper but some pigs can have problems with them, mine were fine but I thought I'd try something a bit softer and more absorbant and see how we got on with it!

I still use newspaper for the cleaning up ease, the puppy pads on top stop it getting soggy. I bought those in Poundstretcher for £4 for 30.
 
There is auboise and boss Hogg swears by snowflake.I used to use shavings in my litter trays but they made my nose itch.Have used finacard as well and really like that.There is a thread on bedding somewherr
 
Treacle said:
If your shed floor is planks, they tend to give, you need to put ply wood down for a nice flat surface, that doesn't give. Prime the surface with PVA which is a glue, let that dry, then they should stick.
Click to expand...

my floor is OSB flat but not a great surface to stick too. Thanks for the great tip - must try that :tu:
 
smileyface:) said:
my floor is OSB flat but not a great surface to stick too. Thanks for the great tip - must try that :tu:
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Yes, I have used PVA on that before, it will give it a more even surface, you might need 2 coats. You might still need more glue or double sided carpet tape. That type of board can blow if it gets very wet, so you will be protecting it.
 
madguinealady said:
There is auboise and boss Hogg swears by snowflake.I used to use shavings in my litter trays but they made my nose itch.Have used finacard as well and really like that.There is a thread on bedding somewherr
Click to expand...
I have just cleaned Pigson and Teddy out, who have had two weeks on a very deep bed of auboise. I have put hay on top, and have found I just needed to remove the hay every couple of days, the auboise stayed dry on the surface and as I cleaned it out today, it just had wet clumps at the bottom. I think that with spot cleaning the surface hay, if could have gone another week. They are in a huge indoor hutch.
 
In my hutch the hay does need to be changed on a regular basis as it will go mouldy if left for too long if wet, and if covered in more dry hay it might get hidden away, so I just work with a thin layer of Snowflake shavings so that I can change it all every 3-4 days at the most, and just remove all the bedding at once. Every second change is my proper big hutch cleanout with cleaning down the surfaces, and the one in between is just a quick brush up and replacement of bedding - seems to be working - the top layer is always nice and dry for the boys. :D
 
Thanks for all of the advice everyone! I am using wood shavings in the main areas and hay in their sleeping area. I think I may have gone a bit overboard with the hay as I was worried that they might get cold overnight! I felt the hay and it seemed to be dry tonight but I cleaned and brushed it out and the newspaper was wet underneath so I might try to use less hay so I know if the pigs have done a wee or not!
I am loving having the guinea pigs already. They are still really nervous but they are getting bolder by the day. Two very sweet girls. :)
 
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