bedding options

[sammat]

Hi,

Totally new to this so need lots of advice and think I may have made a mistake. Not got any gp's yet as want to be sure on everything first so mistakes are ok! Anyway, decided that want to keep them inside as they are "for" my eldest child (me really but he wants them too) and felt that if they went outside in shed they may not get as much attention as they should etc. Also decided that the C+C cages looked great so have decided to go with that and was convinced that fleece bedding would be the way to go, but the more I read the more confused I get. I definitely need a bedding that will keep smells to minimum otherwise hubby will banish the gp's outside and have been reading that after using washing machine for fleece bedding I should then run it again on an empty hot wash cycle to eliminate any germs as using it for household washing too?! Am beginning to think that this would not be too cost effective? Also like the idea of gp having hay to burrow in etc?

Have seen some good reviews of megazorb etc and wondered about using this? Can I use this with a C+C cage or will it get messy? How do I use it - do I put paper underneath, hay on top?

I just want cost effective, easy, non smelling solution that the gp's will like - advice please!

Thanks

 

[twiams]

Hope this helps,

Fleece
Fleece is one of those beddings that takes a lot of hard work but piggies love it, it’s soft and comfy and there are a range of different ways to layer it some people like to layer it, newspaper, towel, fleece Or Just towel and then fleece, i used to use just towel and then fleece, but later discovered the joy of cage liners and decided to use my own, my cage is now fleece, mattress protector, fleece, which makes a great reversible liner that is all sewn together so can just be rolled up shaken out and bunged in the washing machine.
Fleece needs to be swept at least every other day but preferably daily, otherwise as i discover as your pigs start standing in poops it gets stuck in their nails and as they stand at the side of the cage the poops fall off onto the floor, this happens even when you do sweep but gets worse when you dont.
Fleece will need to be changed every 3-4 days, but this really depends on how big your cage is, the smaller the cage the wetter it will get quicker as theres less space to wee as such, when one of my boys was in a temporary small housing it was quite a small space and needed new fleece every 1 or 2 days!
Fleece is great and it’s perfect if you want to dec your cage out with soft furnishings like cosy beds and fleece tunnels. My boys have quite a few of these and they’re so happy with them!
The only downside to fleece is how much the hay sticks to it, i have my food area on an upper level so it’s about 1x2 in grids and it just gets plastered with hay and takes a good shake outside to rid it of the mounds of hay, they sleep on more than they eat!
If you like fleece but want somewhere the pigs can burrow many people use hay boxes, usually a plastic box with little doors cut out that you can just put clumps of hay in and obviously some bedding or newspaper on the floor that the pigs can go in to eat and sleep some hay will obviously drop out as the pigs come in and out of the box but it’s a great way to get the best of both worlds.

I’ve always just washed mine in the machine then gone round with a kitchen roll to wipe down the inside of the washing machine especially the rubber seal to get rid of any hay, but it’s not that bad really as i always take it out to shake it so any poops end up on the grass!
(Fleece will need to be washed three times before it can be used in a guinea pig cage to allow the fleece to soak water through to the towel, new fleece has a layer to prevent water going through.)

Fitch
Fitch is my favourite paper based bedding. Although i haven’t tried megazorb.
http://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/animal-bedding/horse-bedding.html
Fitch is a super soft fluffy, recycled paper bedding originally designed for horses but i love using it for my loan piggy Marmite, it’s so soft, and really warm, even just by putting your hand amongst you can feel the warmth after a while. It doesn’t stick to fleecy items as much as sawdust but things do still need a good shake off, (Marmite usually has a little cosy bed and or tunnel in his cage.) The only downside i find is that my leaky bottle makes the cage really damp really quickly as the water that collects on the floor just slowly spreads out and soaks all the bedding however this is the bottles problem not the bedding.
Fitch only needs to be cleaned out about every 7 days but again it depends on the size of your cage, if it’s smaller it will need more regular cleaning. My loan boar, Marmite, loves to sleep on hay, so he gets the fun of pulling it out of his rack without me having to worry about the washing after as all the bedding just gets chucked in the bin at the end of it. I sometimes put piles of hay on top of his bedding but he seems to have more fun pulling hay about himself so he keeps himself entertained.
Some people like to use newspaper under megazorb or fitch or any bedding but i’ve never seen a need for it and usually just leave it bare but make sure you give the base a good wash each time, although the same stands for fleece the cage needs to be hygienic of course.
Beddings like this won’t cause a problem in a C&C cage as long as you make the sides a bit higher so that when the piggies run they don’t splash it around, the cage that holds fitch has higher sides than my cage that holds fleece.

I’ve never found fleece to be smelly as long as you keep on top of the washing and sweeping, and the same with fitch as long as you clean it at least weekly it doesn’t smell. My pigs live in my bedroom so they’d be out if they got too smelly haha. Fleece is obviously the most expensive to start with as you need to buy several fleeces and towels etc. but after that you only have the cost of washing, where as bedding you need to regularly buy although fitch will last ages!

 

[Hanlou]

Hello! Fleece is great but I got fed up of brushing it down etc. Now I have a large cage (4x5 grid C&C) I use a grass-based bedding called Cavianthus. The main advantage for me is that it can be scooped up and put straight into the Green Wheeliebin. I love the fact I can just chuck a pile of hay in for the piggies to play in and eat too.

Aubiose - a hemp based bedding - is another one that can go straight into the Green Wheeliebin if you have such a scheme where you live.

It's also very cheap for me as a farm/equine place near us sell the 20kg bales for just £7.49.

I like fleece but it is a bit faffy. I will be adding an extra 4x2 section to my cage at some point and will try using fleece in that section and see how it goes to try and give them 'the best of both worlds'.

I tried Vetbed but the piggies ate holes in it!

I 'spot clean' my big cage about twice a week and only do a full clean every month and even with 7 pigs it doesn't get smelly.

 

[sammat]

Hi and thanks for your replies!

Hanlou, are you pigs kept inside? Does this bedding make a mess around the cage or is it ok, and do you put anything underneath it like newspaper?

 

[jenniferanneharris]

just to say i have used fleece and still do at times, but as you say fleece is quite fiddly etc, so i also now use finacard most of the time:

http://www.finacard-uk.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=48&zenid=3g565iaecd280iopctonrhd134

its great value and i find very good, i use puppypads under the finacard as an extra layer of absorption and i cant fault it. Very good price for a large bale and quick delivery...cant fault it, have used it for about 5 months now and cant fault it.

 

[garfieldette]

Hi. Bedding choice is one of those things where everyone has their personal favourites. I've tried quite a few now, always thinking that there is something better but I can only give you my experience. I've used fitted fleece cage liners for years but recently changed to a different size C&C cage so decided to try some of the different bedding recommended on here. Here is my personal experience of using some of the options:

Vetbed - is great but its expensive to purchase initially, you have to use something underneath it to absorb the wee which can be just newspaper but some people use towels or disposable puppy pads. It has to be brushed out and washed and I found that its really hard to get the hay off it. I was using just newspaper which needed changes every 3 days so was going through a lot of newspaper.

Fleece and human incontinence bed mattress protector - bought as two separate items (mattress protectors are available on amazon) - easy to do a clean, just gather up the corners, take outside and shake out, brush and whack into an old quilt cover, tie the top then stick in the washing machine. Lasted me a week between cleans but fleece does eventually start to show wear and tear and can get difficult to get the hair off it after a while

Fitted cage liners - there are a number of people on here that produce fitted cage liners to the size required. I have mine with fitted sides so it fits over the side of the correx base. I like the fact its all in one with the absorbent layer built in. Just gather up the corners and take outside, shake it out, brush out then bung in the washing machine in the quilt cover. Again, same as standard fleece, the hair builds up over time but my last cage liners lasted 2 years so not bad return on investment.

Megazorb and aquaflex - when I switched to the new size cage I decided to use newspaper with megazorb on top then a piece of aquaflex over the top of that (Aquaflex is a rubber matting with small holes in so the wee can go straight through to the megazorb which is absorbent). Megazorb is like a grey paper based substance which is very absorbent. I found it lasted really well and could go 2 weeks between full cleans, just remove the soiled areas as they appear. Had to chance the aquaflex each week still though. Great for lasting, but come to do the full clean and its a hands and knees with a dustpan job. Plus your rubbish bin gets filled up.

Fitch with aquaflex - after reading recommendations about fitch I decided to give it a go. Used it in the same way as above but instead of the megazorb. I know others love it but I really cannot get on with it. Its like white tissue paper that's been through the washing machine. It gets stuck to everything and travels round the house on peoples shoes! I have also found that I have to do a full clean out and replace each week which really does fill my bin up! And take my weekend up.

I have decided to go back to fleece cage liners as for me I would rather just scoop up the lot and take it outside to brush out than spend time crawling round the floor sweeping out. I have been washing my fleece cage liners in our washing machine for nearly 3 years and as long as you brush out and put in a duvet cover to wash I have had no problems with our machine or any hair or hay appearing on washed clothing.

A lot depends on the size of the cage you will have. I feel the bigger it is the more cage liners work out economical. But this is only my experience.


Beki

 

[klee]

I have used shavings, fleece and cardboard type bedding both inside and outside and by far I think the cardboard is the best stuff I've used.
I found with fleece it started to smell about 3 days in, and the pigs used to bury underneath it, shavings can get very messy when inside- although i do prefer these to fleece. I have used both finacard and walmsley premier bed, premier bed is cheaper if you are near a supplier, they are mainly based in leeds but have a few dotted about. I bought some more today from a lady in wales and it was 6.20 a bale which will last nearly 2 months. Finacard I think gives a better coverage as the card pieces are different shapes whereas premierbed ia mainly squares.

I found that when using the card bedding inside it didn't get kicked about as much as the shavings, and because the pieces are big you can use fleecy houses etc without getting them covered in shavings etc .

Meant to add: I use newspaper as a base layer and then puppy pads on top of that and when it comes to cleaning I just roll the newspaper up with the card and hay inside it.

 

[Hanlou]

My pigs are inside in a spare bedroom - no the bedding doesn't travel much outside the cage. Hay gets everywhere lol no matter what I do but the floor in that room is laminate so easy to sweep up etc. I don't use anything underneath the bedding, no.

I used machine washable in continence pads plus a microfibre towel (much more absorbent and dries much quicker than normal towels) with fleece on top when I used fleece and it went about a week but did smell in summer sometimes. I swept it every night.

 

[Ben and Jerry]

I started with megazorb but found it was expensive having it delivered and the amount they were going through (I scoop out wet bits at least once a day). I then read about fleece and was going to go that way but then came across Vetbed. I invested in some from ebay (£22.40 for a 3m x 75cm roll). I now use folded towels and Vetbed on top. When it comes to cleaning out I just take out the Vetbed, shake it over the recycling bin the hoover the hay off before putting it and the towels in the washer. I don't find it difficult or tedious but do find it keeps the cage cleaner as I poop-scoop daily. This is so easy to do on both fleece and Vetbed.

It's all down to personal choice but I love the Vetbed option.

 

[AbiS]

My piggies are outside so cant comment on the best thing to keep indoor piggies on. However, in the 3 months I have had mine I started with a big bag of shavings, I then moved to megazorb as I heard this was better. It is horrible - will never use again! It has a nasty smell and it is really dusty - I was coughing after putting the clean stuff in the hutch. Yes, it is absorbant and easy to clean out but the cons outweigh the pros in my mind. Also, when the boys were eating nuggets the megazorb would stick on their feet and end up in the food bowl so I ended up with a lot of wasted food because I had to replace it regularly! Have just gone back to shavings!