Bedding Preferences

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What sort of bedding do you use for your piggies? I've always used wood shavings, and honestly hadn't even considered other types of bedding for piggies, but the more I read on here, the more curious I am!

It sounds like it would be more cost effective to get fleece or the other fabric options, as you can just buy it once and then wash it every few days, if I'm reading about it correctly? I'm spending $20 on wood shavings for every other cage cleaning seems like, and being able to gut the cost would be fantastic, because I'm on a bit of a budget right now.

What is your experience with non-wood-shaving beddings? Do you find them convenient, or frustrating?

Another concern I have is that I don't have a washer/dryer, I have to take my laundry to a laundrymat, so that might make it not so worth it, but I'd still love to hear your thoughts!
 
I use a hemp-based horse bedding called Aubiose. It's super absorbent and virtually dust free. I use it in my piggy shed (whether dependant) and their inside 5x2 C&C. I'm not sure if this is available in USA or if there's anything similar? Mine is £9 for 20kg and it last for quite a few weeks - I don't change all the bedding each week, only about 1/3 as my pigs mainly toilet in my strategically placed trays! I just poo pick and turn all of the bedding to take out any wet patches.
 
I used bedding then moved onto fleece and towels and now have fleece cage liners and they are so nice and will be easy to wash (only just arrived yesterday)
 
I use cage fleece liners and wash every 4 days,in my hutches in the shed i use aubiose,hemp bedding and megasorb in the litter trays and clean the whole hutch out every 6 days.With fleece you have to be prepared for twice daily sweeping of lots of poos!i used fleece when i went on holiday and i had to use a launderet and the cost was phenominal,about £10 a week!in washing and drying fees:yikes:
 
Ive had fleece and megazorb in the past and currently have vetbed but am wanting to change to wood based bedding/ hemp to reduce to damage to our washing machine. My only worry is that one of our boars is long haired and I dont want the bedding to get matted in his fur etc
 
I used fleece cage liners which I only need to change once a week at the mo as I have a large enclosure with onl 4 pigs. They get poops and fallen hay cleared out twice a day. I love fleece, its economical, fun patterned, nice for piggy feet and nowhere near as messy as loose bedding.
 
I started off using Auboise which I loved and it worked well.
But I also got through a lot, and it seemed like a pretty big ongoing cost.

I then switched to fleece which I love.
I think in the long run it costs much less (although depending on how you do it, the initial set up costs can be quite high), is more environmentally friendly, is cleaner in the house, and the piggies love it.
I wash the main cage liner once a week, but use smaller piddle pads in the areas I know will get dirty, and replace these as needed. For example cuddle cups get replaced every second day.
I find with 4 guinea pigs in 2 cages (total size 8 x 2 C&C) this generates 1 - 2 loads of washing a week.
For me what made this a feasible option was the fact that I was able to sew most of my own fleece items, which kept the cost quite low, and also meant I could have lots of 'spares' of everything.
 
I started off using newspaper and straw which was a real pain as I was constantly cleaning the cage out everytime they pee'd almost lol. I read on the forum about people using fleece with positive reviews which I thought was a completely mental idea but now I wouldn't use anything but fleece, It's less maintenance for me (and less embarrassing as I don't have to steal 2-3 free newspapers everytime I walk past a newsagent anymore) as I just wash the piggies fleece and the towels once a week after the cage clean and with spot cleaning twice a day now the fleece keeps the smell down to pretty much nothing. It is cheaper in the long run once you've got your'e fleece stash together.
 
I'm not allowed to use fleece for Oreo as my mum hates putting fleece items in the washing machine because of the fur. I have a Pigwam and Cuddle Cup though, which are for play time.

I started off with wood shavings, but I didn't like those very much. Too dusty and smelly for me. Then I moved onto hay, but again is didn't have any odour control and wasted so much hay!

I then went through an expensive phase of using Carefresh, Back2Nature and something else that is now discontinued.

I did try Megazorb but we found it too dusty (faulty batch).

Now I use Fitch which is a recycled paper substrate. Like Carefresh, but much softer, less dust and cheaper. It's white, so you can easily see toilet areas.

I think the US equivalent is Kaytee Clean and Cosy.
 
Prior to now, I used to use wood pellets. Similar to wood shavings obviously, but every time I'd put Jake on wood shavings he'd have another eye infection. Switched to the pellets, no more infections. The major downside was always the noise from the pellets, although I think Jake did it on purpose. It makes noise when I move? I'LL POPCORN EVERYWHERE. Thanks, little guy.

Now I use Back2Nature, topped with a layer of hay. They'll only eat hay from certain parts of their home, but they insist on having it everywhere. If I don't put it everywhere they'll damn well move it there themselves! Stubborn sods. That can get expensive unless you get cheap hay for bedding, too. But I'd much rather use the Back2Nature again than wood pellets - less noise and it's definitely softer underfoot for them.
 
chesca_27 said:
I'm not allowed to use fleece for Oreo as my mum hates putting fleece items in the washing machine because of the fur. I have a Pigwam and Cuddle Cup though, which are for play time.

I started off with wood shavings, but I didn't like those very much. Too dusty and smelly for me. Then I moved onto hay, but again is didn't have any odour control and wasted so much hay!

I then went through an expensive phase of using Carefresh, Back2Nature and something else that is now discontinued.

I did try Megazorb but we found it too dusty (faulty batch).

Now I use Fitch which is a recycled paper substrate. Like Carefresh, but much softer, less dust and cheaper. It's white, so you can easily see toilet areas.

I think the US equivalent is Kaytee Clean and Cosy.
Click to expand...
I handwash all my fleece because my mum hates guinea pig stuff in the washing machine but it keeps worth it in the long run :)
 
I am a huge fan of the Horsewear Wash Bags.
You pop all your fleece items inside, zip them up. and they contain all the extra fur and hay bits.
It's brilliant for protecting your machine - I couldn't live without mine!
 
I also use a horse bag thingy from ebay. Orange with a zip. It stops hay and hair getting in the machine. I use fleece in their cage and vet bed (also from ebay). They have a 32 litre underbed storage box with newspaper, fitch and hay. One of my girls, Mistletoe, spends a lot of time in there hiding in the hay.

They are both long haired. No probs with fitch and fluff so far.
 
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