Best bedding for hutch?

Sophie B

Sophie B

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What bedding is good for hutches?
My boys are getting a hutch (for indoor use) due to my latest predicament*

We’ve chosen a hutch that is very secure and of a decent size for two boars 6ft x 2.5ft (I think) and I want a nice bedding that I can use for my boys

Also, how do you keep bedding from being kicked out of the hutch? They don’t appear to have very high sides (the wood, not the mesh) so I can see things easily kicked out

I’d love to see lots of pictures of hutches/hutch set ups and any other ideas!

*See thread: Keeping Safe
 
I would advise you to protect the wood with some plastic sheeting, or Lino to stop it from being ruined. Or use puppy pads/washable pads.
Other than that, you can continue to use whatever bedding you use now - whether that is fleece liners or disposable bedding. putting some kind of tray underneath the hutch doors to catch any disposable bedding that gets kicked out would be a good idea, but if you use fleece, then bedding falling out won’t be an issue
 
If the hutch is for indoor use then you can also consider fleece bedding to get around the problem of stuff being kicked out.
When we had an indoor hutch (it was supposed to be indoors temporarily) I loved Auboise, but it made an awful mess everywhere, so might not be good if you don't have hard flooring.
 
Can't you cable tie correx round the bits where stuff will be kicked out? I would treat the hutch like a cage. Just it's hutch instead 👍. Def worth lining the hutch with something non absorbent. It will stink and soak urine up. This is why I never got a rat cage with wooden ledges.
 
I agree with the above . .. but , basically, it’s finding out what works for you

Just like @Swissgreys ... I love Aubiose . .. but find it gets everywhere too . I got round this by putting a single layer of fleece on top of the Aubiose . It works for me (much better than washing cage liners ) . So, now the only time I have to deal with messy Aubiose is on cage clean days when I am brushing it off the fleece 😅

The only other thing I can think of is if you make some sort of splash guard to stop the bedding being kicked out 🤔
 
Was thinking of using fleece but I was wondering about how it would work with the top floor having a gap for the ramp coming up?
 
Upon further research we’re going for megazorb!
I’ve read (on here) that it has an unpleasant smell in itself, is this true and if it is how can it be prevented?
Does anybody else use it?
 
Megazorb is apparently really good?
It doesn’t need cleaned out often either, only spot cleaned

Also it’s already ordered :))
 
Sophie B said:
Megazorb is apparently really good?
It doesn’t need cleaned out often either, only spot cleaned

Also it’s already ordered :))
Click to expand...
I have never looked at it, but I am in need of changing my pigs bedding soon. I have had enough of fleece, once and for all
 
@The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue has started using a paper bedding from Small Pet Select that she is finding amazing (she was telling me about this inky the other day). Although it seems expensive she was telling me that once pressed down it stays put (the pigs don’t kick it out of the hutches), it is super absorbent and odour free, so she uses less than of other bedding. She has 2 large (6 foot hutches) and it costs her about £5 per week to do both (cleaning out both hutches twice per week).
 
I`m now using this for my piggies I love it !
There will be a selection of small pet select products at our xmas fair to see and touch.
They are kindly sponsoring our Christmas fair this year xx

Small Pet Select Premium Paper Based Bedding is soft and absorbent. Made with unbleached VIRGIN FIBER.
SLUDGE FREE, AND NEVER RECYCLED PRINT.
Our paper is not from the potentially dangerous leftovers from reclaimed paper production ( called "sludge", which has detectable levels of dioxin in it). Our paper is not from recycled paper that has been printed on, either (which can also have toxic residues). It is left over food grade material, no trees are directly being cut down to manufacture the bedding. It's referred to as virgin as it has not been previously used for anything. Ours is 100% all natural paper bedding.
Our bedding is 99% dust free and is safe and comfortable for small pets. No additives, no dyes, no irritants!
LOW DUST

56L (16L-compressed) - Large Size
178L Usable Volume (52L-compressed) - Jumbo Size

small pet bedding.webp
 
That sounds really good. Unfortunately I've just ordered some Megasorb to try in the hay trays but will look at this next time as it sounds much better.
 
I used to use megazorb in the hutch in the past to replace wood shavings. It was good then (probably around 5 years ago now), but eventually had to change it after a couple of years of using it coz the quality became bad. It became dusty and the smell, I couldn't take it. So we changed back to shavings (we found a brand that was softer and a bit smaller than before). Then eventually changed it to Fitch.

Last year Fitch became so expensive to we changed the hutch bedding to another type of paper bedding (shredded egg tray). Then April this year, we changed to fleece bedding because my then sick piggy Cookie (who now passed away) kept on eating the egg tray bedding instead of the hay. Everything is fleece now, both the hutch and the attached floor run. I had to buy customised fleece though for the hutch because the top floor has a cut out for the ramp.

I do wash more now (and do poop sweep 2x a day) and buy more puppy pads (that goes under the fleece) but I think it's suited the piggies more. I find it easier to clean too. Not much hay sticking in the fleece we have in my opinion. I have hay racks in the hutch (2 screwed in the hutch wall on top floor and 1 at the bottom) and the C&C attached. I also have hay on the floor but it is placed on top of the puppy pads.

IMG_20191023_141627.jpg

Just to add that I only change the top floor fleece every 2 days (because that's where my piggies sleep) and the rest of the fleece and all the other fleece cosies/beds are changed every week. The hay area (the one on top of puppy pads) are changed every 2 days. I think it really depends on how absorbent is the absorbent layer of the fleece cage liners in terms of how often you change it.
 
Last edited:
Sophie B said:
Upon further research we’re going for megazorb!
I’ve read (on here) that it has an unpleasant smell in itself, is this true and if it is how can it be prevented?
Does anybody else use it?
Click to expand...
We are using this (the cage is built) and it’s preeeetty stinky! 😂
 
The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue said:
I`m now using this for my piggies I love it !
There will be a selection of small pet select products at our xmas fair to see and touch.
They are kindly sponsoring our Christmas fair this year xx

Small Pet Select Premium Paper Based Bedding is soft and absorbent. Made with unbleached VIRGIN FIBER.
SLUDGE FREE, AND NEVER RECYCLED PRINT.
Our paper is not from the potentially dangerous leftovers from reclaimed paper production ( called "sludge", which has detectable levels of dioxin in it). Our paper is not from recycled paper that has been printed on, either (which can also have toxic residues). It is left over food grade material, no trees are directly being cut down to manufacture the bedding. It's referred to as virgin as it has not been previously used for anything. Ours is 100% all natural paper bedding.
Our bedding is 99% dust free and is safe and comfortable for small pets. No additives, no dyes, no irritants!
LOW DUST

56L (16L-compressed) - Large Size
178L Usable Volume (52L-compressed) - Jumbo Size

View attachment 124561
Click to expand...
This looks good! We use Kaytee paper bedding in our hayroom but its very expensive and has too many air miles coming from the USA, we might well give this a go!
 
What do you think of Megasorb @Sophie B ? I've been using it in the hay trays for 2 days now, we don't like it, it stinks when it's wet and it's very dusty. I've been trying to remember what the smell reminds me of, there's been a memory lurking in the back of my mind driving me bonkers. I've just got it - cow sheds, it smells like the cow sheds I used to visit years ago, wonder if the farmer used it or it smells like cow pats?!
Going to try Small Pet Select next.
 
piggieminder said:
What do you think of Megasorb @Sophie B ? I've been using it in the hay trays for 2 days now, we don't like it, it stinks when it's wet and it's very dusty. I've been trying to remember what the smell reminds me of, there's been a memory lurking in the back of my mind driving me bonkers. I've just got it - cow sheds, it smells like the cow sheds I used to visit years ago, wonder if the farmer used it or it smells like cow pats?!
Going to try Small Pet Select next.
Click to expand...
I like it because even when they constantly pee it doesn’t look damp like it did with our previous bedding (cat litter)

But the I don’t like the smell that it has just in itself, and the fact that I have very bad allergies and it’s very dusty so I’m constantly sneezing when I’m near it
It does also get kicked about more than I would have liked

I used to go horse riding a while back and it smells like the stables
 
i use megazorb ,i place it on top of puppy pads,put a layer of other bedding.hay over the top.i have used pet select paper over the top of megazorb ! the paper bedding is £40.00 a bale so it goes further under the megazorb.the best thing with megazorb is its absorbency.you could place lino over the the hutch floor.you can get free off cuts from a carpet shop !
 
Sophie B said:
Upon further research we’re going for megazorb!
I’ve read (on here) that it has an unpleasant smell in itself, is this true and if it is how can it be prevented?
Does anybody else use it?
Click to expand...
I use megazorb and it seems to depend on where it is purchased, I buy mine from a farm shop and doesn't smell but bought from online supplier ( and much more expensive) and it was very smelly.
I have a double hutch and fill up the top hole by putting an expanding tube up the ramp and thru the hole, piggies zoom up and down. I use megazorb on top floor mainly sleep area and auboise on ground floor. I fill in with wood glued to outside of hutch onto the ledges which stops any overspill out through the mesh and lined cage with stick on vinyl tiles, then newspaper then bedding,
 
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