Best Substrate (absorbency)?

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webcat86

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Hi all, I just got a couple of new guinea pigs at the weekend. They're living indoors in a tiered cage and I'm wondering what to do for substrate. They came with sawdust, which I've stopped using, and am currently using newspaper. The problem is it's a nightmare when they pee on it - it sits on the top so they walk through it, and also absorbs down to get the cage base wet.

I've seen fleece being popular, but is that hygienic? I just imagine all the urine sitting in it, and hay and poo getting stuck to it?

I'd like to stay as cost effective as possible, so am not really looking to use puppy pads, but would really appreciate advice on the cleanest ways to manage cages and keep the pigs themselves clean

(We're in the process of litter training. Think it's going to be a long road though!)
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. I use towels and vetbed. The urine goes right through the vetbed making is stay warm and cosy. Worth fleece or vet bed you have to remove poops two or three times a day then wash it all every three days.
 
I've been using Fitch bedding which is an alternative to sawdust/woodshavings. I put it over puppy pads but I imagine it would work fine with newspaper (I'm just using puppy pads because I hate the feel of newspaper on my hands!) I've found the fitch to be super absorbent and at £15 for a large bale very cost effective, you could probably get a good 3/4 months or more out of it depending on the size of your cage.
 
Thanks to you both.
How much is vetbed, and where can I get Fitch from?

If I used vetbed do i need to use something else with it, or it works as a sole substrate?
 
I am using puppy pads with towels then fleece over it and also hay and newspaper for their litter trays x
 
I've heard they can have aubiose, is that true? There's a place near me that does it
 
You can use Auboise, I've never tried it. I use BAck2NAture with Vet bed on top as one of my boys has issues with dust etc. The back2nature is hugely absorbent and I only need to change it every 5-7 days. It's just not very comfy to lie/walk on so I use the vet bed on top, it also keeps any dust (although it doesn't produce much) to a minimum. Then I have two trays of hay on top of the vet bed for them to eat and play in.

For me the back 2 nature is the best solution I've ever tried but different things suit different people. It's not cheap but you don't have to replace it too frequently so it balances out. The washing machine takes a hammering with fleece or vet bed, I use a washing bag to make sure all the hair and hay etc doesn't clog the machine or filter, they are great, you just shake them out after you've hung everything up.

I've used carefresh in the past too which is pretty absorbant too and the piggies really liked it as it was comfy and good to lie in.
 
webcat86 said:
Thanks to you both.
How much is vetbed, and where can I get Fitch from?

If I used vetbed do i need to use something else with it, or it works as a sole substrate?
Click to expand...

Vetbed is not a substrate layer. It is used as a top layer which wicks wetness down to a substrate layer whilst remaining dry to the touch on the top. You would need newspaper or towels under the vetbed.

I use incontinence pads (for humans as they're much more absorbent than puppy training pads) covered with a good layer of hay. I have used Aubiose in the past, but you still need a layer of newspaper on the base. I found fleece and vetbed created far too much washing. Personally, I've found the incontinence pads and a layer of hay one of the best beddings and the one the piggies seem to like the best.
 
Reading through these posts has given me some good tips.. Iv just stopped using sawdust as iv transferred mine indoors and its too messy. They seem a lot happier to be honest :D is the vet bed expensive to buy as I'm building a c+c cage and would want a wash and wear?
 
webcat86 said:
Thanks to you both.
How much is vetbed, and where can I get Fitch from?

If I used vetbed do i need to use something else with it, or it works as a sole substrate?
Click to expand...

I got my vet from EBay . I really like it and I'm planning on getting more now that I've extended the cage.
 
Ok so since my last post I've been using newspaper as a lining with aubiose on top. It technically works fine, but it's a tremendous pain - given that it's a loose substrate spot cleaning it difficult because it means removing large areas of the aubiose. Being guinea pigs, there's plenty of poop within minutes of the clean, but by the next day it also stinks pretty bad too - which isn't ideal considering they're in the room I work in.

If I go down the fleece route, can newspaper be used underneath or do I also need to spend on things like puppy pads? And does anyone here put the fleece in a washing bag with their regular laundry, or does it need a separate wash of its own?
 
You can use newspaper under fleece but I'd think you'd need to change it daily to stop it getting smelly. Newspaper is a good substrate layer and cheap too! As for washing the fleece, I would happily put mine in a washing bag and wash with my regular laundry but it does need to be washed at 60 degrees.
 
I use puppy pads with Medibed on top. It's dead cheap because it comes in a massive bale, and works well with all my piggies. I tried fleece for a few months and it was a nightmare!
 
How much is it? And how often do you need to replace the puppy pads?
 
Iv just recently changed from sawdust and hay to puppy pads and fleece and think its not only cheaper but a lot easier too..
It's a hell of a lot less messy and my piggies seem to love it :D

Which is all that matters lets face it :D
 
webcat86 said:
How much is it? And how often do you need to replace the puppy pads?
Click to expand...

I buy a pack of 30 puppy pads for £4.99 at B&M and they last me a week maybe just over but I change mine quit a lot just due to personnel preference, you could probably make them last a bit longer :D
 
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