Cage Bedding - Best Option For Messy Pigs!

[talisker91]

Hi all, We have two guinea pigs who are in a Midwest Habitat - similar to a C&C style cage. We've been experimenting with the best way to keep our pigs clean as they are pooping machines, and are yet to learn to keep it to one area! They love fleece and popcorn whenever they have fleece in their cage, so we're reluctant to get rid of it. However, given how much of a mess they make, is fleece the best option? I wanted to pick your brains on the best way to keep them healthy.

We've previously used hay to line the whole cage, but this was very messy and I'm not sure how much they liked it. It's also not very absorbent, so can get quite nasty quite quickly. Could we use Fitch as bedding, with newspaper underneath? Or do we use Fitch as a base layer, and keep fleece on top?

Basically, I'd like to know what you all do, and how often it requires a full cage clean. Thanks in advance!

 

[MerryPip]

It depends on what you use and we are all different... It all depends on what suits your home, circumstances and piggies. In terms of poops everywhere then get used to it is my advice Piggies do ted to end up weeing in certain favoured locations but poop is just an anywhere kind of a thing. A few folk manage to litter train but this is by far the exception rather than the rule.

This thread might give you some ideas of what people use but there are plenty of options.... Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

Personally I use vet bed as I usually have older piggies and occasionally those with health needs etc. I originally went for it because we had one elderly boy and then a long haired boy who we found hay or shavings etc got caught up in his hair too much. The vet bed wicks away wee nicely into whatever absorbent material you put below it and is great for my older, arthritic piggies as it's soft and supportive. Underneath I use Back-to-Nature litter. it's a bit harsh to use on it's own as the pellets are quite hard but is super absorbent and is very low odour. I spot clean the top of the vet bed as needed and change underneath and replace vet bed entirely every 5-7 days (it really does last that long, but not much longer without being wet or smelly). The down side of this is the wear on your washing machine but a using a laundry bag helps protect it from hair and fluff.

I work away from home a lot so I need something low maintenance and safe for my boys and this is the combination that works for me but others will have things that work well for them.

 

[AuntyC]

Ditto what MerryPip has advised. I like fleece too, and got hold of a small dustpan and brush to do a twice daily poop sweep! Piggies produce an awful lot of it, just one if their endearing features