Can Anyone Help Me With Bedding Ideas?

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Laura mason

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hey everyone, and thanks for your help in advance! I've got 3 large cages (roughly 2x8 c and c size but in wood and Perspex) and initially I was doing mostly fleece with roughly a 2x2 hay area, but have been noticing most of the pigs are spending the majority of time in there. I started with newspaper and hay but the paper got wet too quickly and they had damp bums so switched to puppy pads. These were good but working out quite expensive (and the whole point of fleece was so I wasn't spending loads on bedding on a monthly basis. Tried Fitch...which I really like, but because I live in Northern Ireland it costs me £32 for a 20kg bag delivered. Since the piggies are using the hay areas more I want to do the cages half hay half fleece, but need a bedding that is good for piggies, cheaper than Fitch, and won't be a nightmare to get off the fleece (I have a divider but some still gets on it). Does anyone have any ideas or reviews on other bedding? I was thinking aspen or aubiose or something like that? Any help would be much appreciated x
 
I have to start by saying that your cages look amazing!
Your piggies must be very happy indeed.
I would probably give Auboise a go in your situation.
I used to use it and found it worked well, didn't smell, kept piggy bottoms dry, and was pretty easy to clean up.
 
Swissgreys said:
I have to start by saying that your cages look amazing!
Your piggies must be very happy indeed.
I would probably give Auboise a go in your situation.
I used to use it and found it worked well, didn't smell, kept piggy bottoms dry, and was pretty easy to clean up.
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Hey Swiss! Long time since we've talked...haven't been on here in a bit lol. Thank you sooo much for your reply! I've been reading up so much about disposable bedding, but something that one person loves another hates and it's really confusing me lol. I liked the idea of aubiose best, but then some people were saying it's not very absorbent and the pee makes puddles on the base of the cage? Other said it was sharp and stuck in piggies hoo has ? Did you find any of that to be true? x
 
Talulah said:
I make a wood shaving / newspaper sandwich (paper - shavings - paper) under the hay in my pigs hay box. Soaks away the pee really well.
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Thank you. I'm trying to steer clear of newspaper as everything in the piggie shed is white and I end up with black fingerprints everywhere ‍♀️ Lol....i have enough cleaning to do with my lot never mind me adding to it hee hee. Such a shame tho as I can get truck loads for free x
 
Swissgreys said:
I have to start by saying that your cages look amazing!
Your piggies must be very happy indeed.
I would probably give Auboise a go in your situation.
I used to use it and found it worked well, didn't smell, kept piggy bottoms dry, and was pretty easy to clean up.
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Oh, and glad you like the cages ;) thank you! They are pretty new. You probably don't remember but I had stacked c and c cages but they were killing my back and knees so we made new ones...all off the floor yay! :yahoo:Lol x
 
i use a layer of puppy pads with Aubiose on top,this makes it easier to clean out/roll up into the bin.the areas they pee profusly aubiose clumps together at the base,lighter areas will go to the pads,but the surface stays dry.it lasts my piggies 5 days with 4 piggies in a 2x2 c and c loft area.:)
 
I find Aubiose can leave damp patches on the correx, but it's only when the layer isn't deep enough or it's new patch of wee; the pee sinks to the bottom of the bedding and is absorbed from there, so if they do a big wee and you lift the bedding soon after, it may not have absorbed yet and obviously in high-wee areas it can reach saturation.

I find it easy to sweep off my carpet so imagine it to be easy to sweep off fleece too?
 
eileen said:
i use a layer of puppy pads with Aubiose on top,this makes it easier to clean out/roll up into the bin.the areas they pee profusly aubiose clumps together at the base,lighter areas will go to the pads,but the surface stays dry.it lasts my piggies 5 days with 4 piggies in a 2x2 c and c loft area.:)
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Thank you! 5 days, 4 pigs, and a 2x2! that sounds brilliant! So in between do you lift out damp patches daily? Is your hay ontop of the aubiose? x
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I find Aubiose can leave damp patches on the correx, but it's only when the layer isn't deep enough or it's new patch of wee; the pee sinks to the bottom of the bedding and is absorbed from there, so if they do a big wee and you lift the bedding soon after, it may not have absorbed yet and obviously in high-wee areas it can reach saturation.

I find it easy to sweep off my carpet so imagine it to be easy to sweep off fleece too?
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Thank you! That sounds great if it sweeps off carpet easy Fleece should be similar then x
 
Thanks guys for replying! It's great to hear everyone's reviews and preferences and be able to ask questions about them :) it's really helpful x
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I find Aubiose can leave damp patches on the correx, but it's only when the layer isn't deep enough or it's new patch of wee; the pee sinks to the bottom of the bedding and is absorbed from there, so if they do a big wee and you lift the bedding soon after, it may not have absorbed yet and obviously in high-wee areas it can reach saturation.

I find it easy to sweep off my carpet so imagine it to be easy to sweep off fleece too?
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Does it have a strong smell? x
 
Aubiose, if you can get it delivered at a reasonable price, is pretty damned good. I prefer Carefresh Natural but it can get expensive, brilliant though. And I can only imagine how ridiculous the postage fees would end up being for NI as well. There's also Back2nature which you may find useful, and it should be in a P@H store...just don't walk with a Back2nature bag, those things are heavy.
 
Lorcan said:
Aubiose, if you can get it delivered at a reasonable price, is pretty damned good. I prefer Carefresh Natural but it can get expensive, brilliant though. And I can only imagine how ridiculous the postage fees would end up being for NI as well. There's also Back2nature which you may find useful, and it should be in a P@H store...just don't walk with a Back2nature bag, those things are heavy.
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:lol!:. I tried back to nature but I was going through it so quickly...and a bag at £12 wasn't lasting very long at all x
 
eileen said:
i do not need to clear out damp patches as the top is always dry.i do change the hay pile every day.x
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Really! This is sounding amazing! I think I'm able to get a 25kg bag of aubiose delivered for £16.95....that is unless they contact me saying delivery will be more expensive to NI...which is usually the case! Fingers crossed tho! That's means it's nearly half the price of fitch! Oh I hope I can get it for that price and it works for me. Thank you so much for your advice...I really appreciate it! x
 
Lorcan said:
Aubiose, if you can get it delivered at a reasonable price, is pretty damned good. I prefer Carefresh Natural but it can get expensive, brilliant though. And I can only imagine how ridiculous the postage fees would end up being for NI as well. There's also Back2nature which you may find useful, and it should be in a P@H store...just don't walk with a Back2nature bag, those things are heavy.
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Can I ask why you prefer carefresh over aubiose? I tried it once but i prefer Fitch, I found it to be as good, softer, and way cheaper x
 
I'd be trying Auboise if i was in your position, or maybe a very good quality dust extracted wood saving?

Please let us know how it works out for you, will watch this thread for updates
 
eileen said:
i do not need to clear out damp patches as the top is always dry.i do change the hay pile every day.x
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Do yours spend loads of time in your hay loft? Mine only come out for a snooze in the fleece cosies and then are back in the hay again lol x
 
Laura mason said:
Can I ask why you prefer carefresh over aubiose? I tried it once but i prefer Fitch, I found it to be as good, softer, and way cheaper x
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I have a regular visitor who has mild respiratory issues and the aubiose set it off, it's pretty much the only reason. Blitzen also seems to end up with a load of aubiose stuck in his fur, but he does that with hay as well, it's not specific to the aubiose.

I know you probably already know this, but if you use Amazon and buy direct from them they won't try to screw you over with the delivery charges, and I've sent stuff over with my prime account (to my parents) for the same price as having it sent to me. I do not miss courier pricing for Northern Ireland deliveries at all.
 
I get damp patches on top where my girls wee the most. I just pick it out with my hand.
I do find I can smell that it is a guineapig room, but I thinks it's wee-hay rather than the Aubiose! And I do cough a bit when doing a full clean out but it doesn't affect the pigs.
Hope you get on well with it!
 
Lorcan said:
I have a regular visitor who has mild respiratory issues and the aubiose set it off, it's pretty much the only reason. Blitzen also seems to end up with a load of aubiose stuck in his fur, but he does that with hay as well, it's not specific to the aubiose.

I know you probably already know this, but if you use Amazon and buy direct from them they won't try to screw you over with the delivery charges, and I've sent stuff over with my prime account (to my parents) for the same price as having it sent to me. I do not miss courier pricing for Northern Ireland deliveries at all.
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Yes Amazon is my next place to go if this company can't send it for the price they say. I think on Amazon it's £20 something delivered. Northern Ireland is a bummer for getting things delivered . Did you once live here?
If you have never tried Fitch I would definitely give it a go. The piggies love it and there is no dust. Plus if you live in England it's even cheaper! I think if you order direct from Fitch it's free delivery, so £21 for a 20kg bag x
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I get damp patches on top where my girls wee the most. I just pick it out with my hand.
I do find I can smell that it is a guineapig room, but I thinks it's wee-hay rather than the Aubiose! And I do cough a bit when doing a full clean out but it doesn't affect the pigs.
Hope you get on well with it!
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Thank you! So do I! Would just love to find something that won't break the bank and that works x
 
I line my cage with fleece and just put hay over the top, in a pile in the middle.They gradually spread it out to cover most of the cage.
Take it outside and bat it before putting it in the washer and then you don't get a blockage.
Seems to work well for my piggies. I've tried pads, shavings, fleece, hay and all possible combinations of these - and fleece and hay is what my boys like best :)
 
Laura mason said:
Yes Amazon is my next place to go if this company can't send it for the price they say. I think on Amazon it's £20 something delivered. Northern Ireland is a bummer for getting things delivered . Did you once live here?
If you have never tried Fitch I would definitely give it a go. The piggies love it and there is no dust. Plus if you live in England it's even cheaper! I think if you order direct from Fitch it's free delivery, so £21 for a 20kg bag x
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Only for nearly 26 years! (I moved the month before my 26th birthday, lol). Tbh I really like the Carefresh, as long as it's the Natural stuff. The Ultra and the Confetti types are just...the Ultra feels far too much like cotton wool for my liking, and the Confetti isn't much better than tissue paper in my experience. The Natural isn't supersoft or anything, but it is still soft for what is essentially wood pulp/cardboard etc, and it absorbs really well. I can get away with changing the bedding completely every two weeks and the top layer will still be relatively dry, because all the urine ends up at the bottom.

I think it's an each to their own kind of thing, but I don't envy you having to pay to have stuff delivered. Parcelforce tend to have the same prices for Northern Ireland as the British mainland, but other couriers get away with huge price leaps. It's ridiculous.
 
Kallasia said:
I line my cage with fleece and just put hay over the top, in a pile in the middle.They gradually spread it out to cover most of the cage.
Take it outside and bat it before putting it in the washer and then you don't get a blockage.
Seems to work well for my piggies. I've tried pads, shavings, fleece, hay and all possible combinations of these - and fleece and hay is what my boys like best :)
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I have sooo much fleece that this combo would be the cheapest for me, but last time I tried fleece with hay ontop it absolutely stank, and the pads under the hay were soaking within a few hours, so I was constantly having to change them? I friend of mine uses this method tho and doesn't have the same problems as me!? I don't understand it at all! Am I doing something wrong? Do u have pics of yours? x
 
Lorcan said:
Only for nearly 26 years! (I moved the month before my 26th birthday, lol). Tbh I really like the Carefresh, as long as it's the Natural stuff. The Ultra and the Confetti types are just...the Ultra feels far too much like cotton wool for my liking, and the Confetti isn't much better than tissue paper in my experience. The Natural isn't supersoft or anything, but it is still soft for what is essentially wood pulp/cardboard etc, and it absorbs really well. I can get away with changing the bedding completely every two weeks and the top layer will still be relatively dry, because all the urine ends up at the bottom.

I think it's an each to their own kind of thing, but I don't envy you having to pay to have stuff delivered. Parcelforce tend to have the same prices for Northern Ireland as the British mainland, but other couriers get away with huge price leaps. It's ridiculous.
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Yeah, someone tried to tell me for a £9 bag of bedding it would cost £7 delivery plus an extra £12 surcharge for NI!? Come on, that's just ridiculous! I can get things posted from America cheaper than that! .
2 weeks! What am I doing wrong? Lol. Everything I try never lasts anywhere near that length of time! No matter what disposable bedding I have used I need to take a good bit out daily and replace, and by the end of the week its smelly and well just needs changed...this was even the cage in a 2x9 c and c all with disposable bedding x
 
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