Cardboard bedding

[Ninarodders]

Hi so I have my guinea pigs both boys (age approx 4.5_5.5 and 2yrs) on fleece in my home. Get on well it and the have hay pile etc and I spot clean (and change peee pads) everyday. And wash weekly.

I go on holiday in oct for 3 weeks but with travel days and when i drop them off/pick them up, my mother in law will have them for nearly 4 weeks. She has looked after them before and is happy to spit clean etc. But I'm worried about her washing them. I clean the machine before I wash them to remove any left over conditioner and wash the machine after before I wash our clothes etc. I feel bad asking this of her and would suggest her going to mine once a week to wash in my machine but she lives 40 mins away.

So I use cardboard bedding in their hay tray. Could I just while they are at hers instead of fleece use cardboard bedding all over? Or will it be too hard kn theor little feet? Or will they spend all their time eating it?

I know if I ask her to wash the machine or use ours she will. I just feel bad for asking too much and trying to think of easier options for her.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I used to use cardboard bedding but I always had it covered with lots of hay. That obviously creates a lot of rubbish to dispose of.
Now I use snowflake soft chip and much prefer it to anything else (I also like aubiose but it’s more expensive). It doesnt need to be covered with hay and spot cleans so easily. As it’s heavier than shavings, I can sweep poops off the surface, remove wet areas but basically leave most of it untouched (so makes less to dispose of)

 

[Cheekypigs]

I'm not familiar with cardboard bedding, but when our pigs are at someone else's house, we put them on disposable bedding to make it easier for the pig-sitter. In our case we use newspaper with a layer of wood based cat litter on it, and wood shavings on top of that. It lasts about a week, cleaning out is simple and it keeps the smell down. We don't do it at home because it's expensive and creates a lot of rubbish, but we find it to be ideal for holidays.