Cleaning outdoor hutches - help please :)

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Stephaniemarie

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Hi, just seeing if anyone can help me with this, I've looked around most of the forum but couldn't find what I was looking for, so apologies if it is on here somewhere! :red

I am in the middle of cleaning out our four outdoor hutches, & just trying to make sure I am using the best stuff to make them as clean as possible. We have had a lot of rain recently & this has been followed by two quite hot & sunny days. (I'm in Essex)
We noticed that some of the wood on the hutches was a bit damp from the rain & I am worrying that this, along with the hot weather, will attract flies & other bugs to lay their eggs in the hutches...

Does anyone have any recommendations on what spray would be the best one to use in the hutches? I want to make sure the hutches are as clean & fresh as possible :) I have a couple of small petshops nearby, but I'm also close to an Asda & Tesco so I should be able to get anything that people can recommend :)

Thankyouu all, would be brilliant if anyone can help! :(|)
 
I got some stuff from Pets At Home, seems to work pretty well too.
There was a thread somewhere that had details of fly screen stuff you can buy off ebay to put over the front of the hutch, stop flies getting in.

I also got a hutch hugger by Scratch and Newton, from P@H, that stops the hutch from getting soggy in the rain, while its been warm I have just left the front flap back. I was going to save it for the winter months, but as its been a typical 'British' summer, I have been using it. Has really saved the hutch from getting wet.

I found an online place if you don't have a P@H near you.

http://www.petcityonline.co.uk/shop/small-pets/hutch-hugger.html

and a link to Scratch And Newtons site too...

http://www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.co...utch-and-run-cover-195-l-x-72-d-x-56.5-t.html

and another for Pet Planet

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/

Hope this helps?
 
Brilliant thank you :)
Yeah there is a pets at home not far from me, so I'll go there now & see what I find!
The hutch huggers look great too - thanks for the links!
 
If you're buying cleaner from regular stores then this PAH one is actually better than most, as it's antifungal as well as antibacterial and antiviral (most cage sprays don't seem to be antifungal). It contains Byotrol which is used to clean hospitals etc.
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/cage-cleaning-trigger-spray-with-byotrol-500ml-by-pets-at-home-15840

I'm not sure how effective it is for cleaning hutches though, as obviously wood absorbs fluids and it's harder to rinse away cleaning products from a hutch, as opposed to a plastic cage.

I know that lots of people here who are involved with rescues recommend using Virkon and products like that, which you can buy online. If you want to really deep clean them then I'd go for something like that. This thread might be useful:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50880&highlight=virkon
 
I use this spray to clean our hutch too, although we have lino tiles on the floor so it's a little easier than bare wood.

I have also used diluted Dettol before too when I ran out of spray
 
I couldn't find the thread that gives details of the fly screen stuff on here, so I checked ebay and there are a ton like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DOOR-NETTING-...ITE-/300461263006?pt=UK_HG_ScreensShutters_RL

The member who posted the original link said flies are a real problem in the autumn as its getting cooler, and go looking for somewhere warm and dry to spend the winter....I think that's right? Hopefully someone will be along and correct me if I've goofed up.

As for the hutch hugger, I can really reccomend it, its working really well for me. It really is totally waterproof. They do some Snuggies too, that go underneath the hugger and gives extra insulation. My neighbour who has kept rabbits and piggies for years also reccomended that I put some of the thick foam insulation under the hutch in the winter as the bases are pretty thin ply board and get really cold with strong draughts and wind getting underneath. The foam can easily be cut to size with a sharp kitchen knife....sometimes if someone is doing a loft up and upgrading the insulation you can find a suitable piece in a skip (I did, and its sitting waiting in my shed! LOL!) But its not expensive to buy, B+Q do it....I just saw an opportunity for a freebie and grabbed it, I must have looked a bit odd rummaging about in a skip, but hey, its recycling!

My neighbour also mentioned he got some hutch disinfectant really cheap in Quality Save, we have loads of them here up North, not sure about down South? I think it worked out about a pound or so cheaper, not bad saving if you go through quite a lot, just buy a few at a time to save schlepping to and fro......*being minful of saving petrol and parking etc lol!* Also, like Little Piggies, I have lino on the floor of the hutch, I had an old off cut so I used that, saves a ton of time cleaning as it wipes clean.
 
I don't know about keeping the flies away but I use Formula H disinfectant (which I keep wanting to call preparation H, but that's something TOTALLY different!). I got it from Thistle Cavies:

http://thistlecavies.tripod.com/shop/id3.html

They are a rescue, so all proceeds of the shop go to helping the cavies :)
As far as I understand it's a really good disinfectant which is anti fungal as well as antibacterial.
 
Thank you everyone for your help - I will definitely be getting a snug cover for the hutch, they look great :)

I've been to Pets at Home & got some of the disinfectant spray, just waiting for the wood to dry now so I can put all the bedding & stuff in.

Thats a good idea about putting the lino or tiles on the floor of the hutches, we have four hutches & it does take a while to clean them all! Especially the one with two boys in there, they seem to be a lot messier than all of the other ones!

My boyfriend works in a tile shop soo might see if he can sneak out a few bits for the guineas hutches ;)
 
I have lino on the bottom of the hutch and it is so hygenic! The wood has never been wet so its good for their health too. I really recommend doing that!

Also, I use Johnsons spray for cleaning the lino, its only £2.99 a bottle, and works really well!
 
happysaz133 said:
I have lino on the bottom of the hutch and it is so hygenic! The wood has never been wet so its good for their health too. I really recommend doing that!

Also, I use Johnsons spray for cleaning the lino, its only £2.99 a bottle, and works really well!
Click to expand...



I think i will definitely get some lino - its sounds much better than having to clean the wood each time. & i went & bought a johnsons spray from pets at home, the hutches have come up looking brand new after using that! So very happy with it, thanks all of you for the help :)
 
There are several issues you need to consider when dealing with wooden hutches:

Essentially you have to enure they are free of bacterial, viral, fungal and insect infections. This will affect the dinsinfectant you use.

Damp wood hutches are not good for "ongoing" fungal so most important thing is to let them dry out totally before you put the piggies back in.

As a catch-all - there is no substitute to scrubbing with 2% bleach, allowing the cage to dry and then "vent" .... should sort most problems inlcuding mites...but please beware that you need to give the fumes adequate time to vent before putting back piggies - 2-3 days at least

Once you are clear of your current situation:

If you ever have a mite/lice infection etc - you need to vacuum the cages free of all dust/debris and apply an insecticidal spray - Johnsons do a biodegradeable permethriin spray - it;s the only decent one I've found for this situation.

For damp/fungal - I would use 2%bleach as it has proved to be most effective against Trichophyton spp (ringworm) and other fungal spores. Allow a contact time of 3 hours and then rinse and ry thoroughly

Bacterial include Johnsons clean spray, Hibiscrub, Virkon, Tri-gene and "H".
Try to steer clear of phenolics (Dettol/Jeyes etc) as not so good for piggies.

So aside from your current situation - on a routine monthly basis i would use Virkon S - buy tablets, make a solution and use a plant spray to mist the cages every tme you clean them out. Virkon covers most bacterial and viral infections. Failing that - Trgene or "H"


...I also use Johsons Cage safe every week in between employing the heavier dsinectants once a month (it does;t have quite the broad spectrum Virkon etc does it hleps keep the smell and possible risk down)

So bottom line is
bleach now
Keep routine stuff with Vikon ot other (such as H/Trigene et) once a month
Each week - Johnsons Cage safe and other retail stuff is a palliative weekly thing to minimise accumulaton
HTH

PM me if you want further details

x
 
Lino

Hi
I am just setting up my first hutch and went to a local carpet place, I told them the size and that I was looking for lino for my guinea pig hutch. The man was great and scurried off and came back with some, and not charge which was great. Took my 5 year old with me which always helps!
 
Pigwig45 said:
Hi
I am just setting up my first hutch and went to a local carpet place, I told them the size and that I was looking for lino for my guinea pig hutch. The man was great and scurried off and came back with some, and not charge which was great. Took my 5 year old with me which always helps!
Click to expand...

Lol, thats a great idea, I used an off cut I saved.....after we put it on the kitchen floor there was a huge chunk left, and being a bit of a scrooge I kept it thinking I could keep it to put out when my 4 year old plays with paints etc, so it came in handy for that. Then I did up an old rocking horse for her so it got used again, then I saw a quick way of keeping the guinea pig hutch clean and dry, so its got used again!
The place I got my lino from intially had tons of bits and peices lying about, I guess its easy if someone takes it away for free rather than them having to dump loads.
It actually saves so much time and is working out to be so hygenic, the hutch stays dry from wee so its not getting smelly or starting to rot. Winner!
 
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