Cleaning the cage ?Newspaper?

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Zainy_Zoex

Zainy_Zoex

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Hiya everyone, I'm sorry for being such a troll with all my questions LOL but i'm new to being a mummy to my piggy so I'm unsure how to read him properly yet.

Bloom has been with us a week and I cleaned his cage out and freshened it up but didn't put any news paper down underneath, I spot clean it everyday, so I can see he's going poop and wee regularly which he is EVERYWHERE lol.
But after changing his cage out again yesterday I did put newspaper down underneath. I thought it may help soak up the wee and make it easier to clean out, but He is scratching at the corners and pulling it up to go wee under it and will now only poop in his bedroom part of the cage which doesn't have any newspaper. Is it that he doesn't like it or is he just getting used to it, I don't want him forced to sleep with the poop :(
Thanks xx
 
Which bedding are you using along side the newspaper?

I had alot of problems like this with my boys, they really didnt like newspaper if they could see it, and enjoyed kicking wood shavings everywhere. In the end i changed to fleece cage liners, which hook over the sides of the cage, so no chance of him getting underneath. :)
 
Connie said:
Which bedding are you using along side the newspaper?

I had alot of problems like this with my boys, they really didnt like newspaper if they could see it, and enjoyed kicking wood shavings everywhere. In the end i changed to fleece cage liners, which hook over the sides of the cage, so no chance of him getting underneath. :)
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on top of the news paper is wood shavings about an 1/2 to 1 inch thickness and then some compressed hay, I like to keep his timothy hay for his feeding only so I know he's getting fresh everyday.

As soon as he ran back in, he dug under the shavings to pull up the paper :{ xx
 
That would be a piggies idea of fun! :) I'm not really sure theres alot you can do about it.

Is he in an outside hutch, or an indoor cage? (sorry for all the questions)
 
hello...welcome to the forum cant wait to see pictures of your little babie.
In my past experience I would not recommend using Newspaper for ANYTHING piggy related. My little brother had a guinea pig when we were about 10 and 14 years old. We were too young to know any better and lined his cage daily with fresh newspaper and hay over top of it. Mr cutie (that was our dear old guinea pig) would eat the newspaper and the ink poisioned him over the years...he ended up have sever seizures it was the most heartbreaking thing to ever go through and after researching on it, newspaper ink will cause this in guinea pigs. Please find another form of bedding. You can even use a nice soft fleecy baby blanket and wash it regulary...you can also potty train your piggis relatively easy. I hope this helps and does not upset you...but I would hate for you to have to go through what we did because we didnt know any better. Good luck!
 
My piggies love tearing up the newspaper and eating it....its like the know t bugs me rolleyes. Its a favourite habit of theirs
 
Thank you both x

Oh he is getting a cheeky little one, his new favourite place is my daughters Ugg boots :))
He's indoors, its fine :P Ask away LOL!

Wow :( thank you for writing about that, So sorry to hear you lost him that way. I had no idea, so many help site suggested newspaper that I though it best to try, I was happy just the wood and hay but thought I would need something to absorb the wee :/

I don't want to stop with the shavings really because he seems to enjoy it when we hide some bits of veg underneath it, keeps his occupied when he isn't out.

xx
 
hazeyg said:
My piggies love tearing up the newspaper and eating it....its like the know t bugs me rolleyes. Its a favourite habit of theirs
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:)) May be Bloom is taking same road then, he's not disliking it, he's playing with it :P xx
 
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hazeyg said:
My piggies love tearing up the newspaper and eating it....its like the know t bugs me rolleyes. Its a favourite habit of theirs
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Hello I have read a lot of sites about that as well. I dont mean to scare you but I am just worried that it would happen to you. I remember his seisures as if they were yesterday and they are not something I would want anyone to ever go through. Maybe do your own research and make your own decision hun x
 
the main reason woodshavings arnt recomended is that they can cause respetory problems. Another alternative, is something like megasorb, that would still allow things to be hidden inside :) And the megasorb is self is very absorbant.
 
I have always used newspapers as a bottom layer in my cages and also in their travel cage, never had any bad effects from it.
 
No, I'm glad to hear some advise thanks :D
Ohh ok It's UK sites I have been researching on so the ink we have is safe, that's good to know at least. I think maybe see how Bloom goes until his next full clean out. My main worry is he's only pooping in the bedroom I spot cleaning in the morning and asoon as i'm home from work but when i'm not there I don't like the fact he's forced to sleep in there :( xx
 
Connie said:
the main reason woodshavings arnt recomended is that they can cause respetory problems. Another alternative, is something like megasorb, that would still allow things to be hidden inside :) And the megasorb is self is very absorbant.
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I think I should have signed up here be for i research through other sites lol, you guys really know your piggys :D I bough a HUGE bag of shavings as it was the most mentions on sites and it was recommend when we bought him, I'll have a look into megasorb. Why do companies recommend dangerous products :( xx
 
Its not a total disaster, lots of people use wood shavings with no ill effects, just its generally not recomended these days. :) If you go down the megazorb route, you may want to look into buying by the bale from less well known suppliers as this is MUCH cheaper :)

Unfortunatly, many people have lots of different views on how best to keep piggies and we dont all agree! :))

How big is the cage he as currently?
 
Zainy_Zoex said:
Hiya everyone, I'm sorry for being such a troll with all my questions LOL but i'm new to being a mummy to my piggy so I'm unsure how to read him properly yet.

Bloom has been with us a week and I cleaned his cage out and freshened it up but didn't put any news paper down underneath, I spot clean it everyday, so I can see he's going poop and wee regularly which he is EVERYWHERE lol.
But after changing his cage out again yesterday I did put newspaper down underneath. I thought it may help soak up the wee and make it easier to clean out, but He is scratching at the corners and pulling it up to go wee under it and will now only poop in his bedroom part of the cage which doesn't have any newspaper. Is it that he doesn't like it or is he just getting used to it, I don't want him forced to sleep with the poop :(
Thanks xx
Click to expand...
i always use newspaper but i always put on a thicker layer of wood shavings. occasionally my older piggy digs down and nibbles it but that barely ever happens. :p
 
I use a thick layer of newspaper then a layer of woodshavings then soft russel bedding straw, always have done in the nearly 4 years i have had piggies, never had any eye injuries from the straw or illnesses from the woodshavings and my piggies love it. It gets a full clean out every week and spot clean (carrier bag turned inside out and scoop up poo's, and left over food area's) and re coating of straw every 2 - 3 days. It doesn't smell.

I tried fleece but this just didn;t work for me at all, i found it started to smell after 2 -3 days, they hay and hairs really really stuck to the fleece, i tried brushing it off, using a sticky roller, a rubber glass wiper thing, tried shaking it and it was still covered, so i knocked that straight on the head. My washing machine only 2 months old and i dont fancy wrecking it with hay and hair.

We all have different views and opinions, Fleece is very popular, but there is no correct way, its down to personal preference.
 
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My girlies love ripping up newsprint. I have it tucked under fleece and towels and they still manage to somehow drag it out and consume it. I've considered hiring them out to offices for shredding duties....
 
Connie said:
Its not a total disaster, lots of people use wood shavings with no ill effects, just its generally not recomended these days. :) If you go down the megazorb route, you may want to look into buying by the bale from less well known suppliers as this is MUCH cheaper :)

Unfortunatly, many people have lots of different views on how best to keep piggies and we dont all agree! :))

How big is the cage he as currently?
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That's good to know if the Megazorb doesn't work out, I have notice all you guys have piggies who pick what suits best so I think i'll try some and he can tell me himself LOL, it's his happiness I want to ensure, I don't mind the extra work to clean out if nessasary. I'll have a browse on some online shops see where I can get big and cheap :P Thanks for the tip.
HE in a 4foot by 2foot hutch type cage, he has full run of living whilst i'm home but his playpen is coming tomorrow YAY so can have have a stretch when i'm at work :D. xx


I've just done some spot cleaning and he's dragged his loo roll of hay over to the newspaper he's dug up (again :P) :S Not sure if it's to hide it or so he can do his playing in one place lol xx
 
Rhinerah said:
My girlies love ripping up newsprint. I have it tucked under fleece and towels and they still manage to somehow drag it out and consume it. I've considered hiring them out to offices for shredding duties....
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:(|) I'll take them :P My office is filled with paper work I can "offload" :P xx
 
ill admit to using straw with my piggies

I fill one corner with straw and the pigs love it and sleep in it, their straw is very soft its the same as their hay for spikyness
 
Maybe you could give him a paper bag to play with or a ball of newspaper with something tasty inside it. My piggies have newspaper and hay in their sleeping boxes,and do like to lie there chewing the edges of the paper.
 
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