Considering vetbed but not sure...

Status
Not open for further replies.
KaitRoo

KaitRoo

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
374
Reaction score
5
Points
0
Location
Cheshire
I'm currently using woodshavings for my pigs' bedding, it's what I've always used and a large snowflake bag for £1.49 can stretch 3 x 120 cages plus the hamster and I change weekly.

My piggie numbers are increasing soon as I'm taking in two more sows due to their owner moving abroad. Due to this I was considering getting some Vet Bed and using that on top of some towels as potentially a cheaper option.

I've ruled out fleece as I don't think it would be as cost effective when you take into account the water/electricity etc with having to wash the fleece 3-4 times every few days, for four cages I can see that the majority of my week would be spent at the washing machine & I can't get near it half the time anyway as my mum is washing mad!

So was just wondering about switching to the vetbed and if anyone has any advice x
 
I use vetbed in my two cages. I would never change back! I use a couple of layers of newspaper under it, which I change every evening. The vetbed is washed twice a week, but could probably last a little longer in between washes.

I poop-scoop quickly every morning, and every evening when I change the newspaper I get the vetbed out to give it a good brush down.

You'll need to brush it down well before you wash it to get most of the hay/fur off. I then wash it in a washbag (some people use an old pillowcase). It will need to be washed above 60 degrees to kill bacteria, or at 30 degrees if you use a special detergent for pet bedding (which I use).

Wash it twice before you cut it to the size of the cage as it does shrink quite a bit after the first wash. I made the mistake of cutting it to size first, and then washing it. I ended up with quite a large gap!
 
i have a few pieces of vetbed that i use sometimes, mainly in winter when it's really cold. i just put newspaper underneath them and find it really good for keeping dry. :)
 
Thanks! I've seen some clearance rolls on ebay (5 rolls of 1m x 1.5m for £50 delivered) which seems like the best value, what I might do is try it with the girls' cages but keep the boys on sawdust, or trial them on a small offcut, then if I decide against I can always sell the remaining rolls.
I'm just tired of the mess of sawdust and even though it's dust extracted my room is still very dusty! 2 of the cages have litter corner trays which worked well over the winter but now that it's got lighter outside they don't seem to want to pee and poop there lol.

I've used towel before in one of the cages but tammy seemed to think it was great fun hiding under it resulting in poos being tossed here there and everywhere.

Thanks for sharing, I'm swaying more towards it now :)
 
KaitRoo said:
My piggie numbers are increasing soon as I'm taking in two more sows due to their owner moving abroad. Due to this I was considering getting some Vet Bed and using that on top of some towels as potentially a cheaper option.

I've ruled out fleece as I don't think it would be as cost effective when you take into account the water/electricity etc with having to wash the fleece 3-4 times every few days, for four cages I can see that the majority of my week would be spent at the washing machine & I can't get near it half the time anyway as my mum is washing mad!

So was just wondering about switching to the vetbed and if anyone has any advice x
Click to expand...

I use both fleece and vetbed combinations in my cages - but instead of towels (as you need 2-3 layers per cage and this dramatically increases washing loads) i use washable bed pads in some cages and and cotton mattress toppers in others.

To clarify - with fleece you only have to wash fleece 3-4 times the very first time, this is to get rid of the waxy layer that prevents liquids from wicking away through the fleece layer. Once you've done this you just wash it as normal (using just washing powder only - no fabric conditioner). I wash my fleece once every 5 days - but i spot clean/hoover out poops once a day.

The same goes for vetbed - i use washable bed pads underneath mine and do a full clean out every 5th day. Vetbed however cannot be tumble dried so i just leave mine to dry naturally - by the time the next clean out day comes around it's normally fully dried.

Hope this helps :)
 
I use fleece and it works well for me. You only need to wash it a few times when the fleece is new but after you need to wash it as many times as you'd wash the vetbed, I'm assuming (mine lasts a week).

But towels drive me crazy and because I have a big cage I use loads. @Sodapops What are these washable bed pads you use? And the toppers, are they the thin conventional mattress protectors?
 
Ah I see, I was under the impression people were washing it 3-4 times each change out twice a week! That changes things as it might put fleece back on the radar... How much would you recommend I'd need for 4 x 120 cages? Are there any retailers that can give a really good price? I live not too far from a few Abakhan stores but it depends how much I'd need as I'll need to do the maths as well as counting in for the pads underneath. Switching to fabric will also help with the household waste situation as our collections have gone to every 2 weeks now, sawdust etc isn't a problem in summer as we have 3 compost bins and it breaks down quite fast but over the winter it is quite slow due to the cold so I have had to rely on the bins alot.
 
MrsSuzy said:
Do you mean 1 cage 4mtrs by 1,20mtrs?
Click to expand...
No lol, I wish I had that space though! I meant how much would I need for 4 cages all 120x60cm, do people use a single layer of fleece or several layers x
 
KaitRoo said:
Ah I see, I was under the impression people were washing it 3-4 times each change out twice a week! That changes things as it might put fleece back on the radar... How much would you recommend I'd need for 4 x 120 cages? Are there any retailers that can give a really good price? I live not too far from a few Abakhan stores but it depends how much I'd need as I'll need to do the maths as well as counting in for the pads underneath. Switching to fabric will also help with the household waste situation as our collections have gone to every 2 weeks now, sawdust etc isn't a problem in summer as we have 3 compost bins and it breaks down quite fast but over the winter it is quite slow due to the cold so I have had to rely on the bins alot.
Click to expand...

Gosh no, if i had to wash each of my fleece blankets 3-4 times at every clean out it would not only be very time consuming, but it would also cost a small fortune in washing power/electricity!! The washing 3-4 times is only your initial multiple wash time to prepare the fleece for using in your cages....

In terms of fleece because i had so many cages to fill and the fact you need 2 sets per cage (a change for when you are washing/drying the dirty ones) i went for a seller on ebay that sold rolls of fleece as it worked out cheaper than buying separate blankets. The particular seller i used isn't selling anymore, but I'm sure there are plenty of others. If you go for 60" wide that's around 150cm so off a 4-5 meter roll you should have enough for a wash and wear for all 4 cages with some spare (my maths is terrible though, so id double check the measurements to be sure)
 
With the vet bed instead of using newspaper as you might not always have enough get some drynites! There designed for toddlers beds who wet,it soaks up the pee and can last a week,especially if put under vetbed! You piggies shouldnt be able to get to in if its under the vetbed and all corners ect tucked in! They cost £3.65 pkt of 7 there quite a good size and lay flat as designed to lay on a mattress,they have sticky tabs to help secure them in place...
The only thing is make sure its tucked in and out of reach which shouldnt be a problem under a vet bed, dont lay it down and just put chipping or hay over it as piggies will find it and chew! Hope this helps x:)
 
We use a mixture of fleece and vet bed with washable bed pads underneath and I would never go back to shavings as they can cause lots of health issues such as fungal and respiratory issues. We than have correx hay kitchens and haylofts so they can burrow as they are supposed to.
 
I've had fungal issues before when I brought one of my pigs back from the rescue she was at so switching to an alternative would be good, it's all cleared up now but you never know when they are going to reappear :(

Before kitting out all the cages I think I'm going to try a few options before going all out on them all, the overall idea is to find something more affordable and less waste producing than sawdust, but relatively easy to maintain.

I'll probably do a month of one cage vetbed, one fleece, one megazorb and probably keep one on sawdust as I'm buying that anyway for the hamster, and then see which I find the easiest for me as I know it's all down to personal preference. At least then I'll have the vetbed and fleece if any allergies/illness crop up.

Thanks all for your advice and opinions I will keep you posted :)
 
Okay so ive decided to go for the vetbed in the end and have just ordered it off ebay, 3 lots of greenbacking (300cm x 75cm) which is enough for 2 sets of 150cm x 75cm per ferplast 120 cage, leaving adequate leeway for shrinkage, that came to £46.40 delivered. I can buy 2 x kingsize mattress protectors for £20 which would be enough for 2 sets per cage.

I've done my maths and here is my conclusion:
Sawdust I was buying at £1.49/pack from home bargains and was covering 3 cages, so effectively once the girls arrive tomorrow would be costing £1.98/week for 4 cages.

Sawdust cost per 2 years for 3 x 120cm cages would be £155. Per week that works out as 50p.

Vetbed(including mattress protector) cost per 2 years is £66.40 - not taking into account the cost of a weekly wash, working out as 21p per week. If I was to use newspaper under the cost would work out slightly less.

I didn't go for fleece in the end cuz some of them are a pain in the arse with lighter materials and try and bury themselves under it!

Hope this will be a help to anyone else thinking of switching as I know my head has been completely baffled by it all!
 
I have looked into vet bed myself as made the change from shavings to fleece for the same reasons to be more cost effective. With fleece because i brought B&Q up of there end of line fleece blankets i have enough for 2 for 5 cages but wondered how much more absorbant vet bed would be as thicker. Let me know how you get on with it :)
 
Thanks degu_rock! Will definitely keep you posted on how I get on with it. Keeping the boys on shavings for the time being as they're still very young and like to chew materials, plus with the markings that boars do after being in the run next to the girls lol. Am looking into trialling the boys on megazorb. Never knew B&Q did fleece!

Ps.. I'm holding back on degus for the time being as these two sows came up that needed a home so I've stuck to what I know for now ;)
 
Update: bed pads arrived today! Does anyone know if they can be cut? They are 2 litre white ones with a blue lining on the bottom
 
They was selling off fleece throws which fitted the 120's perfectly so i borught them all up but the pink ones as not sure the boys would approve some were £3 and others £1.50 not sure why different colours had different prices but anyway stocked up on fleeces at mo :))
 
I have free range guineas and 4 gp use around 6m2(2.5m top,2.5m ground + 1m outside) area covered with vet beds.I wash it once a week but I'm collecting dropping all the time.It cheaper and healthier than other bedding,specially if you have allergy reaction on hay and pine shaving as me and my guinea pigs.It takes me around 3 hours a week to clean such big area + 5 min twice a day to collect droppings.Also need clean vet bed from dust as it getting dusty with time.I bought my vet bed 1.5 years and still use it with no issues in chinchillas cages as well.I'm not use paper or other possibly source of dangerous paintings - but in busy areas I place double lawer of vet bed or even triple.It also allow control appearance or blood - as each guineas more or less have own place to sleep and if any blood it seen straight away.From first look it much more job than wood shavings - but with time you can see the difference.
The possible problem can be if you have small cage.I changing only used peaces - it is about half.So 1 guinea pig make dirty around 0.75m2 of vet bed a week.So if you have 0.75m2 cage with 2 guineas you need change it at least twice a week,
 
2nd update: vetbed rolls arrived today! Will be washing and cutting tomorrow ready for clean out of the cages at the weekend :D

Degu that's a real bargain, I shall keep my eye out! X
 
Tammy (aka Dennis): Sooo snuggly ahhhh
20130520_113908.jpg


Dennis and Gnasher (Tammy and Shy)
20130519_151336.jpg


Pablo and a self backend barbered Robin
20130519_173849.jpg


My two noobs, Tigerlily (Sage) and Snow White (Libby)
20130519_173827.jpg
 
Aw really! You'll have to show me some pics I'm intrigued now! :D xx
 
Well i have two who could be twins looking again Hector is only 4 months old so a baby but he is short haired and Arthur is longer haired :)

Arthur lounging in his hammock :)



And lil Hector :)

 
Your cages look really good! :))

I tried Vetbed in the front part of my girls' cage (I have a 4x4 grid cage). I must have very naughty piggies as they ate the actual Vetbed making big holes in it. rolleyes

Back to Cavianthus (grass type bedding that can go straight in the Green Wheelibin) for me lol. I use Vetbed a lot for my dogs - lovely snuggly stuff. x
 
Degu you're so right, Arthur is the spit of Shy! Where he has his ginger band on the right, is he white on the other side? His face is identical it's scary! Just to update you the vetbed went in on Sunday and I've changed the boys today cuz they were getting pretty stinky, so they did a good four days. The girls are still going okay but they'll be changed in the next day or two :)

hanlou aww Thank you! That was when it first went in so it had started to look quite dirty after use but had gone through the wash like a dream :) never heard of that grass stuff, sounds good though. A few of mine I've caught hacking into it but I'm hoping they'll get over the novelty xx
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top