Disadvantages to using Shavings?

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Hi, I was using fleece for my pigs for a while but its so much work to keep up with and they always push it out of the corners and poop/pee a lot directly on the bottom of the cage so its a pain to clean, So I was thinking of switching to shavings. Is there a reason most of you choose to not use shavings? What other options do I have that are low maintainence?

Since my piggy numbers are unexpectedly rising since Mocha gave birth to 2 little piglets and I can feel moo's kicking now its getting harder to keep up with fleece as well.
 
Shavings arent great and i wouldnt use them,they can be dusty and that can create respiratory infections,also if you happen to get one that isnt a top brand they could be scented even when it says unscented on the bag,they also have been known to bring out allergies in pigs not to mention that i cant imagine walking on wood shavings myself so why make my pigs do it xx

I am a fleece user with 13 soon to be more pigs and I'm coping fine but it depends on how messy the pigs are,megazorb is a good option and it goes a long way too xxxxx
 
When Loulou came to me she had a bad eye that had been being treated for a while but kept coming back, she had been kept on shavings so i switched to megazorb and her eye has cleared up and the problem hasnt come back so far.
 
fleece can be a pain especially when you have 2 messy boys, like me.but i love it when i see them sprawl out on the fleece after a cage change, they look so comfy. a use puppy pads under my fleece which i find means i only need to do a full cage change once a week (towels and papers).you could get a big piece of fleece and tuck it under the bars so it over laps and they cant burrow under.i throw in an extra fleece blanket so mine can hide under,etc.
 
daleksarah said:
fleece can be a pain especially when you have 2 messy boys, like me.but i love it when i see them sprawl out on the fleece after a cage change, they look so comfy. a use puppy pads under my fleece which i find means i only need to do a full cage change once a week (towels and papers).you could get a big piece of fleece and tuck it under the bars so it over laps and they cant burrow under.i throw in an extra fleece blanket so mine can hide under,etc.
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i do that with my nero 4 that basil and ralph are in as the are horrible at burrowing,i drape it over the base and then clip the bar section on top and its solved the issue xx
 
The natural oils in the wood used for shavings used in our disinfectants, it would be like living in a freshly cleaned toilet with all the overpowering smell and no window(imagine that), and also the chemicals can irritate the lungs leading to respiratory problems. Also the shavings are quite rough and dry and can make their feet sore. If you want to use shavings please don't and reconsider using megazorb or aubiose which are much kinder to your piggies
 
The main things that immedietly spring to mind are the mess and the fact they get stuck into piggys private bits x
 
Shavings have been known to cause skin problems, and respiratory problems, in many piggies. A pulp-based bedding - Megazorb, Carefresh - tends to be a better option, although these can sometimes be slightly dusty.
 
ecobale which is a carcboard bedding is what I use no dust, soft on their feet and very easy to work with-c
 
I have always used shavings, however, I buy the absolute top quality natural, dust extracted, in bales from my farm supplier. Never had any problems at all. However, they do sell shavings that are about a third cheaper, but not the same quality at all. I think you have to be careful if you are using shavings as, if you buy any old tat, there can be a lot of dust in there and cause all the problems people have mentioned. I have no problem with the top quality stuff I buy. x
 
I don't remember what the packaging on the shavings I got said they were but they don't appear to be dusty at all and they are pretty fine so they are quite soft.

Has anyone else had a pig that seems to like shavings?

The day I got moo was the day I started using fleece and usually when I cleaned the cage Mocha would hope around all happy popcorning but Moo didn't seem to care.

Then about 2 weeks ago I had to leave town for a week so I left my young neighbour to watch my pigs so I put shavings in while I was gone since it would be much easier for someone to take care of, and when I put moo in the cage I saw her popcorn for the first time ever.

Do you think this means she prefers shavings?

Shavings have been known to cause skin problems, and respiratory problems, in many piggies. A pulp-based bedding - Megazorb, Carefresh - tends to be a better option, although these can sometimes be slightly dusty.
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Are the pulp based ones the colorful ones? I saw some stuff that was like blueish purple but it was expensive. Like $10 for a small bag of it.
 
The pulp-based ones are usually a grey colour or white-ish, but I do know that Carefresh comes in various colours. Grey is the original and the best though. What is used to colour the bedding I'm not sure, most people I know are loathe to recommend the coloured ones as - last time I checked - it was not clear what is used to make the colour and what effect, if any, the colourant would have on the pig if the bedding was ingested.
 
lovelygirl said:
The natural oils in the wood used for shavings used in our disinfectants, it would be like living in a freshly cleaned toilet with all the overpowering smell and no window(imagine that), and also the chemicals can irritate the lungs leading to respiratory problems. Also the shavings are quite rough and dry and can make their feet sore. If you want to use shavings please don't and reconsider using megazorb or aubiose which are much kinder to your piggies
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I totally agree
I used wood shavings for many years , but after reading several articles warning of the dangers ,

I now use aubiose,

I tried megazorb but I found it too dusty:a19: ,
 
I used shavings for a short time, the only reason I changed is because everytime I picked them up, a pile of shavings would follow onto the floor. grrrr

I do think they prefer fleece though because they jump with joy everytime I put a new one on.

There are also wood pellets you could use. I like the noise they make walking over it!
 
I have always used wood shavings for my girls. HOWEVER, I only use ones that have been dust extracted and my girls don't actually 'live' on them as to speak. I put a layer of wood shavings on top of newspaper and then mountains of hay on top of the wood shavings and this is in their living accommodation and not their sleeping area. The girls don't actually come in to contact with the shavings :)
 
I use to use shavings up to a few years ago on top of newspaper topped with hay.

Then I came across the forums and read so many warnings I moved to megazorb when i had a supply of this, then i couldnt get any so went back to paper/hay.

This works for Monty and my rabbit Leo in summer when hes out in the garden run daily but over winter and since having Melvin and Parsnip who seem to soak paper daily Ive found a new online source of megazorb.

They like it, I dont mind it - bit dusty and causes a right mess if any blows about but it does soak up any wee. I do full cleans twice a week and spot cleans daily.

Never known any of my guineas get ill/react to shavings and they are easier to get but Il stick to megazorb as seems safer:)

At one pet boarding they were kept on shavings for a week and seemed fine but will still not use shavings.
 
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