Does Anybody Else Use Woodshavings On Here?

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MushiiPeas

MushiiPeas

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Hello guys,

I have previously bedded my pigs on Fitch but I'm finding it very costly with the amount of cages i have to clean.

Anyho this month i bought some wood shavings for them but made sure i put a good layer of hay on top so that they are not in contact with them.

I haven't noticed them wheezing or the wood shavings having any affect on them over the last 3 weeks... so can i use them as a long term bedding option?

Do any of you use them and how long have you had your piggies on shavings?

Thanks in advance!

:)
 
I find Fitch much cheaper then wood, as wood I had to do a full clean every 2 day and Fitch can spot clean and full clean once a 1 week. Fitch last me a lot longer. You only need to put a small amount in as it fluffs up. Oh maybe you can get wood super cheap where you are I didn't think of that. But be careful as wood maybe a false economy.
 
I use it. It can cause problems with some pigs but I've never had any trouble with it. If I did, I would stop using it. I've tried other beddings and fleece but keep going back to wood shavings, it's what works for me.
 
Oh, and my first pig was on wood shavings for most of his life, about 4.5 years. My current two have been on it since I got them so a year.
 
Thanks guys, I'll make sure i keep a close eye on them in-case they get any issues.

I get the shavings from a local farm shop that i get my hay from and i spoke to the lady and told her my concerns about the dust and she said that the bales are dust extracted and a lot of people come in and buy them for her piggies and bunnies and she's never had any complaints from customers.

I was just a little worried after everything i read about shavings but I'll also put a layer of hay on top because they like snuggling in it!

:)
 
I've always used shavings also, with a good layer of hay on top. Mine love burrowing so I'd feel bad removing the large amounts of hay and restricting it soley to trays, shavings also works out cheaper and I only have to remove bits when I clean them weekly :) Never had a problem with them
 
I agree, I have hay in racks as well as on the floor so they have a choice but I really dislike the idea of it being restricted to such a small space. My boys are always burrowing and making beds in the hay!
 
I have a hay loft where they can burrow and a tray down the bottom. I found I had to change shavings quite a lot before I changed to fleece/finacard and there was just so much waste, they would also kick it everywhere running so I would have shavings all over the floor.
 
I have always used dust extracted woodshavings and still do even now that they are living indoors.

I have never had any problems although if any of my piggies suffered, I would look in to an alternative.

I know that some people are against using them, but they suit me and the piggies.

As I have had bad experiences with hay pokes and eye injuries, I limit the hay to certain corners of the cage but I keep these areas topped up and the pigs can still burrow if they want to.
 
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I used shavings for a while in my litter trays (big enough and deep enough for them to burrow in) but they were making my nose itch.When I had my rabbits and outside piggies they were on dust extracted shavings as used to get a huge bale for 6 quid delivered and never had problems.Maybe I've just got more sensitive.Mine on finacard now but works out about the same as shavings as don't need changed as often
 
There's lots of people still using shavings but if you want something similar that's not wood based & is still cheap, try Bliss:- http://blissbedding.com/bliss-basic/

It should cost between £7 to £8 for 20Kg. I use with a layer of hay on top & depending on size of run & amount of piggies you can get up to 7 days between changes. Maybe some spot cleaning & changing some hay & patches where they wee a lot. There's a postcode finder & there's 5 suppliers within 30 miles of Eastbourne. If you have to order online and have it delivered it can cost about £9 or £10 for delivery on top of price of product.
 
Stewybus said:
There's lots of people still using shavings but if you want something similar that's not wood based & is still cheap, try Bliss:- http://blissbedding.com/bliss-basic/

It should cost between £7 to £8 for 20Kg. I use with a layer of hay on top & depending on size of run & amount of piggies you can get up to 7 days between changes. Maybe some spot cleaning & changing some hay & patches where they wee a lot. There's a postcode finder & there's 5 suppliers within 30 miles of Eastbourne. If you have to order online and have it delivered it can cost about £9 or £10 for delivery on top of price of product.
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Thanks stewybus I've booked marked the link in case i get and trouble with the shavings, how absorbent is that bedding and is it smelly? (my lot are in my bedroom so smell is a big thing for me)

:)
 
MushiiPeas said:
Thanks stewybus I've booked marked the link in case i get and trouble with the shavings, how absorbent is that bedding and is it smelly? (my lot are in my bedroom so smell is a big thing for me)

:)
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I have a group of 3 in a 6x2 c&c run (185"x 28.5") & there's does a week. My group of 4 in same size run sometimes starts to smell after 5 or 6 days. That's for Bliss or Raviera. With Auboise which is about £12 per 20Kg bale I get not smell in either run in 7 days. I have separate bedding areas, cat lit trays with soft white paper bedding & hay on top which are changed every 3.5 days eg Sunday morning & Wednesday teatime.
 
I used to use shavings, I've recently converted to snowflake, its a lot better than shavings. Its a lot more absorbent and locks in odours brilliantly.
 
I use wood shavings. It doesn't appear to be hurting the piggies, my vet said it was unlikely to. I use it for my hamster and gerbil as well. I had rats many moons ago and wouldn't use it on them as my rats had a tendency towards respiratory problems. They had paper based litter.

I actually like the smell of wood shavings. :)
 
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I kept my hamsters - over time about 40-50 of them on shavings never had any problems I also used shavings in the toilet area with past rabbits.
My hamsters were still on it when I learnt about the possible risks of shavings.
I replaced shavings with megazorb but the hamsters started sneezing and I felt it smelt a little musty & was a pain to clean in the outdoor hutches so tried hemp bedding that was ok then that seemed dusty so moved to Fitch which the hamsters love - they can burrow in it & make nests so have stuck with that. I still think shavings are better in toilet jars for absorbing hamster wee & not smelling but stick to Fitch now.

My indoor guinea is on paper then the Dunelm Mill matting & vet bed one end, and hay the other which he likes. My outdoor guineas who have 2 hutches each - garage over winter/wet days/overnight & outdoor in summer are on the old fashioned newspaper & hay set up.
So I don't use shavings now but did for years with no problems but wouldn't swap back now.
 
With shavings being used for so long I think it will be years before it becomes the norm for people not to use them. The way I look at it is that piggies can have enough ailments in their lifetime so every little thing we can do to stop the problems the better. I know lots of reputable rescues still use them. In the end if you can stop using something that's maybe only 1% likely to harm them then that's another 1% towards them living a long life.

I agree with alisont regarding Megazorb. I used to use it till they changed the bags last year. When it was it the hessian type bags I thought it was great & had a lovely toasted smell. When they changed to standard plastic bags it wasn't the same & even though I bought from different suppliers in case it was the way they were storing it, I found it had a horrible musty smell which didn't seem to be affecting my piggies but was glad to see the back it.
 
BossHogg said:
I used to use shavings, I've recently converted to snowflake, its a lot better than shavings. Its a lot more absorbent and locks in odours brilliantly.
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what is snowflake? Noticed the farm shop near me sells it but was unsure about it, so opted for aubiose. They also had bales of miscanthus bedding but I haven't heard of it, has anyone else?
 
Its a dust extracted wood chippings, I find it brilliant to use as its heavier than shavings, so it doesn't get kicked about as much. Its a little more expensive than shavings but worth it as it doesn't smell when soaked with guinea pee! ;)
 
i used finacard but trying ecobale as cheaper. I tried hemp based bedding but didnt like the smell and it didnt seem to keep dry very well. Love the finacard but counting the pennies now.Shavings (even dust extracted) had to be changed more and made my nose itch
 
Snowflake sounds good, might give it a try once I've made my way through the aubiose, I've put finacard on top of the aubiose though as I read on here some people had problems with it getting in boys bits lol don't want any of that! I've half thought about trying fleece but not convinced yet!
Sorry I hijacked this thread by the way!
 
I'm so confused by the whole thing, i think when i have used up this bale of wood shavings I'm going to switch back to Fitch, i know it's pretty pricey but at least it won't cause any problems with the piggies!

I might buy it in bulk cos then it's a bit cheaper... :)
 
How is fitch? I use shavings but am tempted by fitch...the thing that actually puts me off is i can only find it in 20+kg so if i dont like it I'm a bit stuffed. Can you get it in smaller amounts? If u buy 20kg can you carry it?!
 
I use shredder paper. The piggies seem to enjoy it and I occasionally see Romano eating it like spaghetti.

I have a mat on the bottom then newspaper and then finally the paper.
 
We used shavings to begin with, but at clean outs me and my daughter were sneezing like crazy, so that made me think - if its doing that to us great big humans, what's it like for those little piggies? (We tried a few different brands to make sure that wasn't the issue.) After a couple of experiments with other things we tried Aubiose, and haven't looked back. I get it in large bales (about 20kg I think) for £10.50 from our local farm shop. It isn't dusty, doesn't make us sneeze, doesn't smell, and the wee soaks through to the bottom so that the top layer stays dry, which I think might be one of the reasons that the piggies seem to like it. Dougal - a very relaxed little chap - often just stretches out on it and goes to sleep, rather than in one of his beds, so it must be comfy, too.
 
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