Finacard / Repti-card bedding?

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sazmatazz

sazmatazz

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Hi all, woohoo the forum is back! I just wondered if anyone uses card type bedding.
I am thinking about ordering a bale of repticard, which I'm told is pretty much identical to finacard, except a bit cheaper. Has anyone used either of these before?

I have tried full fleece in the past but found the washing to be a real faff, esp as my piggies seem to shed a fair bit, their blankets used to come out of the washing machine still caked in hair and then anything washed after that would also come out covered, even though I ran an empty hot wash after washing piggy things. They also seem to poop and wee all over the place so spot cleaning is difficult and fleece soon looks messy. I do put them a blanket in their little house in the colder weather (they also had a metal petnap heat pad last year, toasty pigs!), however I find paper based bedding to be easier for cleaning and they seem to liker rummaging around in it.


I also recently spoke to Gorgeous Guineas about the equine bedding they use for piggies but it can only be purchased by the pallet (36 bales!) and I haven't been able to find a local stockist.
I discovered repticard through a group I am a member of for african pygmy hedgehog owners, as we used to have a little hoggy ourselves, but I've never used it.
Any thoughts or reviews much appreciated :)

Thanks

Saz
 
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it is for a huge bag. my boyfriend said you would need a huge shed to store it.
 
I have used finacard and now use walmsley premierbed which is pretty much the same. I store the bale in an outsise storage container and one in the shed.
I think they are based in Leeds, I have a supplier near me and pay £6.20 a 20kg bale, which is pretty cheap :)
http://www.walmsleypremierbed.co.uk/stockists.htm

I love it, and it is really easy to clean out. I put newspaper as a base layer and then puppy pads, then the card . I just roll the puppy pads and chuck it all in a bin bag. I find it lasts my girls about 5 days with taking out any soiled bedding earlier.
 
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I'd say that finacard is slightly more dusty and not as soft as Fitch but I think it keeps odours down better. The Fitch is perhaps more aesthetically pleasing when you put it in as it's white but as it gets covered in hay and whatever else pretty quickly anyway I don't think that's much of an issue! As I've just said in another thread I think the best combination would be puppy pads (B&M bargains) or a thick layer of newspaper, a mixture of Fitch or shredded card and newspaper pellets (papelit/breeder celect etc.) and then the usual hay on top. Clearing the layer of hay between cleanouts helps keep everything fresh.
 
sazmatazz said:
Has anyone else used repticard as a finacard alternative?
http://www.reptilebedding.co.uk/ReptiCard_Maxibale_17kg/p1685644_7865846.aspx
I've never used either, but looking at pictures and descriptions they look almost identical to me.
I just want to be 100% sure before ordering.

Thanks
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It does look pretty similar to what finacard is like in real life. Did you look into walmsley premier bed, if you are near a supplier it is about half the price of repticard- i paid just over 6 pound for a bale the same size.
 
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Ah I forgot about that one! Looks like there's somewhere in Horsforth which stocks it, not too far from me. Is it the card bedding one you get? Is it dusty?
 
sazmatazz said:
Ah I forgot about that one! Looks like there's somewhere in Horsforth which stocks it, not too far from me. Is it the card bedding one you get? Is it dusty?
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Yeah it is the card bedding, I haven't found it dusty really. Only difference with this and fina/repti card is it is generally more square pieces rather than strips. I suppose dustiness would vary bale to bale but the 3 I've had have been great.
 
Great! We'll try that first, especially as it is locally made too. Just emailed the stockist to check availability and prices, I'll let you know how we get on :) Thanks!
 
So it turns out the place near me on the list of suppliers for Walmsley bedding don't actually sell it. And the email contact for Walmsley themselves doesn't work. :(
 
My next nearest stockist also don't have any in as apparently the demand for it isn't great. They recommended megazorb - does anyone else use this and how does it stack up in terms of absorbency and value for money? The guy said it's 6.50 a bag but couldn't remember how many litres it is.
 
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