Finished the boys' new home for inside :)

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lilmisscavy

lilmisscavy

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I've brought Harvey and Jasper in again for this winter and made them a comfortable home.

Because of Jasper's breathing problems and my sinus problems of being around wood-shavings for too long, I've resorted to having them on fleece to make it healthier for the pair of us. I bought a 200cm x 140cm grey fleece blanket yesterday from Dunelm Mill for £4.99, as well as a shower curtain from Poundland.. which was obviously a pound lol

Here are some pictures of how it progressed! Also, before anyone is concerned, I know the bridges have limited the space but these two are not active, well Jasper never has been and Harvey can't now because of his health, they're not in fit states to be running or popcorning about everywhere, but the bridges have just enabled them to feel protection from me being in my room all day.

Newspaper underneath, was going to use a thin layer of wood-shavings but then thought it less messy with newspaper:
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Shower curtain... have already got holes in it where my nails have caught it as I was trying to fit it on rolleyes:
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Figuring out how to position the bridges:
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Added a hay rack which is actually one half of a large hamster ball and I cut holes in the sides where the little slots are:
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Then added a brick that holds down their hutch's cover to catch any drips from the bottle, then placed their bowl somewhere I could get to easily, and their bottle on the side:
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And the boys in their new home, with creepy red eyes from the flash lol:
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It's not perfect, I know, but it's much better than having Harvey outside while his health is deteriorating.
 
Ahh hun, you know your piggies and you're obviously doing what is best for them. I think it looks cosy and I bet they will appreciate being in now it is getting cold.
 
Rachel WD said:
Ahh hun, you know your piggies and you're obviously doing what is best for them. I think it looks cosy and I bet they will appreciate being in now it is getting cold.
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:)

The rest of my pigs are outside, I've only brought these two in because they're 'special needs pigs'. Harvey with his weight loss and blood loss, and Jasper with his URI sounding problems (it's not URI by the way), it just wouldn't be fair to keep them out there this winter again, although I don't think the weather is understanding what time of year it is... it's going to be a warm weekend and I can't believe two days ago I was shivering! Today, I've got my windows open, I feel kinda clammy lol

We've had such an odd year of weather!
 
Right. Change of plan. I can't have them on fleece.

Within an hour they'd pooped all over the place that I swept it up twice, and had to peel poop off their paws.

The smell got so bad last night that I had my duvet over my nose whilst trying to get to sleep! I've had my windows open all day today and the smell is still really strong.

Plus I had to bath Jasper for the first time in months today because he was soaked in pee!

I don't know how other people stand the smell or even minimise it, and how they deal with pee and poop, but it's seriously not for me or my pigs and it's definitely not hygienic or healthy for me or them.

I'm going to try half wood-shavings and half fleece tonight. They're in their run at the moment so I can clean the cage properly in a minute. They're over-powering smell is worse than the two rats I have in here at the moment and they were cleaned about a week ago and still smell fine!
 
I suppose with your cage being quite small the poos do build up quickly. I don't have a problem with our cage smelling but maybe thats because we have girls and I think they smell much less. Thats the thing with fleece though, you do have to clean the poos out very often, I can do about once a day without it getting too bad.
 
I think fleece only works if you wash it at least 3 times without any fabric softener, then you need two layers of fleece, under that put a layer of towels, then your plastic sheet or newspapers. Because you haven't got enough layers there possibly their wee is just sitting under the surface so they will get wet.

Hope that helps! :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I think fleece only works if you wash it at least 3 times without any fabric softener, then you need two layers of fleece, under that put a layer of towels, then your plastic sheet or newspapers. Because you haven't got enough layers there possibly their wee is just sitting under the surface so they will get wet.

Hope that helps! :)
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I agree, if theres nothing benieth the fleece accept the shower curtain, it will just sit there and they will get soggy. Poos shouldnt generally be soft enough to be REALLY squished into paws unless theyre wee wee soaked. Hope that helps you. But we do understand fleece isnt for everyone.
 
Hmmm did you wash the fleece? it needs to be washed first, some say about 3 times, I do mine once and it's ok. This has to be done without fabric softener to remove the 'waterproof' layer if you like, otherwise pee sits on top.

My other thought is the pee isn't going anywhere anyway because of the shower curtain, maybe i'm wrong but surely it's going through the fleece and just sitting on that cos it's plastic and waterproof?
I use a thick layer of newspaper, a towel or two hand towels (i have some old ones that are now relegated for this lol) then the fleece. Maybe you could try that? I imagine that is whats causing the smell.I have 4 boars in my kitchen an other than clean out day, you only smell anything when you have your head right in the cage lol
 
I have my indoor piggies on shredded cardboard which is dust free and soft and the piggies like to forage in it.
 
I've got them back on wood-shavings and hay now.

After the day I've just had to endure, I don't want to be sodding about with this too.
 
Have you thought about vetbed? I found it much easier then fleece, and all I put under it ids some newspaper :)

You're house looks fab though, that's a great idea about the brick :)
 
Squigle said:
Have you thought about vetbed? I found it much easier then fleece, and all I put under it ids some newspaper :)

You're house looks fab though, that's a great idea about the brick :)
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I've never thought about vetbed because I have been completely turned off by anything other than wood-shavings. I used it 14 years ago for my first pigs, and tried everything else I could get hold of, Megazorb, CareFresh, Aubiose, Hemcore, even just shredded paper and hay. I've come back to shavings and wouldn't change it again.

This is how much fun my weekend was:

Once I'd attached just the shower curtain to the bars, I worked out I'd spent over 2 hours sodding about with it, getting it flat at the bottom and sides. Then, as mentioned by others because I did read how to do it properly on here and on various other websites before, I folded the fleece to make layers, but then I couldn't attach it because it was too thick to get the clips on properly, they kept pinging off. There was no way I was making holes all around the edge to tie it on and then, as proved, within a day have to untie them all to wash it, so I cut it down to size instead to attach it with the clips, which had already made my thumbs red raw from getting the shower curtain on.

When I finally had it finished, hours later, you can imagine how absolutely furious and exhausted I was. I'm not putting myself or my animals through that farce again, not for anyone. If I ever have a C&C cage, they're only ever going on wood-shavings, just cannot understand people who house them on fleece, it's absolutely repulsive stuff for an animal that doesn't stop going to the toilet.

Ok, if you have the patience to faff about with this type of thing then fair enough but I just cannot understand the big craze.
 
?

i have my two girls on fleece an have never had a promlem!! they have a towel under they fleece an newspaper an it doesnot smell i just pick the poo out twice a day it certainly is not a chore.
plus i agree with bellasmummy your cgae does look a little on the small size?
 
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dot an milly said:
i have my two girls on fleece an have never had a promlem!! they have a towel under they fleece an newspaper an it doesnot smell i just pick the poo out twice a day it certainly is not a chore.
plus i agree with bellasmummy your cgae does look a little on the small size?
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That'll be because it's a small cage. I did state that in my first post, and explain why it wasn't a concern because they're not active for it to be a problem for them. Plus I've taken one of the bridges out for more room, they've been in that cage before, last winter, and were fine.

I understand, and understood, that the smaller the space, the more pooped it'll be in a short amount of time. Though I was prepared to sweep it out, and did twice within the evening, that wasn't a problem, it was just the smell of it all I can't be doing with.
 
I'm sorry but i feel if you had done it propperly, with towel and newspaper so there was actually something to absorb the wee, it wouldnt smell.

But youve obviously made your decision, so no point argueing about it now.
 
?

may be they not so active but we dont lock less active humans up in small spaces do we? an there are minimal rspc requirements to.
 
Your cage is too small for fleece to work.
Even if your pigs are not active, they should be allowed to move around.
Would you like to be locked in a small toilet all day?
 
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