How can i clean grass cuttings to make sure theres no fleas or parasites?

Piggy101

Piggy101

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I want to keep the chances of them getting fleas/parasites as low as I can from grass. Is there something I could just wash it with? I washed some like I would vegetables with a little bit of soap and I rinsed it like crazy until the grass actually squeaked it was that clean lol. And rinsed more after that. Is there something that would be better? Maybe a vinagar cleaner?
 
The best way to ensure the grass you are feeding is safe is to only collect it from an area you can be fairly certain is not used by dogs, cats or foxes.
Giving it a good rinse under the tap should really be enough if it already comes from a safe area.
Personally I wouldn't use any form of detergent - if I was concerned I would prefer to ditch the grass.
 
I just let my piggy eat straight from the lawn in a spot where I know there is no poop/pee, fertilizer, unknown plants etc. Rinsing it would just be an extra precautionary measure if you’re especially concerned.
Hope this helps😊
 
Well see where I live I'm on ontop of a hill surrounded by woods I'm kinda "back in the sticks" some lol so we have everything from rabbits to deer in our yard and all around the mountain side where there is grass and I have three big dogs too one goes freely out to use the bathroom and the other two are on a cable but since i have a lot of animals that come around here all the time I wanted to make sure I could clean it good
 
I wouldn’t feed it at all, especially if dogs pee there. As said above you can grow it in pots etc.
 
I'm gonna be honest here, my little sister got these like two years ago I think and shes been so done with them shes tried rehoming them and NO one will take them. We have messaged every place here ( very few places to even message since we live in WV and not many places here even take them in ). So I'm trying my best to take them in and keep cost and aggravation for my parents low as I can while doing so. So one reason I've been trying to give them grass, but safely so I dont have to end up getting them flea meds or anything. I feel like theres cheaper ways to keep them, we have been using 100% natural kitty litter that's like wood chips for a very long time and have never had any issues and honestly i havent found actual clumps for them to even eat. I'm wondering if theres cheaper bedding options? And maybe I could dig up patches of clover and grass from outside and grow it inside then let it set for a month or so to make sure theres nothing on it and feed it to them? Not sure if that will work but just asking cause I have no knowledge about Guinea pigs lol. I've had about everything else from horses to sugar gliders but never these lol.
 
Piggy101 said:
I'm gonna be honest here, my little sister got these like two years ago I think and shes been so done with them shes tried rehoming them and NO one will take them. We have messaged every place here ( very few places to even message since we live in WV and not many places here even take them in ). So I'm trying my best to take them in and keep cost and aggravation for my parents low as I can while doing so. So one reason I've been trying to give them grass, but safely so I dont have to end up getting them flea meds or anything. I feel like theres cheaper ways to keep them, we have been using 100% natural kitty litter that's like wood chips for a very long time and have never had any issues and honestly i havent found actual clumps for them to even eat. I'm wondering if theres cheaper bedding options? And maybe I could dig up patches of clover and grass from outside and grow it inside then let it set for a month or so to make sure theres nothing on it and feed it to them? Not sure if that will work but just asking cause I have no knowledge about Guinea pigs lol. I've had about everything else from horses to sugar gliders but never these lol.
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I am not 100% sure but I believe kitty litter is not safe at all for piggies. I’m also in the states. Tractor Supply Company sells big bags of Aspen wood shavings for 12 dollars and it lasts a while. They also sell a massive bale of hay for a little under 20. It lasts me months.
 

Do you think the pet store would be willing to take them back? It's not ideal, but if you're really not all for caring for these pigs and there are too many restraints it may be your best option.

Fleece can be a cost effective option since it's rewashable. Just be sure to wash the fleece a few times beforehand so it wicks. Then, under that you can place some sort of absorbent material. I've used towels in the past but some haven't has success with that and opt for puppy pads. Otherwise, aspen is a pretty cheap option. I know there's an 8cu ft bale you can get on amazon for only $30; that would likely last you at least a few months.

I don't think letting plants outside dry inside would be a suitable solution to giving veggies--I'd imagine some of the nutrients would wear off in that time. Veggies shouldn't be too too expensive, especially if your family already eats them. A head of romaine is likely only $3 or so, plus a few bell peppers for a few more bucks, and a few other veggies like green beans can be bought in small quantities for a few cents apiece. It should really only be $10 a week or so for fresh veg.
 
I eat salads a lot so we usually always have English cucumbers, bell peppers, baby carrots and stuff. And usually have celery I give them that and some baby carrots I just thought some grass would be nice to give them too to replace some of the Timothy hay. Also as far as bedding goes, we bale hay off our farm i didnt know that this could be used as bedding, I had mentioned it before to my sister and she thought I meant for eating i guess. I was just looking into fleece bedding before i saw your response, I asked my sister why she never used It and mom thought it would stink bad and because she didnt want that mess in her washer ( I think she thought you had to wash it everyday because my little sister would clean the cage like once a week but I asked her and it was never a specific day so not sure so obviously the cage would smell and she would empty like the whole cage because it would be like a garbage bag full but the bags we use in the bathroom that are like 3 ft tall so it would obviously stink then the bags would sit at the end of the hallway and be like three bags there for weeks ) I told her that you're supposed to spot clean it everyday and she just said "oh" but I dont see how she didnt know that since I know she looked up a lot about them. So fleece would be nasty if she was caring for it, but I think I could keep it clean and it would be a lot cheaper than the expensive bedding we have been using. it's like wood chips and theyve never ate it but I would like to switch to something like fleece I just dont want to get it then find out it stinks bad because of the pee if it's not washed every 2 days. I also saw where people wash it in some vinegar cleaner after it's been like vacuumed off? And honestly I really dont want to take them back to the pet store unless I have to. And my parents and sister have this mind set that it would be better for them to die than go back to the store so they dont end up going to a little kid and then neglected ( sounds familiar a little ) and since they are over two I feel like they would be less likely to get adopted, I mean when you go to pick one out and they have the baby ones most kids will get one of those lol. Kinda like a puppy vs a dog you know. And the pet store we got them from is not close at all and is closed because of the virus crap.
 
Also, I had to have all my horses put down late February aftering have some of them for 9 years. So I've been struggling a lot with that and not only do I miss them like crazy but I also miss having animals to take care of. I have a 55 gallon aquarium and a 20 gallon but theres only so much you can do with that lol and I have a cat I rescued. So, like I told my mom maybe it was a blessing in disguise since I wont be getting another horse anytime soon. Hopefully this will work out for me and the pigs :). But honestly I'm really glad I found you guys to help me lol!
 
You can’t ‘replace’ hay with grass. It’s their main diet. Grass is a good one to feed alongside hay but you have to introduce them to it slowly. Too much when they’re not used to it can cause tummy issues.

With regards fleece, you can buy a horse wash bag and put the fleece in it to wash. All the hair and other debris will collect inside that. You can make your own liners, or even just have reusable/disposable puppy pads underneath the fleece. You use non bio soap and vinegar in the conditioner compartment. Don’t use conditioner itself as it prevents the fleece from wicking. Clumping pet litter shouldn’t be used due to the risk of ingestion leading to blockages

Feeding is at least 80% hay, 10% veg and 5% pellets (not muesli mix). I’ll link some threads below.

Having said all that, piggies can be expensive when it comes to vet bills. More so in the US than here in U.K. If you or your parents aren’t willing to pay them, or you feel you don’t particularly want to keep them, then I would say try and find them a new home. I’d contact rescues that are a little further afield.
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations
 
The reason why I never grew my grass indoor in a pot, is that once you pick it, it's back to square one. You got to wait weeks for one more hand full again. This is why I done mine outside on the ground. so that once I get round it all, where i started should be tall enough to pick again.

I don't see the point in feeding grass if you are only going to do it now and again.(just my feeling) My plan is to do it for the whole of summer and up the green leafy veg through winter, when the grass is no good anymore

If you have no garden, fair enough.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
The reason why I never grew my grass indoor in a pot, is that once you pick it, it's back to square one. You got to wait weeks for one more hand full again. This is why I done mine outside on the ground. so that once I get round it all, where i started should be tall enough to pick again.

I don't see the point in feeding grass if you are only going to do it now and again.(just my feeling) My plan is to do it for the whole of summer and up the green leafy veg through winter, when the grass is no good anymore

If you have no garden, fair enough.
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I agree. Mine are out on it every day now. Well, unless it rains, because heaven forbid they get wet paws! 😯.
 
I mean giving it to them everyday but me picking it and cleaning it for them. And I know it wont replace all of their hay but they loved it so so much when I gave them a little bit they didnt even look at the hay lol. And I wanted to keep giving it to them because they enjoyed it but was curious if there was a way I could wash it. Also as far as rehoming them goes, we have messaged all the rescues here and no one has any room or just doesnt take Guinea pigs. But I think this will work out fine theyve already became more tame with me and come up to the side of the cage when I walk in my room lol :) ( usually hide 24/7 )
 
Also one quick thing, does everything look good in their cage as far as how they prefer things? They always stay up top I'm wanting to make it so they wanna go to the bottom part too. Theres not much room for caves and stuff up top anyway. But the top right part is closed off just a little doorway there. Also they keep spilling their food! I had it in a heavy glass bowl and they kept tipping it, then I put it in this metal bowl with the ring that attaches to the cage bars just now and ones tried nudging the bottom with their nose and almost spilled it 🙄. Also today I'm gonna use my sister puppy pen for them to play in! I made some little houses out of boxes just for them to have places to hide and I'll put their toys out there and lay down a blanket or something for them :) hopefully they enjoy it 20200521_115835.webp
 
I would put hay downstairs as well as upstairs. And another bottle downstairs too. Pile the hay in. They enjoy sleeping, burrowing and munching as they lay in it.

Please put in some hides for them - at least one each. How big is the cage and do they come Out during the day?

It’s good if they’re not running away every time you approach. Baby steps 😁
 
The cage is like 4 foot long over a foot wide and like four foot tall. Also I didnt know they needed an actual bed? This place has a piece of wood and like the lower 1/4 of it is cut out and they stay in there almost all the time. They come out to get something drink or some food but the black and white one Luna stays in there like all the time. I have gotten her to come out and eat out of my hand though but the door has to be shut i feed her through the cage bars so we have made some progress. But how would I make them a little bed? This is why I asked if i need to do anything different and or add something lol. :)
 
I think they'd probably like a sleeping area. My pigs have a bedroom divided off on the upper floor...

20200509_173055.webp

You can see the arch in the pic. Then downstairs there is a painted rabbit house for their bedroom. They have plenty of hay in there to snuggle into, and to have some privacy
 
You are doing a great job and it is clear you are very committed to giving your piggies a good life - well done.

But they urgently need to have hay added to their cage. They need a large pile upstairs and also downstairs. I would stuff the bedroom area with a couple of handfuls, and then replace this every day (at least every second day). It is messy, but totally necessary.
They don't need a bed - their bedroom area is fine, but would be better if it had some hay for them to nest in.
To encourage them to go downstairs (which they really need to do as the cage isn't very big) you could prop the end of the ramp up on a small brick or block of wood. This would make it less steep and might seem less scary for them.
Also put a handfful of fresh grass and some hay down there and hopefully the smell will entice them down.
 
I just rigged this up for right now lol i might go and make them a little house out of wood later 20200521_150440.jpgand they are now downstairss :) also thank you this is very new to me so I really appreciate you guys helping me :) and your cage looks so cuteee20200521_150447.webp
 
Oh also my mom is going out to walmart could she pick up fleece blankets for their bedding there? Is there a specific kind I need to get?
 
Also could would I attach it? Most of the videos/pictures are the cages that arent like mine and it wont work for me
 
I use fleece and my pigs love it.
Pls read the great threads on here about bedding.
Pls make sure the fleece will absorbs wee.
If new you may have to wash them several times to make them do so.
Hay is main food.
 
Here is our guide to using fleece bedding.

A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

To get some more ideas about how to make your hutch fun and safe for your guinea pigs take a look at this thread here:
Member Gallery: Hutches

You are doing a great job taking all the suggestions on board.
I think your piggies will be very happy with you as their owner.
 
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