How do you guys wash your fleece blanket?

This is their typical floor time 😅
 

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Swissgreys said:
These are nice but they need a lot more shelters really, or maybe cover part of the cage with a blanket so they feel more secure.
Cardboard is great becasue you can just throw it away when it gets dirty - no washing needed.
Plus hay is super important - how do you feed their hay becasue I can't really see it in the photos?
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And put hay in the ball thingy, it wasn't refilled yet in the photo 😅 also I used to have one more house in the cage but they nvr use it so it's in storage now... 😅 My guinea pig especially chubby always sleep outside not sure why
 
Zhi Heng said:
And put hay in the ball thingy, it wasn't refilled yet in the photo 😅 also I used to have one more house in the cage but they nvr use it so it's in storage now... 😅 My guinea pig especially chubby always sleep outside not sure why
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With Male guinea pigs it is always best to have more hidey houses than piggies - he may be sleeping outside because he doesn’t deem the other house to be prime real estate but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want a house! I have six hideys between my two boars.

Guinea pigs need to eat loads of hay - a bundle the size of their body each day. If the ball is what I am thinking of that they sell in this country, then they are far too small. Large mounds of hay are needed, they will play in it and eat a lot of it
 
Zhi Heng said:
Well I thought he implied that as he said something like 'I question you as a owner since you think they are germ ridden'
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I didn’t say I question you as an owner. What I said, and I quote, is
Siikibam said:
I question whether it was a good idea for you to have guinea pigs if you think they’re dirty and germ ridden.
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I was wondering if that type of pet is suitable with your mum’s view on diet etc. I don’t know if that’s also your view but that’s what it sounds like - perhaps to a lesser degree. I’m sorry if you were offended as that was not my intention.

Piggies poo and pee. If you find it a hassle to wash the soiled fleece then maybe think about changing to disposable bedding, as I suggested. Or get a wash bag as has been mentioned.

I’m going to leave this thread now.
 
I think your best bet would be to buy your own separate guinea pig washing machine, that means everyone’s happy :D

my fleeces don’t seem to get soaked in pee. I change them about every 5 days :)

Can you buy ‘noodle’ bath mats in Singapore? They may be a good option for you.
 
Hannah_xx said:
I think your best bet would be to buy your own separate guinea pig washing machine, that means everyone’s happy :D

my fleeces don’t seem to get soaked in pee. I change them about every 5 days :)

Can you buy ‘noodle’ bath mats in Singapore? They may be a good option for you.
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How would u compare between fleece and mats. Also, haha what i meant by soaked in pee is like cuz the piggies keep peeing on it and then it dries, so naturally 1 week worth of pee is in it 😅 I don't mean soaked as in wet
 
Piggies&buns said:
With Male guinea pigs it is always best to have more hidey houses than piggies - he may be sleeping outside because he doesn’t deem the other house to be prime real estate but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want a house! I have six hideys between my two boars.

Guinea pigs need to eat loads of hay - a bundle the size of their body each day. If the ball is what I am thinking of that they sell in this country, then they are far too small. Large mounds of hay are needed, they will play in it and eat a lot of it
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My guinea pigs usually don't even finish a full ball of the hay tho😅usually alot strands left, I freed them 2nd cut momi hay hoping they will eat more but they usually seem to leave alot strands left especislly the stems which are more important than the leaves for their teeth. I used to feed a much cheaper meadow hay, but decided to try a more premium gay, hoping they will eat more
 
Zhi Heng said:
My guinea pigs usually don't even finish a full ball of the hay tho😅usually alot strands left
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It’s going to depend how big the ball is, or maybe they don’t find it overly easy to get it out. I know my piggies eat a lot of hay when it is in piles rather than racks. I get through 15kg of meadow hay a month which is eating and bedding so some does get peed on and wasted, and 5kg of Timothy hay purely for eating
 
Piggies&buns said:
It’s going to depend how big the ball is, or maybe they don’t find it overly easy to get it out. I know my piggies eat a lot of hay when it is in piles rather than racks. I get through 15kg of meadow hay a month which is eating and bedding so some does get peed on and wasted, and 5kg of Timothy hay purely for eating
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The ball isn't very big tbh, I tried using a hay rack but the hay just keep dropping out within an hour as my guinea pigs like to dig them out... I can't find any hay rack that have a smaller opening
 
Zhi Heng said:
The ball isn't very big tbh, I tried using a hay rack but the hay just keep dropping out within an hour as my guinea pigs like to dig them out... I can't find any hay rack that have a smaller opening
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They need to be eating a lot of hay and it sounds as if your piggies probably aren’t if the ball is small. You don’t want one with a smaller opening, they need very easy access to a lot of hay and stuffing it in racks and hard to get at balls can be frustrating for them. It can be easier to just put a big pile of soft meadow hay on the floor rather than use racks at all - it encourages them to eat more of it and most piggies love running and playing in a pile of hay
 
Piggies&buns said:
They need to be eating a lot of hay and it sounds as if your piggies probably aren’t if the ball is small. You don’t want one with a smaller opening, they need very easy access to a lot of hay and stuffing it in racks and hard to get at balls can be frustrating for them. It can be easier to just put a big pile of soft meadow hay on the floor rather than use racks at all - it encourages them to eat more of it and most piggies love running and playing in a pile of hay
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But if i do that my guinea pig will n pee in the hay tho and won't eat it... Which is why i felt the hay rack didn't encourage them eating... Like I always see online videos the ideal rack allows the owner to refill hay from the top so it encourages the piggies to eat finish the old hay in order to get to the new ones n hence reduces wastage and encourages eating... But my guinea pig alwyas just dig them out then pee on it 😅 I tried putting hay on the floor in the past too n usually alot wastage I think cuz my guinea pig pees on it and dw eat alr
 
Zhi Heng said:
But if i do that my guinea pig will n pee in the hay tho and won't eat it... Which is why i felt the hay rack didn't encourage them eating... Like I always see online videos the ideal rack allows the owner to refill gay from the top so it encourages the piggies to eat finish the old hay in order to get to the new ones n hence reduces wastage and encourages eating... But my guinea pig alwyas just dig them out then pee on it 😅
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Yes they will pee on it and play it but will still most likely eat a lot more! Watching piggies running through hay and having fun and eating large amounts of hay in piles is natural for them. They rummage through with their paws and just enjoy it much much more.
They will be pulling out the bits which they don’t want to eat, some bits are nicer than others if you’re a piggy, but if they are limited to such a small amount of hay in a ball or rack, if they pick out the bits they don’t want, then they are left with only a small amount of hay they do want to eat, which is likely not enough If the ball is small in the first place.
 
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My piggies also get a large pile of hay in a plastic box and this is the way to make sure they eat loads.
There is always waste too, but hay is so crucial and they will never eat every strand - wastage and mess are just part of it.
Keeping it in a plastic box does help a bit with the mess, but unfortunately this is just another part of owning piggies!

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I see, so even if the guinea pigs are hungry they will wait for new hay instead of eating the old ones? That seems really picky😅I always thought cuz there are leftover, so it means they aren't hungry cuz i tot they way we animals are build is to eat when we are hungry n not just eat the nicest food 😅like for me i have a habit of nvr wasting food, so I eat every grain of rice usually 😅
 
Zhi Heng said:
I see, so even if the guinea pigs are hungry they will wait for new hay instead of eating the old ones? That seems really picky😅I always thought cuz there are leftover, so it means they aren't hungry cuz i tot they way we animals are build is to eat when we are hungry n not just eat the nicest food 😅like for me i have a habit of nvr wasting food, so I eat every grain of rice usually 😅
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also does this mean your guinea pigs usually waste over 50% of the hay given to them? Cuz even though I gave much less hay than you guys, they still waste about 20% of it... 1kg pack of meadow hay last me about 3-4weeks. How much hay does your guinea pig eat? Hay very expensive though, it's $40 for 2.5kg, meaning every month hay will cost about $20, that's why i have been trying the minimize wastage 😅
 
Zhi Heng said:
I see, so even if the guinea pigs are hungry they will wait for new hay instead of eating the old ones? That seems really picky😅I always thought cuz there are leftover, so it means they aren't hungry cuz i tot they way we animals are build is to eat when we are hungry n not just eat the nicest food 😅like for me i have a habit of nvr wasting food, so I eat every grain of rice usually 😅
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No, you’ve misunderstood, they won’t wait, they will eat whatever hay they have available and that is why they always need a huge pile. Giving small handfuls in a ball, here and there, is not enough. They will pick out the nicest pieces first though like toddlers do! But they will eat it all if they are hungry. My boys eat absolutely every piece of hay in their hay rack. But they always pick out the nicest pieces first - the pieces with the seed heads on usually usually get eaten first, but then they go back to it and eat the rest through a couple of hours. They get high quality Timothy in their rack - it holds two large handfuls of hay and I fill it up four times a day. They also get a large pile of meadow hay. they will eat a lot of it. They run in it play in it and sleep in it and generally enjoy it throughout the day. Some of it will get peed and pooped on so it gets thrown away once or twice a day and then I add another fresh handful of hay on top. They will eat it again, play in it etc and the cycle repeats
 
Zhi Heng said:
also does this mean your guinea pigs usually waste over 50% of the hay given to them? Cuz even though I gave much less hay than you guys, they still waste about 20% of it... 1kg pack of meadow hay last me about 3-4weeks. How much hay does your guinea pig eat? Hay very expensive though, it's $40 for 2.5kg, meaning every month hay will cost about $20, that's why i have been trying the minimize wastage 😅
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Hay wastage is absolutely part and parcel of guinea pig ownership, they will not eat every last strand and it is unreasonable to think they will. However, what I would say is if 1kg pack is lasting you a 3-4 weeks, then you probablh aren’t giving them enough. 1kg of hay only lasts my two guinea pigs about 1 week. I get through 20kg of hay in 4 weeks, and it costs me £50 (uk pounds).
 
Piggies&buns said:
No, you’ve misunderstood, they won’t wait, they will eat whatever hay they have available and that is why they always need a huge pile. Giving small handfuls in a ball, here and there, is not enough. They will pick out the nicest pieces first though like toddlers do! But they will eat it all if they are hungry. My boys eat absolutely every piece of hay in their hay rack. But they always pick out the nicest pieces first - the pieces with the seed heads on usually usually get eaten first, but then they go back to it and eat the rest through a couple of hours. They get high quality Timothy in their rack - it holds two large handfuls of hay and I fill it up four times a day. They also get a large pile of meadow hay. they will eat a lot of it. They run in it play in it and sleep in it and generally enjoy it throughout the day. Some of it will get peed and pooped on so it gets thrown away once or twice a day and then I add another fresh handful of hay on top. They will eat it again, play in it etc and the cycle repeats
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My guinea pig always leave about 20% of hay though, so means they ain't hungry? So if they are hungry they will eat the ones remaining? That's why i dont put that much hay cuz i waiting for them to eat these😅
 
Zhi Heng said:
My guinea pig always leave about 20% of hay though, so means they ain't hungry? So if they are hungry they will eat the ones remaining? That's why i dont put that much hay cuz i waiting for them to eat these😅
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Not necessarily. Mine leave the hay for all kinds of reasons - perhaps it doesn’t taste as nice.
You can’t assume because they’ve left a bit that they don’t want it. They won’t understand the concept of don’t waste food. They must always have a large amount all the time.
 
Mine never eat all of their hay.
I suppose if it was life and death they might, but as it is 80% of their diet, they should always have plenty so they will willingly eat it.
To put it in human terms, if you had food that was going off or moldy you would only eat it if you were truly desperate, but if you have a nice bowl of fresh food you are more likely to eat most of it.

My piggies get through over 1kg of hay per pig per week, but a lot is thrown away of course. They spend a huge amount of time sitting in their hay trays just munching hay (literally hours every day).

This does work out expensive, but in the long term hay is critical for a healthy guinea pig and helps prevent dental and gut issues.
One trip the vet for a dental because your guinea pig is not eating enough hay will cost a LOT more than a few bags of hay.
I would say if you are not feeding at least 1kg of hay a week then you aren't feeding enough.
Try getting a large plastic box or tray and filling it with hay and seeing how your piggies react!
 
I work with rescued piggies. And I can tell you that unless there is a true neglect situation with a critical shortage of hay, and truly starving piggies you will never see a cage where all the hay has been eaten.
Hay wastage is part and parcel of guinea pig ownership. You need to remove old, dirty soiled hay and replace with fresh hay daily. Please be reassured that piggies will always leave older hay in favour of fresh hay. Please do not restrict their hay as otherwise they may become ill.
 
Ok thks for everyone advice it's just a huge part is related to my upbringing cuz since young my parents are very strict on us on not wasting food, like we had to eat every grain of rice as a kid as my parents say each grain of rice is the the hardwork of farmers in Chinese, and eat finish everything on the plate even if we hate certain ingredients/dish, such that it has become a habit for me to continue doing so as a teenager, like I often eat expired products as long as they still smell/taste okay😅. I will feed more hay from now on, but just to clarify so usually at least these amount of hay will be wasted daily?
 

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Zhi Heng said:
Ok thks for everyone advice it's just a huge part is related to my upbringing cuz since young my parents are very strict on us on not wasting food, like we had to eat every grain of rice as a kid as my parents say each grain of rice is the the hardwork of farmers in Chinese, and eat finish everything on the plate even if we hate certain ingredients/dish, such that it has become a habit for me to continue doing so as a teenager, like I often eat expired products as long as they still smell/taste okay😅. I will feed more hay from now on, but just to clarify so usually at least these amount of hay will be wasted daily?
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I usually feed refill about 5 times this amount of hay at night in the past (they seem to eat alot more during our sleeping hours) and about twice this amount in the day. Also I think alot ppl have misconceptions of guinea pigs as low cost and low maintenance pets. I too thought so too when I got them as pets despite reading quite alot on them (mainly read on the diet veggies aspect cuz it's extremely tricky due to many contradictory articles and YouTube videos). I actually think my guinea pig requires more work than dog and cost more 😅 my parents always nag at me for 'spoiling' my guinea pig even though I'm just doing what I read online - daily floor time/ feeding veggies etc haha cuz most of my parents frens only feed dry food to their pets so they felt i was spoiling my guinea pig 😅
 
We understand that, but the piggies don’t!
The amount of hay in the picture is a good amount, But yes it will need refilling with that amount a few times in a day. I always give a lot more overnight. Yes there will be wastage though.
 
Piggies&buns said:
We understand that, but the piggies don’t!
The amount of hay in the picture is a good amount, But yes it will need refilling with that amount a few times in a day. I always give a lot more overnight. Yes there will be wastage though.
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Oooh cuz actually that ball you saw that day has about 5 times the amount of hay here 😅 like i squeeze the hay in, so it's very compacted
 
Hay isn't just food for piggies, but somewhere they can hide under, play in and generally display normal guinea pig behavioiur, as they forage in it! I scatter a few guinea pig nuggets into the hay, so they can find them! At night I fill the guinea pig cages with hay and the piggies all start to popcorn, as they love this time of day! By morning, most of it will be eaten, but some will be trodden underfoot. Animals need to be able to display species specific behaviour and providing hay, in a ball, doesn't allow them to do this!
 
anyar.dris said:
My piggies have hay in hay racks AND a big pile on the floor (look at the corner left of the photo). They also have hay in hay racks on both floors of the hutch (2 upstairs and 1 below). Everywhere they turn, they will see hay.

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Are the first floor and 2nd floor connected? I have considered having 2 floor to save space but i was told that climbing ramps are not good for piggies?
 
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