I need some help and honest opinions ...fancy a change ...

artcasper

artcasper

*Rescue Buddy*
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So... those that know me, maybe 1 or 2 people on here lol... Know that i have a 7 x 2 C & C Cage ( NOT changing the cage or the Piggies ) i currently have the following set up bedding wise-

C & C is lined with lino, then I have a few disposable puppy pads on top

Fleece cage liners
Bath mats on top ( i used both as I have tons of fleece ones as I make them ) but like that the hay doesn't stick as much to the bath mats

I have 3 hay trays, 2 cat litter sized ones and one large one that probably covers 2 x 1 and a bit C&C size wise..

I am thinking they spend most of their in the hay trays , apart from Winny who loves her corner under a box! I am thinking of making their cage FULL of hay but am unsure...

Does anyone have a large ish cage like mine full of hay? I would probably use newspaper, washable pads (animal or human ones) then ? can't remember the name of the stuff - tried Megazorb in the past for the trays and I didn't like the smell - like the stuff they use at Cavy Corner - which could be Megazorb?

Then hay on top...

Just after some honest opinions on how much more work this might be etc etc
 
Mine live in my 8ft x 6ft shed. Its part fleece, part hay, but the area which is fully hay is roughly the equivalent of a 6x2 c&c.
I use newspaper with hay on top. (I am currently trialling back2nature on top of the newspaper, but only because my newspaper supply is drying up and I’m looking for an alternative, and then the hay on top - not used the B2N long enough to have formed an opinion on it yet.)

The piggies absolutely love being bedded on hay - being in it, on it, under it! They eat such a lot due to it being pretty much everywhere they turn and they don’t have to go looking for it.

I don’t find doing a full cage clean troublesome - I normally grab the majority of it with my hands, into a bin or use it as a mulch around my plants in the garden, and then what is left gets rolled up within the newspaper. Its obviously a little more time consuming than removing and changing a fleece but its by no means harder work and it certainly doesn’t worry me as I’m out there with them etc! Daily, I use a gardening trowel to scoop up any obvious poops I find on top of the hay and any others fall through to the bottom and get removed at the next full cage clean. Any wet areas of paper are removed and new bits slid in underneath
 
I think you need to try out some ideas and see how you get on.
Because of the heat I've removed my fleece (Nugget wouldn't stop sleeping under it).
At the moment 2 cages have puppy pads (disposable ones) and hay with a fleece pee pad under wooden hides. Nugget can't get under the pee pads as hides are too heavy to lift.
My third cage has wood shavings and hay, the wood shavings are far too messy, I won't use them again. I love not having so much washing but think I really prefer my fleece liners and will go back to them once the weather cools down. I am finding it really easy to brush poop off the puppy pads and they only pee in the corners so they don't need changing every day. My cages are 1 and a little bit of puppy pad wide so I only put the bit in the wee corners. Over all daily cleans are quicker than with my fleece.
I didn't like Megazorb's smell when I tried it in my hay trays.
I'm really pleased the weather has pushed me into trying some alternatives I often wonder if I would be better doing something different to fleece liners. I don't like using disposable pads due to concerns for the environment but I was given these and they would have been thrown away by the person who had them without being used.
 
Before I swapped over to fleece I used incontipet washable puppy pads and loads of hay on the top. I was happy with the puppy pad/hay combination and used it for nearly 4 years. I swapped over to fleece as my piggies are now in a garage attached to the house and OH wasn't happy with so much hay in the house or how much hay waste I had per week. Before we moved he never fully appreciated the 4+ binbags per week of hay after a clean out!
 
eileen said:
Cavy corner use aubiose.which is absorbent.I'm using all disposable bedding at the present time,as i hate washing.i clean all hutches /cages every five days,especially with this heat !
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thank you! I couldn't remember what it was called! I have enough washing with 2 teenagers but my local launderette don't mind me washing my piggy bedding as I use a horse wash bag and I always offer to pay for another wash if my bag ever comes open..... but then there is the cost of that.. i can do the bath mats at home but my washer is struggling..
 
Betsy said:
Before I swapped over to fleece I used incontipet washable puppy pads and loads of hay on the top. I was happy with the puppy pad/hay combination and used it for nearly 4 years. I swapped over to fleece as my piggies are now in a garage attached to the house and OH wasn't happy with so much hay in the house or how much hay waste I had per week. Before we moved he never fully appreciated the 4+ binbags per week of hay after a clean out!
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i fill our garden bin with hay... well it is grass after all! the hay makes me sneeze badly so will see how it goes if i use half and half in the cage... i have some of the washable human incontinent pads in as i use them when i make cage liners..
 
Piggies&buns said:
Mine live in my 8ft x 6ft shed. Its part fleece, part hay, but the area which is fully hay is roughly the equivalent of a 6x2 c&c.
I use newspaper with hay on top. (I am currently trialling back2nature on top of the newspaper, but only because my newspaper supply is drying up and I’m looking for an alternative, and then the hay on top - not used the B2N long enough to have formed an opinion on it yet.)

The piggies absolutely love being bedded on hay - being in it, on it, under it! They eat such a lot due to it being pretty much everywhere they turn and they don’t have to go looking for it.

I don’t find doing a full cage clean troublesome - I normally grab the majority of it with my hands, into a bin or use it as a mulch around my plants in the garden, and then what is left gets rolled up within the newspaper. Its obviously a little more time consuming than removing and changing a fleece but its by no means harder work and it certainly doesn’t worry me as I’m out there with them etc! Daily, I use a gardening trowel to scoop up any obvious poops I find on top of the hay and any others fall through to the bottom and get removed at the next full cage clean. Any wet areas of paper are removed and new bits slid in underneath
Click to expand...
my mum saves me her paper everyday and my elderly neighbours do too so I always have a supply! i do use Bio catolet sometimes in their larger hay tray but that can be pricey ( cheaper in B&M ) and i think would cost too much to use all over... I am leaning towards half and half in the cage to see how we go!

I am thinking the B2N is the same as the Bio Catolet?
 
My cage is probably similar in size to yours - it’s 5x2 with a 3x2 extension to make an L shape.

I use wood shavings as a base and then just keep piling hay in.
Immediately after a cage clean the hay is in 2 neat piles plus a load stuffed in a paper bag.
Within minutes it’s being spread around the cage so that by the next day the whole cage is strewn with hay.
 
artcasper said:
i fill our garden bin with hay... well it is grass after all! the hay makes me sneeze badly so will see how it goes if i use half and half in the cage... i have some of the washable human incontinent pads in as i use them when i make cage liners..
Click to expand...
They won't take hay in our garden bin because it is pet waste. Even though I explained that guinea pig poop is the best environmentally friendly fertilizer there is!
 
Betsy said:
They won't take hay in our garden bin because it is pet waste. Even though I explained that guinea pig poop is the best environmentally friendly fertilizer there is!
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That's probably the same for ours but I do pick the poo out of the hay most of the time before it goes in... my grass grew amazingly with the poo as fertiliser!
 
So..I decided to do the following....
I got a new box and cut an entrance out.. the new box is double the size of the old one...
Lined with newspaper, nice deep layer of auboise (£12 for 20kg from the local stockists)
Then filled with lots of hay...

They weren't sure when I popped them back in the cage but soon dived in... so we will see how we go .... 20200817_153109.webp20200817_153137.webp20200817_160415.webpWinny is at the back underneath 🤣🤣
 
eileen said:
it looks great,hopefully the cage will be easier to clean, if using the hay area !
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It has been ok so far . .. Winny likes her corner and there is always a bit of poo there but mostly it's all in the big tray... it's easy to poo pick out of the auboise! Wet patches are easy to spot too.. just need to get a storage container to transport the auboise from the garage...
 
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