Is Hay Food Or Bedding?! Hay Or Not To Hay......help Needed For A Newbie Pleeeeease :)

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Clair Dade

Clair Dade

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Hi there,
Just bought two six week old teddy sows. They are in an outside hutch.

We were advised by Pets at Home to buy some sort of wood shaving for a "mattress" then layer hay all on top.

I'm finding it a bit hard to spot clean the hutch daily with all the hay around.....would it be ok to just use the layer of wood shavings (which is quite soft...not even sure its wood actually) and just put the hay in their "bedroom" area which I could change daily? and in a hay rack. Worried they will get cold without all the hay.

Not convinced about a fleece and worried about washing it in the machine with all my kids clothes going in there too....is it hygienic?

Is hay for bedding for just eating? Please help!
Clair
 
Hi Clair and welcome to the forum. Guinea pigs diet needs to be made up of 80% hay so they must have access to it at all times. Could you explain about their set up? If they are living outside are they in a heated shed?

Shavings can cause allergies so I would not recommend it. Fleece is fine. You can wash it in a horse wash bag. I got one from Amazon. I use vetbed as it is hypoallergenic and cosy for piggies.

I find guinea pigs prefer hay in a pile rather then a hay rack as they like to play in it too.
 
Hi there, thanks for your reply. No they're just outside in their hutch which I cover up at night with a heavy blanket. They have a lot of hay at the moment and seem to cuddle up in it. But spot cleaning seems hard with all the hay stuck in with the shavings (or whatever they are...they're in the garage so can't look right now....I know I should know :( ) Hadnt thought of washing the fleece in with something else - would it clean ok in something else though. Will have a look at the vetbed, thank you.
 
Hi Clair and :wel: To the forum! In answer to your question - hay is both bedding and food. It is 80% of their diet and so is very important. As piggyfan says, they love to play in, I also put 'treat' hay in a rack. When my boys were outside i used fitch bedding throughout their hutch and then put meadow hay in the bedroom and hidey areas and Timothy or other tasty stuff in the rack. Now they are inside I use fleece and towel in the main areas but still use fitch and hay in bedroom and hidey as this is where they pee the most so it is easier to clean out. I also have other hideys out of the hutch (they free range in my lounge) that I fill with meadow hay so they have a plentiful supply of hay in a variety of exciting places!
 
I wash my piggies fleece with our towels on a 60 degree wash and I use HALO washing liquid. Kills bacteria etc. It's really good and safe for our little ones not to mention cleans our towels well too!
 
I use hay in their sleeping areas as well as hay in their racks, this way they get the best of both and can snuggle up in it but also have clean fresh hay to eat at all times! :)
 
Clair Dade said:
Hi there, thanks for your reply. No they're just outside in their hutch which I cover up at night with a heavy blanket. They have a lot of hay at the moment and seem to cuddle up in it. But spot cleaning seems hard with all the hay stuck in with the shavings (or whatever they are...they're in the garage so can't look right now....I know I should know :( ) Hadnt thought of washing the fleece in with something else - would it clean ok in something else though. Will have a look at the vetbed, thank you.
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It is too cold for them to be outside in a hutch. You need to wait for it to be at least ten degrees at night before they can stay outside. Please bring them indoors. You will likely to really enjoy them living indoors as they will get used to you quicker and can really become part of the family. The washbag is designed for washing things inside so it will be fine. Do you keep a car in the garage?
 
So should I bed their Bedrooms with both a layer of paperbased or shavings base and then heap up hay and just keep the main area with a base and perhaps a clump of hay in one place and toys perhaps filled with hay?

All the hay everywhere is making it hard for me to pick out the poo and I don't like the idea of them sitting in their own droppings for too long!
 
It is the shavings that is causing the problem. If you switched to vetbed and had them inside you could have a hay pile. That is what my set up is like and it works well.
 
When I got them from the breeder they were in an outside hutch and she seemed to think it was ok - shes been breeding for about 20 years. Youve made me worried now they are too cold :( I hope they are ok....
 
Please do not listen to breeders. They have no care about guinea pigs or they would not breed in the first place. Guinea pigs are best living indoors. They cannot tolerate changes in temperatures.
 
Well, having them inside isnt really an option. I will consider moving them to the garage at least. Its 13 degrees outside at the mo, so they should be ok...would fleece make the hutch warmer? And do they really sleep in little snuggle sacks?
 
You can use a garage as long as it is heated in winter and does not have a car. Many piggies love snuggle sacks. Vetbed would make the hutch warm. I buy mine from dogsproductsdirect.
 
So much conflicting advice....think I will stop reading everything! Thinking of getting a c & c style cage for day time use so the kids can get to them better....any ideas where I can get a cheap one?
 
You can buy grids from eBay and make it yourself. Will the c and c be indoors?
 
Clair Dade said:
Well, having them inside isnt really an option. I will consider moving them to the garage at least. Its 13 degrees outside at the mo, so they should be ok...would fleece make the hutch warmer? And do they really sleep in little snuggle sacks?
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Guinea pigs are originally from South America, they're not used to colder climates and can't be outside all year round here in the UK :)
 
you can buy snuggle safes that you heat in the microwave and it stays warm for up to ten hours. Is there windows in the garage? You cant really have them in the house during the day then put them outside at night as the difference in temperature could make them ill.If the garage is used for a car the fumes wont do them any good either.You can use boxes filled with hay to keep them warm but ideally they should be inside. They are classed as exotic animals and have specific needs.If you line the hutch with lino or similar it lasts longer and is easy to wipe clean
 
@Clair Dade I don't think you should panic too much at the moment, If the place you bought them from was keeping them outside
then they are adjusted to the temperature right now and especially as you are giving them lots of hay to snuggle in and eat and a thick blanket to cover the hutch with, they should be fine. You can buy thermal hutch covers if you are worried. My piggies all wintered inside the house but I have moved the boys into the garage this weekend as its warm here (though wet). My garage has a window, light, heat if necessary (plug in heaters) but we don't use it for cars.

My teddy girls are still inside as they are delicate Princesses ;)

In my part of the East Midlands I have been walking around in t-shirts for two weeks, the rugs have come off my horses at day and night and the heating is switched off in the house :)
 
There are several good products that you could use instead of shavings if you don't want to use fleecy or vet bed. Auboise, Raviera or Bliss are all products I have used. Auboise comes from the core of the Hemp plant & the other 2 from oil seed rape plants. I'm currently using Bliss because I can get it for £7.49 for a 20Kg bale which lasts me 6 weeks for my 2 6x2 c&c units.

You can buy most of these from farm stores but here's some links for more info:-

Auboise = https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/chicke...ding_-_20kg/?gclid=CJjNkP-Izr0CFZShtAod8hIABA

Raviera = http://www.millbryhill.co.uk/equestrian-530/horse-bedding-592/raviera-rape-straw-bedding-79724.htm

Bliss = http://blissbedding.com/bliss-basic/
 
GloriousGuineaGirl said:
I wash my piggies fleece with our towels on a 60 degree wash and I use HALO washing liquid. Kills bacteria etc. It's really good and safe for our little ones not to mention cleans our towels well too!
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I hadn't heard of Halo - thanks for making me aware of it.
 
@piggyowner and anyone else interested please check this link. @helen105281 may be interested. ..

It is not called this anymore.it is now called " flea and tick" wash by the company called " Paragon " if you go to the website www.halononbio.co.uk and then chose " halo approves" you can buy it from there. The old bottles were 1 litre these unfortunately are only 500ml but you only need a tiny amount and it is still the great same product! Gorgeous Guineas blog recommends it here : http://gorgeousguineas.com/blog/halo/




you can buy it here. I called them when I hadn't realised it had changed and they hadn't let customers know the nice guy there emailed me a 30% off coupon as an apology! Great for us allergy sufferers too. It really does work.http://www.halononbio.co.uk/halo-approved/halo-flea-and-mite-lauundry-detergent-500ml
 
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Thanks guys, for your advice. I have ordered a piggy heat pad and a cosy bed. Will be happier when they have these. They seem very happy and content :D

In regard to bedding...I feel like I'm throwing out half the cage every time I spot clean.....is this normal? They poo everywhere!
 
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