Landlord issues and piggie smell.

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato

Adult Guinea Pig
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We've had an email from the landlord complaining that the house smells of "animals" (definitely the piggies). They've also complained that the house is a mess and have threatened eviction. Nothing is worse than it was for our last inspection but the landlord wants to sell so it's suddenly a problem. One person came to look around and claimed the house was not in the condition they expected so they've turned it down and I feel like that's being blamed on us not the landlord who's let the damp problem get out of hand and refused to fix anything. Sorry for the ramble. I meant to ask if anyone has any ideas of how to reduce the smell. I don't think it's that bad but maybe we've just got used to it. When we were without piggies for a few weeks the smell went away so it's not like the smell is ingrained. I'm not sure whether to point out that the piggie smell is the only thing that will cover up the horrific smell of damp.
 
I'm not sure ,maybe you need to get advise from citizens advice, if the landlord has failed to keep the damp in order,I believe this is more of an issue than your piggies.
I'm sure your piggies do not smell.its usually damp hay that can smell.
I'm so sorry you are facing g this.xx
 
I find removing the used hay at least once daily and use of pee pads does reduce the smell of pee - when my boys were ‘teenagers’ they a bit more smelly
 
I don't think it's come into force yet, but a landlord shouldn't be able to evict you solely for having pets. Renting with pets: Renters (Reform) Bill
I would argue that baby nappies, toddler vomit and 90 year old humans (sorry if there are any on the forum) smell a lot worse than piggies.

If possible you could try opening a window more often? Obviously if you have advance notice that the landlord is coming round then I'd recommend doing a full cage clean and vacuuming the room/house. A bit of extra forage never goes amiss on visitor days to try and balance out any smells.
Don't forget to wash any fleecey hides regularly, they can harbour bad smells sometimes.

Edit, definitely contact Citizen's Advice as Eileen suggests.
 
Bedding is fleece and towels. Dirty hay is replaced at least every other day. We have to have windows open all the time to let out the damp smell but the piggie room window is stuck shut and backs onto the street so I can't really have that open or we will be broken into knowing my neighborhood. Using extra forrage is a good idea I think I've got some Rose petals that might do the trick. We are given advanced warning of inspections but I've found if I do a panic cage clean it sort of kicks up the smell and hay dust into the air also having piggie laundry hung up to dry everywhere isn't a great look either. Any soft hides are washed in the weekly clean and pee pads changed mid week. We know our next inspection is Wednesday 30th so I'm planning to do the weekend clean on the Monday so it shouldn't smell too bad but we should have time to get most of the bedding washed dried and put away.
 
Roselina said:
I find removing the used hay at least once daily and use of pee pads does reduce the smell of pee - when my boys were ‘teenagers’ they a bit more smelly
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My boys are in their teenage months so this could be the case, it tends to come in waves though and it didn't seem too bad but maybe I'm used to it.
 
I know baking soda is bad for piggies, but good for absorbing odors. When my two foster boys decided they were going to do extra scent marking and all types of great boar smells, I kept a jar of baking soda in the room. Not next to them, but on a shelf in the room. It helped with keeping the odors down, but didn't get rid of them. I did change out the baking soda out every few days.

Sorry to hear about the landlord issue.
 
Seems a bit suss as the majority of buyers would be aware that pets don't come with the house and a caged animal isn't going to cause ongoing issues with the property 🤦‍♀️ not enough for a buyer to walk away completely so I would suspect it's the damp and other issues you are referring to.
Have a look for charities/advice centres that cover housing law like shelter just in case your landlord tries to take it further
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
I know baking soda is bad for piggies, but good for absorbing odors. When my two foster boys decided they were going to do extra scent marking and all types of great boar smells, I kept a jar of baking soda in the room. Not next to them, but on a shelf in the room. It helped with keeping the odors down, but didn't get rid of them. I did change out the baking soda out every few days.

Sorry to hear about the landlord issue.
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I'll give this a try I can put some on a tray on the window ledge well out of the way of the piggies
 
It sounds more like the damp issue is what is putting buyers off and that the landlord is using your guinea pigs as an excuse. I use puppy pads, wood shavings and hay and the only time I notice any kind of smell is the day before clean out day x
 
Fleece bedding can smell a bit, and us piggy fans easily get nose-blind to it. Short term (e.g. when you know someone is coming), covering all the surfaces in the cage with a layer of hay can help a lot to reduce the smell. And the pigs love it!

Also as much ventilation as you can get . Clean out the cage so everything is fresh, a layer of hay over all of it, and then get the windows open and ventilate as much as you can before the landlord comes round.

Unfortunately it does sound as if you and your pigs are being scapegoated for something which ultimately has much more to do with the landlord's poor maintenance. I agree with getting as much advice as you can so that you're ready to fight it if it gets any worse.
 
Also to add that putting slices of lemon in a pan of water and simmering it on the stove for a while has a great deodorising effect on the whole house. Just don't let it boil dry or it will make it a lot worse!
 
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