Looking for people's opinions...

dannif_piggies

Adult Guinea Pig
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For a while I've been wanting to change to "reusable puppy pads" for under my girls fleeces. Has anyone done this? And what are their thoughts. I really like using regular puppy pads for absorbing, but I'm trying to make the pigs as environmentally friendly as possible, and this is a big part of their waste.

Secondly, does anyone use a handheld hoover for poop scooping their fleece. Again I'd like suggestions and recommendations on this as I feel it's either make life easier or a lot more difficult when de-pooping the girls 🤣☺️

Thanks in advance.
 
I have reusable puppy pads in the hutch which I use under hay. I got them at the recommendation of @PigglePuggle who uses them under fleece. I find them very good and absorbant. They have lasted over 2 weeks before now when I have been on holiday and I have had friend come in to piggysit. Normally I clean out the hutch every week. These are the ones I have

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inconti-Pe...=vet+fleece+puppy+pads&qid=1574498017&sr=8-12

I wash them in a horse bag on a 60 degree wash.
 
I have reusable puppy pads in the hutch which I use under hay. I got them at the recommendation of @PigglePuggle who uses them under fleece. I find them very good and absorbant. They have lasted over 2 weeks before now when I have been on holiday and I have had friend come in to piggysit. Normally I clean out the hutch every week. These are the ones I have

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inconti-Pe...=vet+fleece+puppy+pads&qid=1574498017&sr=8-12

I wash them in a horse bag on a 60 degree wash.
As I couldn't sleep I thought I'd check for piggy updates so here I am at stupid o'clock, but thank you for your recommendation! They look fab, and from reading the reviews it looks as if you wash them exactly the same as fleece, with no softener. This these will be my next piggy investment, thank you again :)
 
Have you tried noodle bath mats? I’m a convert, Asda have them at £6, they are very absorbent and hay shakes off well too x
I've heard lots about these but haven't yet made the jump to try them. Do you have them over the fleece or instead of? I couldn't find much information about the layering of them.my girls do love their noodle mittens from Poundland, so I think they'd love the noodle mats but I just wasn't sure the best way to use them 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣
 
They are great! (bought in Northampton while we were waiting around while Bill had his op) no Asda’s near me (10 miles away) but used with newspaper underneath and it stays really dry. It washes really well and very easy to get hay off, unlike fleeces sometimes. It doesn’t fit all the cage so not made to measure but great for any area of the cage. They come in various colours too. Going to get a couple more at £6 you can’t go wrong x
 
They are great! (bought in Northampton while we were waiting around while Bill had his op) no Asda’s near me (10 miles away) but used with newspaper underneath and it stays really dry. It washes really well and very easy to get hay off, unlike fleeces sometimes. It doesn’t fit all the cage so not made to measure but great for any area of the cage. They come in various colours too. Going to get a couple more at £6 you can’t go wrong x
I think I'll give them a go! Even if I give the girls a "noodle bath mat area" for the time being and see how the get on with them. Thank you x
 
They are great! (bought in Northampton while we were waiting around while Bill had his op) no Asda’s near me (10 miles away) but used with newspaper underneath and it stays really dry. It washes really well and very easy to get hay off, unlike fleeces sometimes. It doesn’t fit all the cage so not made to measure but great for any area of the cage. They come in various colours too. Going to get a couple more at £6 you can’t go wrong x
Thanks for this- never considered before but I've so much space to fill with woodshavings pads & hay its an expensive job so I think a couple of noodle areas would work great and would be very snug too in their shed. 👍
 
I have used fleece cage liners for years - the re-usable puppy pads are very similar to what i use when i make the cage liners - i buy human ones lol and they are very absorbent.. I have recently been trying the bath mats - mine are from Ikea - they are £5.50 and work well but i do lay them on top of my fleece liners - the hay comes off great and they never feel damp and i change them twice a week.
 
I use the noodle bath mats and either have a layer of puppy pads underneath or use a waterproof mattress protector that I've cut to the size of my cage they both work great. I use a rubber brush on the bath mats before I wash them it's great for getting rid of any hay or hair that's stuck to them after I've given them a good shake.
I have a hand held vac which is just a cheap £12 one from Asda to do the poop a scoop it's great as I can reach the whole cage with it and it's not as load as a normal vac so doesn't scare the girls plus it doesn't suck the mats up. It's great for the poop but I wouldn't use it on any hay.
 
I use the noodle bath mats and either have a layer of puppy pads underneath or use a waterproof mattress protector that I've cut to the size of my cage they both work great. I use a rubber brush on the bath mats before I wash them it's great for getting rid of any hay or hair that's stuck to them after I've given them a good shake.
I have a hand held vac which is just a cheap £12 one from Asda to do the poop a scoop it's great as I can reach the whole cage with it and it's not as load as a normal vac so doesn't scare the girls plus it doesn't suck the mats up. It's great for the poop but I wouldn't use it on any hay.
Really helpful response. Thank you! The main thing I was concerned about the hoover was it sucking up the fleece/mats if I chose to go to them. But it sucks up the poops no problem? Think I may give a little hoover and noodle mats a go!
 
I just use newspaper under my fleece, I clean out about every 5 days and it works well. I have a cheap handheld vacuum that I spot clean with every night. I got it from Aldi!
Thank you for your response! My fleece set up is okay atm just wondered if I could replace the puppy pads I use currently, and think I may grab a handheld hoover at some point to give it a go ☺️
 
Really helpful response. Thank you! The main thing I was concerned about the hoover was it sucking up the fleece/mats if I chose to go to them. But it sucks up the poops no problem? Think I may give a little hoover and noodle mats a go!
Yep the poops get sucked up no problem and the mats stay in place 😊
 
Sorry guys, anyone that uses the bath mats, I tried one in the hay corner, over my fleece liner and it worked great! So I bought another to cover the majority of the floor space, using puppy pads as the absorbant layer.

This week I found the girls mats just weren't staying dry. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Should I just alway use them over fleece instead of by themselves?
 
Its not what you are doing its what they are doing 😂 mine wee everywhere. They will get damp if they choose to wee there so you might need a few in rotation. I've been shaking the poo off each day & washing every 2 days but i'm going to buy more so I need to do it less. I've a wash bag they go into to save your washing machine getting bits in. I dont cover the whole place though.

Just in 2 areas, the rest i use puppy pads & wood shavings/hay.
 
Its not what you are doing its what they are doing 😂 mine wee everywhere. They will get damp if they choose to wee there so you might need a few in rotation. I've been shaking the poo off each day & washing every 2 days but i'm going to buy more so I need to do it less. I've a wash bag they go into to save your washing machine getting bits in. I dont cover the whole place though.

Just in 2 areas, the rest i use puppy pads & wood shavings/hay.
My girls do tend to have concentrated places of wee 😂Some people say they last all week, not with my girls ahaha
 
For a while I've been wanting to change to "reusable puppy pads" for under my girls fleeces. Has anyone done this? And what are their thoughts. I really like using regular puppy pads for absorbing, but I'm trying to make the pigs as environmentally friendly as possible, and this is a big part of their waste.

Secondly, does anyone use a handheld hoover for poop scooping their fleece. Again I'd like suggestions and recommendations on this as I feel it's either make life easier or a lot more difficult when de-pooping the girls 🤣

Thanks in advance.
definitely do. they are easy to wash and clean. i got mine for 12,00 i believe. from aliexpress
 
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