Mats or shavings?

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janey11

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Hi I'm a new piggy mummy to 2 boys who i got 2 days ago and have brought mats for their cage i have just gone to give a clean and they are quiet damp. Can i ask what do you prefer for yoir piggies shavings or mats? TIA
 
Congratulations on getting your piggies. I am a big fan of mats. When I first got some I made the mistake of getting cheap ones, they are useless. Did you wash yours a few times first? This needs to be done so they wick away the moisture. Also most of us fleece fans use some bath mats/ pee pads in areas where they pee more and change these every day or two.
 
fluffysal said:
Congratulations on getting your piggies. I am a big fan of mats. When I first got some I made the mistake of getting cheap ones, they are useless. Did you wash yours a few times first? This needs to be done so they wick away the moisture. Also most of us fleece fans use some bath mats/ pee pads in areas where they pee more and change these every day or two.
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Thank you for your advice, i got them from amazon and no didnt wash them first 🙈. I have seen people using bathmats so will try them.
 
When you wash them, you don't use fabric conditioner. Putting white vinegar in the conditioner compartment helps to keep them soft. Also you will want to buy a hand brush with silicone bristles they are better for getting the hay off off the mats and a pet wash bag because you will always find hay in your washing machine otherwise.
 
fluffysal said:
When you wash them, you don't use fabric conditioner. Putting white vinegar in the conditioner compartment helps to keep them soft. Also you will want to buy a hand brush with silicone bristles they are better for getting the hay off off the mats and a pet wash bag because you will always find hay in your washing machine otherwise.
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Thank you
 
fluffysal said:
Yes! I didn't make it clear. I use the bathmats over the main fleeces.View attachment 243659piggies find them comfortable too. Hello Sir George.....
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Ah I see so they are fleece liners with the absorbent layer already in then.

Not having washed them first won’t help so try that first!
 
Sometimes there is good luck in using a "kitchen" area in addition to the fleece if you aren't already. This is an area (See here for example) where you can put disposable bedding such as Carefresh or shavings as well as a feeding station. The piggies may build the habit of weeing there since they tend to wee while they eat. With mine, some primarily use the kitchen to pee, some totally disregard it 😅 If it works at all, it may save you some laundering. Some pet stores have corner styled litter boxes for small animals that you can try out before investing in a larger or more expensive one. Hope this helps!
 
Hello and welcome
I use everything, fleece bedding, paper bedding, puppy pee pads, bath mats, and hay as bedding. My boys have many choices to choose from. I started using just paper bedding and fleece, but added puppy pee pads, bath mats and hay as bedding over the years.
You will find out which you prefer over time.
 
I use noodle bathmats. I've got a total of 6 in their enclosure. My 2 girls pee and poop in the same area's. In 1 of those area's I've got a litter box, which I clean daily. I've also got a tent with a tray with hay in it, which also get peed and pooped in, but because of the tray in it, it's easy to clean. When necessairy I change the mats. I spot clean once a day and deep clean once a week. Because there are 6 mats in the enclosure and they always pee and poop in the same places, I only need to replace 1 or 2 mats in 2 or 3 days. I think I'm just lucky with my clean girls, because I do read a lot of other story's. The best advice I got was to put a litter box where they eat. I've got no smell, just the hay.
 
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