'New' Type of Small Animal Bedding?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Guinea-pigGaga

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 30, 2009
Messages
817
Reaction score
165
Points
400
Location
Middlesex
I would like to change my guinea pig's bedding! Therefore, I have read a large number of reviews! However, I am struggling to find a type of bedding I would be willing to trial - I have read great things about 'Back 2 Nature' bedding, but it is not exactly cost-effective!

Therefore, I was wondering whether there are any new types of bedding, either recently introduced, or soon-to-be released to the market that I may want to consider?!
 
I'm afraid I can't say I know of any new beddings.

What have you got them on now and what reviews have you read? Also, what exactly are you looking for in a bedding? (May sound odd but people have different preferences).

I've been looking into new beddings at the moment (for my rats and the pigs hay tray) and I've read good things about megazorb, aubiose and ecopetbed/finacard (or combinations such as megazorb/ecopetbed). Unless you have an equine supplier nearby the disadvantage is buying online and paying postage but since you can get a 20kg bale it does seem like it works out fairly economically.
 
At this moment in time, I am using wood shavings! However, I did trial Finacard!

I have read reviews on Aubiose/ hemp bedding, Carefresh, Megazorb, and other recycled cardboard/ paper beddings!

Ideally, I would like a bedding that is dust free, and absorbent, with natural odour control, as well as being comfortable, tidy, and cost effective - Biodegradable would be a bonus! rolleyes
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
At this moment in time, I am using wood shavings! However, I did trial Finacard!

I have read reviews on Aubiose/ hemp bedding, Carefresh, Megazorb, and other recycled cardboard/ paper beddings!

Ideally, I would like a bedding that is dust free, and absorbent, with natural odour control, as well as being comfortable, tidy, and cost effective - Biodegradable would be a bonus! rolleyes
Click to expand...

Auboise is all of those things.... :))
I also use Bliss basic... not quite as good as auboise... I bed all 46 guineas on it and use it in all my litter trays for the rabbits... and they are all kept in a shed... and i only clean out once a week and no one smells... i do have to do the occasional spot clean in their high usage areas as it can get a bit boggy but thats more common in my herds hutches which hold quite a few piggies...

Megazorb is great stuff but i find it quite expensive as one sack of megazorb for £8 will do 3 hutches where as a bag of hemp bedding which costs £6 will do 10 2ftx4ft hutches and 2 of my 10ft hutches...

x
 
Thank you for your reply!

I have read good reviews about Aubiose/ hemp bedding! However, I have also read some quite concerning reviews! Although, personally, I am not sure whether I like the idea of using hemp bedding, or a bedding originally intended for horses! However, with your recommendation, I will indeed give Aubiose/ hemp bedding some more consideration!

On the other hand, I did wonder if any forum members have trialled 'Back 2 Nature' bedding?!
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
Thank you for your reply!

I have read good reviews about Aubiose/ hemp bedding! However, I have also read some quite concerning reviews! Although, personally, I am not sure whether I like the idea of using hemp bedding, or a bedding originally intended for horses! However, with your recommendation, I will indeed give Aubiose/ hemp bedding some more consideration!

On the other hand, I did wonder if any forum members have trialled 'Back 2 Nature' bedding?!
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm using it now. It is very good, but a trifle pricey. I have not put in the C&C cage with my girlies, but only in the ferplast with the boys. I think one bag (from The Hay Experts) of ten litres (link here https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/Litter.11/) is about £6 but you have to pay carriage on top. the large pack of 30L at £13 is defo better value, but I have a storage problem.

I think my 10L bag will last about three weeks possibly a month, if changing one a week, plus spot clean and top up. I'm also using it in the litter tray (only) for the girlies, but they don't seem too keen yet.

I am thinking megazorb as well, although it does get stuck in awkward places on my boars :)). B2N isn't smelly, quite easy to handle, and so far seems to be very absorbent. I like that it is recycled not virgin wood pulp like megazorb.
 
What does back to nature look like exactly? It sounds like a cat litter in the bag, the shop must think I'm weird prodding it and shaking it lol, I use Megazorb and love it :)
 
Thank you for your reply, Katie Krafter - However, do your boys seem comfortable on 'Back 2 Nature' bedding?!

HelsBels said:
What does back to nature look like exactly? It sounds like a cat litter in the bag, the shop must think I'm weird prodding it and shaking it lol, I use Megazorb and love it :)
Click to expand...

Lol - I did the exact same this afternoon. . . I was very tempted to continue to prod, squeeze, shake, rattle, and roll the bag until it 'accidently opened' (I also sniffed the bag to see if there was a smell :red - I am very surprised that the men in white jackets were not called)! :))
 
I love megazorb and finacard

megazorb works out at £1.23 a week for a 4x2 c&c/Ferplast 140 cage (my bags are £8 no postage to pay)

finacard works out at 59p per week for the above cage
 
Bekki2308 said:
I love megazorb and finacard

megazorb works out at £1.23 a week for a 4x2 c&c/Ferplast 140 cage (my bags are £8 no postage to pay)

finacard works out at 59p per week for the above cage
Click to expand...

How to you remember all of the facts and figures? I have seen so many of your posts this week with them all :))
 
Toffeewoffee said:
How to you remember all of the facts and figures? I have seen so many of your posts this week with them all :))
Click to expand...

I am a scientist by proffession its my job to remember facts and figures correctly :-) I find numbers and letters really easy to remember too naturally so something like seeing a colleagues car once and ill remember their registration number for years! or house numbers, phone numbers, amounts of chemicals, etc etc etc drool:)):p-c^)x)
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I see! I thought you were an accountant ha ha!
Click to expand...

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
that really would not be my cup of tea at all :-P

I study chemical engineering as well thats as close (in terms of maths content) as ill ever get to accounting :-)
 
I did like Finacard! However, I found that it was not as absorbent as wood shavings, and my boars would smell within two/ three days! However, it is likely that I will try another recycled cardboard bedding (And, possibly, one or two recylced paper beddings), with the intention of keeping my boars permanently on a recycled cardboard/ paper bedding!
 
I use some cat litter in my boars pee corners and that really works :-) and I have a flannel under their leaky water bottle :-)

Megazorb never ever had any wet patches with my boars even after a week!
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
Thank you for your reply, Katie Krafter - However, do your boys seem comfortable on 'Back 2 Nature' bedding?!



Lol - I did the exact same this afternoon. . . I was very tempted to continue to prod, squeeze, shake, rattle, and roll the bag until it 'accidently opened' (I also sniffed the bag to see if there was a smell :red - I am very surprised that the men in white jackets were not called)! :))
Click to expand...

Yes so far they seem comfortable - they don't do much foraging, and tbh are pretty lazy (being men! lol) but they seem ok with it. it is interesting that they have both started to move out of their hay heaps to poop and wee, so the hay is staying cleaner than it did with fleece or towelling.

Would love to have seen you prodding it! Where did you see it? I'd like to find a non online source if I can..
 
Bekki2308 said:
I love megazorb and finacard

megazorb works out at £1.23 a week for a 4x2 c&c/Ferplast 140 cage (my bags are £8 no postage to pay)

finacard works out at 59p per week for the above cage
Click to expand...


Hi where do you buy it from? The only sources I have found are online, but then again, I am stuck in the middle of nowhere so by the time I've shelled out on petrol it often makes sense to buy that way.
 
Katie Krafter said:
Yes so far they seem comfortable - they don't do much foraging, and tbh are pretty lazy (being men! lol) but they seem ok with it. it is interesting that they have both started to move out of their hay heaps to poop and wee, so the hay is staying cleaner than it did with fleece or towelling.

Would love to have seen you prodding it! Where did you see it? I'd like to find a non online source if I can..
Click to expand...

I began searching for 'Back 2 Nature' online, and found that Pets at Home has began to stock this bedding! Therefore, I decided to visit my local store in the hope that I could examine the bedding - It felt like hardish small pellets. . . Hence, why I wanted to know whether the bedding was comfortable! :(|)
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
Thank you for your reply!

I have read good reviews about Aubiose/ hemp bedding! However, I have also read some quite concerning reviews! Although, personally, I am not sure whether I like the idea of using hemp bedding, or a bedding originally intended for horses! However, with your recommendation, I will indeed give Aubiose/ hemp bedding some more consideration!

On the other hand, I did wonder if any forum members have trialled 'Back 2 Nature' bedding?!
Click to expand...

if I'm honest majority of bedding was originally for horses... wood shaving included...

back 2 nature is great for litter trays... but ive never filled a whole hutch with it so i have no idea... :))
also if you can find somehwere that stocks green mile... that is pretty good bedding too...
x
 
Thank you for your reply!

I do plan to locate a local equine stockist of 'Aubiose'/ hemp bedding - Ideally, I would like to examine any bedding prior to trialling!

On the other hand, 'Green Mile' sounds to be very similar to 'Finacard'?! However, my only concern is availability!

Although, hopefully, I will be able to find a local equine stockist of 'Aubiose'/ hemp bedding, 'Green Mile', and 'Megazorb'!
 
HelsBels said:
What does back to nature look like exactly? It sounds like a cat litter in the bag, the shop must think I'm weird prodding it and shaking it lol, I use Megazorb and love it :)
Click to expand...

I use the Back to nature litter for my house bunny litter trays. As someone said it is newspaper pellets and is good but expensive. I now use Biocatalet litter for the bunny as it is basically the same stuff but slightly cheaper. Personally I wouldn't use it for my piggies c&c due to cost. I am currently looking into a local Megazorb supplier.
 
I use a bedding that is called ecobedding. It is a paper based dust free, biodegradable litter. It work well, it soaks pee from the bottom up so your piggies will be on dry litter for longer. (Chirpy seems to think it tastes good.)
The standard litter come in brown, normal paper color. They also make an odor-free kind, as well as colors, pink, blue, purple i think, and few other colores. I have used the normal one for a few years.
 
I was using Carefresh which was great, but pricey. Recently switched to Megazorb, which is a bit smaller and feels a little harder - however, the guineas seem happy on it, and it's absorbant. I thought it might be a little dusty when I first opened the bag, but it isn't once out.

I managed to track down a local supplier through the following website:
http://www.northerncropdriers.co.uk/stockists
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top