Outdoor bedding

[Piggyfriends]

Hello Everybody,

I have read all the bedding info on this site plus some online research.
I have 5 piggies, all girls and expecting a 6th in a couple of weeks. I live in the UK. Until now they have been indoors but I am going to move them outside due to family reasons. I ordered a 7x5 shed with window and stable door. I have plenty of C&C panels and fleece beddings. I am trying to figure out which type of bedding would be the best outdoors to be healthy and environmentally friendly. I have 3 large compost bins in my garden, until now I composted the hay and piggie poop which was great for the garden. Three of my piggies are long haired so I am concerned about wood shavings sticking on to them too much. I read that fleece bedding isn't good for outside due to demp/mold issues. I wash their bedding every 3 days, would that not be suitable outside? I use incontinence washable bed pads under the fleece which also gets washed every three days. I have a low energy drier so I am not worried about drying the bedding. The main issue is their happiness and safety.
Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s not recommended to use fleece bedding outside. It may be fine in summer but not in winter.
Best bedding for outdoor piggies is an absorbent substrate (of your choosing), and then lots of hay on top for snuggling into particularly in winter.
Will the shed be heated and insulated?

Mine live in a shed also. I use either megazorb or shavings, one of my boys is long haired also. It doesn’t cause problems.
My shed has a hutch inside. The hutch is always megazorb/shavings and hay. The shed floor itself is usually just megazorb/shavings year round but it will inevitably end up with hay on it. In summer I do sometimes use some fleece on the shed floor (never in the hutch - that’s always a full hay zone) but never in a damp summer as it can still cause problems

The biggest issue you will probably face is keeping them cool in summer - sheds can get dangerous.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

 

[Piggyfriends]

It’s not recommended to use fleece bedding outside. It may be fine in summer but not in winter.
Best bedding for outdoor piggies is an absorbent substrate (of your choosing), and then lots of hay on top for snuggling into particularly in winter.
Will the shed be heated and insulated?

Mine live in a shed also. I use either megazorb or shavings, one of my boys is long haired also. It doesn’t cause problems.
My shed has a hutch inside. The hutch is always megazorb/shavings and hay. The shed floor itself is usually just megazorb/shavings year round but it will inevitably end up with hay on it. In summer I do sometimes use some fleece on the shed floor (never in the hutch - that’s always a full hay zone) but in a damp summer, it can still cause problems

The biggest issue you will probably face is keeping them cool in summer - sheds can get dangerous.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

Thank you for the quick reply. The shed will be insulated and it will have electricity. How do you keep your shed cool? Yes, I was thinking to keep the fleece for floor times. Where is the best place to order megazorb from? Also what type of shaving you use? Is the hay for bedding different to the feeding hay?

Thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for the quick reply. The shed will be insulated and it will have electricity. How do you keep your shed cool? Yes, I was thinking to keep the fleece for floor times. Where is the best place to order megazorb from? Also what type of shaving you use? Is the hay for bedding different to the feeding hay?

Thank you!

As you have electricity it can be heated then that will help hugely in winter but I still would not use fleece.

I get megazorb from Amazon but if you have an equine shop nearby then they will most likely sell it as it is a horse bedding . It’s my favourite bedding and will be the one I go for first. If I can’t get that for any reason, then I get a 20kg bale of snowflake shavings (again usually from Amazon but my local pet shop has started selling it now).

The reality is, I can’t keep it cool, the insulation doesn’t make enough of a difference to keep them safe. I don’t have electric in my shed and even if I did, air con isn’t designed to be used in a shed and can come with its own problems. You have to be careful with fans as they can draw in more hot air.
My piggies move indoors once the summer really hits (they, and all my rabbits, are inside today). The shed thermometer is showing 40 degrees today, so being out there is not safe.
My shed also has a stable door with full internal mesh doors, so the solid doors can be open for ventilation but the mesh doors keep them safe.

I buy a meadow hay for spreading around as it soft for them to snuggle into. I then put in a couple of piles of timothy hay for variety. But, they eat both the meadow and timothy equally.

 

[Swissgreys]

Thank you for the quick reply. The shed will be insulated and it will have electricity. How do you keep your shed cool? Yes, I was thinking to keep the fleece for floor times. Where is the best place to order megazorb from? Also what type of shaving you use? Is the hay for bedding different to the feeding hay?

Thank you!

If you need to bulk buy bedding a local equestrian or farm place is usually a good bet.
Depending on where you live this might be something to consider.

 

[Engel]

I agree with @piggie&buns, fleece isn't a good option for winter or cooler weather. I tried drying my fleece liners after washing last week and I put them to dry in the shed as it was warmer in there than it was outside. It was on the clothes airer for 3 days and it was still damp. I will add, pigs weren't in the shed and none of the other fabrics were damp. They just didn't dry.

While outdoors mine also used megazorb. If you worry about it getting tangled why don't you time the long haired piggies hind end?

 

[eileen]

I do not use fleece on outside piggies,I can get megazorb for £7.50 a bale,aubiose for £11.50,£8.50 a bale for snowflake supreme wood shavings.all from a equine /horse feed store.i love aubiose,get it in a bale from a friend who gets it at a reasonable price.but I cannot get aubiose locally.