Pets at home woodshavings?

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percypiglet

percypiglet

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This is the bedding that I use for my guinea pigs. Sometimes I also get the lavender or lemon scented versions but not always as I don't kow if it is good for them. Any advice?
guineasupplies006.jpg


The picture also shows me holding one of the large, sharp, wooden, splintery things that I find in the bedding sometimes. I always remove them but are they harmful?

Thank you :)
 
I started off with woodshavings but have moved to fleece + towels and a litter tray which I find much easier! Those long spiky things look like a danger for your pigs' eyes.

I think what you choose for bedding is mostly a matter of what works for you, I hated the fact that poops got so lost in the wood shavings, I was clearing half of it out every day, I find poop scopping from fleece a lot easier :)
 
I use it as temporary solution. It's quite hard to clean though so I'm changing to lino once the hutch gets here. I doubt the scented does them any harm, considering Clive has had it for over a month and he's a very healthy popcorning piggie!
 
Can guinea pigs be trained to use a litter tray?
And they don't gnaw holes in the lino/towels?
:)
 
percypiglet said:
Can guinea pigs be trained to use a litter tray?
And they don't gnaw holes in the lino/towels?
:)
Click to expand...

Yes some of them can. As you have them for a while you'll notice that they go in one place more than any other, this is where you put the tray. Some piggies take to it and some don't.

To answer your other question, no not in my experience. The only thing Clive bites are his cage bars when I'm not feeding him fast enough. Generally piggies aren't chewers, they arent like gerbils or rabbits that way. However I think there are some who do it out of stress/anxiety.
 
percypiglet said:
Can guinea pigs be trained to use a litter tray?
And they don't gnaw holes in the lino/towels?
:)
Click to expand...

A guinea pig can never be FULLY trained to use a litter tray unlike a cat or rabbit, they won't run from one area of there cage just to use a litter tray, although if they become trained if there close they will but you'll always find the odd poo and wee in other areas.

For one piggy i used to use sawdust but decided on a recycled paper bedding called back to nature as although its a little bit more expensive it's softer, dust free and better for piggy feet as there is no sharp bits of wood poking around, plus its good for the environment as it's just recycled !

My other two piggies have fleece and towels but they're all tucked in well enough so theres no edges for them to nibble on. I love fleece bedding and so do the pigs but it takes alot more maintenance such as daily poop scoop, every 3 day changing and washing so isn't for everyone.
 
Do you have a country wide near you?
I get my bale of wood shavings from there and its about £8 for a huge bale which lasts me a good couple of months.
Its a lot cheaper than P@H stuff.
I am moving to fleece soon I just cant find the fleece I like :P
 
percypiglet said:
Can guinea pigs be trained to use a litter tray?
And they don't gnaw holes in the lino/towels?
:)
Click to expand...

It's not so much that they are trained but if you put a big pile of hay on top of some carefresh (insert litter substance of your choice) in eg a low cat litter tray in their cage then they like eating hay, they sit in the tray to eat the hay, they poop where they sit, you catch a lot of the poops :)

I don't find mine gnaw the fleece or towels. They gnaw a bit at the plastic tray occasionally but that's not a problem.
 
percypiglet said:
Can guinea pigs be trained to use a litter tray?
And they don't gnaw holes in the lino/towels?
:)
Click to expand...

One of mine actually goes in the corner for 98% of his poos and does always wee in the corner.
I have never taught him to nor has his previous owner he just does it.

While the other just poos everywhere else apart from his bed
 
Thanks :) I am thinking of trying fleece bedding, the wood shavings are quite a hassle. Every three days I have to empty it all out and scrape off the bits that are stuck to the tray then wash out the tray, then spray it then rinse it then dry it. Hard work! :) Fleece sounds much neater. Am I right in thinking that you put a layer of newspaper or towel underneath? And it can be washed and reused?
 
I use a layer of fleece and then a couple of towels which i change every 3-4 days, plus the litter tray I mentioned. Other people use different arrangements eg cage liners.

Remember to wash the fleece 3 times without fabric softener so it absorbs the wee before you use it for the pigs. I still do a big clean once a week and empty the litter tray daily as it catches a lot of poops (and poop pick daily from the fleece). Still I find it much easier than the shavings :)
 
I use this

I use this and have also found it to sometimes have larg sharp bits in i tend to sive through it with my fingers. any big bits get but in my compost .
 
The scented wood shavings are very bad for animals and I wish they were not sold. They have the perfume on them which the animals then breathe in and can make them unwell.

I use a layer of towels and two layers of fleece. I pick poops two or three times a day and then change the towels and fleece every three days.
 
I wouldn't use scented bedding due to the chemicals used to make them scented.
I purchase snowflake bedding from home bargains. It's pretty decent stuff for £1.50 and I haven't found any sharp bits in it yet.
I've always been a wood shavings user for my guinea pigs because fleece gets all damp and horrendous outdoors and as the house is already highly populated, the washing load really doesn't want adding to. I can't bring my guinea pigs indoors due to my mum's partner having allergies, so I have to keep them outside.
I'm getting a playhouse for my bunnies and piggies soon though, so using fleece then is an option for me. For now wood shavings will do.
 
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