Question regarding spot cleaning

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neoma

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I have read and read and I can't quite find the answer to this question...

I have two piggies in a large rabbit cage. I am currently using CareFresh as their bedding.

I currently do at least one and usually two or more "spot cleanings" every day. I do poop patrol, which is basically searching for the poos among all the pretty blue CareFresh. Then I scoop up the Carefresh from the corners and edges where they pee.

The problem is that I am going through a [*]lot[/*] of bedding. Does everyone change the bedding in the corners every day or am I simply being fanatical?

I have also tried wood shavings, which were probably more efficient but were way too messy -- they kept ending up all around the apartment. And I tried fleece, which I loved except for the fact that we live in an apartment with no washer and dryer. I cannot commit to a method that is going to have me running to the laundry or doing special loads of laundry. And let me tell you: washing fleece by hand isn't very efficient.

So, back to the question at hand: spot cleaning. For those of you who use Carefresh, shavings or something similar, how do you do it? I need details, please. Thank you! :rose
 
When I spot clean every day I just remove the wet spots, wet hay etc, i used to clean out the poop but it took up to much time (although it was quite theraputic:)) )

I don't use woodshavings or carefresh or fleece I just use newspaper and hay...and I found that if you cut the paper into strips it can also be used as bedding esp if your running low.

hope you find an easier solution soon :)
 
Is it ok to use just newspaper and hay then. I might stick to that when my woodshavings have run out. But they eat the paper. Good taste though as its the daily telegraph.lol
 
Yeah, it works quite well using just hay and newspaper, the hay I found stays drier as the wee seems to go straight to the paper underneath, i also have plastic tiles under the newspaper (i used to use plastic table mats) which also makes it easier to wipe down. :)

Haha I usually leave the boys a page of newspaper to rip up to their hearts content :)
 
AudioHeart said:
When I spot clean every day I just remove the wet spots, wet hay etc, i used to clean out the poop but it took up to much time (although it was quite theraputic:)) )

I don't use woodshavings or carefresh or fleece I just use newspaper and hay...and I found that if you cut the paper into strips it can also be used as bedding esp if your running low.

hope you find an easier solution soon :)
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Ha! I'm glad that you said it first! Poop picking is therapeutic! :))

Thank you for your suggestions, AudioHeart. I'm not sure that hay will be much of a savings, since I live in an apartment and can't obtain it by the bale. But newspaper we've got. Is all newspaper safe to use, black and white [*]and[/*] color?

fluffy69 said:
Is it ok to use just newspaper and hay then. I might stick to that when my woodshavings have run out. But they eat the paper. Good taste though as its the daily telegraph.lol
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We get free Chinese newspapers in our neighborhood. Chinese takeout! Yum! :)
 
I use fleece now however I have two hay trays which I have a layer of news paper. very thin layer of sawdust (so lasts a while and doesn't make a mess) and then I use shredded paper (free from my OH's work) then their hay on top...I only clean these trays out every 3/4 days.
 
AudioHeart said:
Yeah, it works quite well using just hay and newspaper, the hay I found stays drier as the wee seems to go straight to the paper underneath, i also have plastic tiles under the newspaper (i used to use plastic table mats) which also makes it easier to wipe down. :)

Haha I usually leave the boys a page of newspaper to rip up to their hearts content :)
Click to expand...
Ah, that makes sense, actually. I don't imagine that hay is very absorbent. But, then again, do I want them to eat hay that they've been using as their toilet? I got them a hay rack so they wouldn't have dirty hay.
 
TwoPiggies said:
I use fleece now however I have two hay trays which I have a layer of news paper. very thin layer of sawdust (so lasts a while and doesn't make a mess) and then I use shredded paper (free from my OH's work) then their hay on top...I only clean these trays out every 3/4 days.
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TwoPiggies, the shredded paper idea is something that I've been thinking about. We have a paper shredded at work. But how about the printer ink? Is that safe for them?
 
Hmmm... I forgot that you mentioned you live in an apartment doh sorry! Hopefully someone who keeps piggies indoors will come up with a handy solution soon :) good luck :))
 
I did wonder that myself, however as I use hay on top of it, it seems to be ok. Also my piggie Sam does like a good munch on it but had no problems with it....I just like it because it is free :)
 
AudioHeart said:
Hmmm... I forgot that you mentioned you live in an apartment doh sorry! Hopefully someone who keeps piggies indoors will come up with a handy solution soon :) good luck :))
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No problem, AudioHeart. I got good info from your suggestions.
:rose
TwoPiggies said:
I did wonder that myself, however as I use hay on top of it, it seems to be ok. Also my piggie Sam does like a good munch on it but had no problems with it....I just like it because it is free :)
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Free is good. :)
 
Oh I might just use paper when the shavings have run out. I worked out that a big bag of that is more expensive than the hay.£5 to be precise. When the weather gets better and they go in their hutch that hubby built they wont even need paper, as hub has lined it with a wipe down material purchased from dunelm.
 
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