Set up

Qualcast&Flymo said:
I've never seen that wool stuff before. I don't think it would be very comfortable for them, getting caught in their hair and nails and stuck to food, whether or not it is bad for them health wise.
One fleecy tunnel is good, more fleecy things would be even better, especially with boars. My piggies all love their beds and snuggle sacks :nod:
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The wool stuff is more for hamsters, gerbils. I used to use it when I had hamsters. Unfortunately a lot of pet supply manufacturers seem to think guinea pigs (being rodents) can have the same things as hamsters, gerbils, mice...
 
Piggylove82 said:
The wool stuff is more for hamsters, gerbils. I used to use it when I had hamsters. Unfortunately a lot of pet supply manufacturers seem to think guinea pigs (being rodents) can have the same things as hamsters, gerbils, mice...
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it’s actually also not safe for smaller rodents like hamsters (:
it gets wrapped around their limbs and they can ingest it
 
Piggylove82 said:
The wool stuff is more for hamsters, gerbils. I used to use it when I had hamsters. Unfortunately a lot of pet supply manufacturers seem to think guinea pigs (being rodents) can have the same things as hamsters, gerbils, mice...
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Actually, cotton is extremely unsafe for smaller animals, too. It can become entangled around limbs and teeth just as easily, causing stress at best and starvation/excessive blood loss at worst. It's a shame this stuff is still on the market when it kills so many. :(
 
Teacake said:
it’s actually also not safe for smaller rodents like hamsters (:
it gets wrapped around their limbs and they can ingest it
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They pouch it and de pouch it to move their bedding area. I've never had an issue with it getting wrapped round their small limbs or them ingesting it. You have to pull it apart more before you put it in their cage.
 
Robin_ said:
Actually, cotton is extremely unsafe for smaller animals, too. It can become entangled around limbs and teeth just as easily, causing stress at best and starvation/excessive blood loss at worst. It's a shame this stuff is still on the market when it kills so many. :(
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Have you kept hamsters?
 
Piggylove82 said:
They pouch it and de pouch it to move their bedding area. I've never had an issue with it getting wrapped round their small limbs or them ingesting it. You have to pull it apart more before you put it in their cage.
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even if it’s loose it can still get wrapped around their limbs. just because you’ve never had an issue with it, doesn’t mean it’s safe 😉
 
Piggylove82 said:
Have you kept hamsters?
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I've kept five within the past 3 years or so; I find it rude that you question it. Their care has changed expansively within the past five years. There is no reason whatsoever to use cotton bedding when there are options that are completely safe (such as toilet paper or napkins), especially when cotton kills to this day, whether or not you've had an issue with it. I'm really not liking you defensive you seem to get when you get told your care is wrong; you need to accept that care standards change over time and we adapt to ensure our pets don't get harmed.
 
Robin_ said:
I've kept five within the past 3 years or so; I find it rude that you question it. Their care has changed expansively within the past five years. There is no reason whatsoever to use cotton bedding when there are options that are completely safe (such as toilet paper or napkins), especially when cotton kills to this day, whether or not you've had an issue with it. I'm really not liking you defensive you seem to get when you get told your care is wrong; you need to accept that care standards change over time and we adapt to ensure our pets don't get harmed.
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I really don't like your attitude towards how I do things either. You also commented on the fact that I choose to use wood shavings in my guinea pig hutch and it turns out you don't even have any pigs!

I don't see how toilet paper is less of a choking hazard than fluffy bedding.

There is a lot of judgement passed these days in the forum. Its getting to be an "our way or no way". Instead of people sharing the way they do things.
 
Piggylove82 said:
I really don't like your attitude towards how I do things either. You also commented on the fact that I choose to use wood shavings in my guinea pig hutch and it turns out you don't even have any pigs!

I don't see how toilet paper is less of a choking hazard than fluffy bedding.

There is a lot of judgement passed these days in the forum. Its getting to be an "our way or no way". Instead of people sharing the way they do things.
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I apologize for coming off as rude. I guess I shouldn't be posting on here if I don't have any guinea pigs despite researching them for the past year and owning similar rodents.

Toilet paper can degrade in the digestive tract with cotton cannot. Just place a piece of each in a dish of water for a day and you'll see this. But, then again, I don't have any guinea pigs, so what do I know about chemistry and physics.

I'm sorry I came across as "my way or the highway", I just really care about these animals and want what's best for them. There's heaps of misinformation out there and it's easy to get lost; I strive to be a well-researched person people can rely on. But, if I need to have personal experience to help people on here, I'll happily steer clear from here on out and stick to hamsters and mice.
 
Whoa, thread derailed! If I could just delicately wade into the mire in a way that will probably not please anyone...
@KezFlav we love your set up and its great you are doing your research, but the wool stuff is not a piggy thing- check out the forum guide on fleeces and bedding, piggies like washable fleece tunnels and couches to lounge about in, or wooden houses with little fleecy pee pads in. Or just cardboard boxes with doors cut in. The only nesting matetial they need is lots of lovely hay :)
@Piggylove82 I have also heard anecdotely from hamster-experienced forum members who run small animal rescues that this sort of bedding is not the best for hamsters. But I have no experience of that myself, just passing on some advice I was given when fitting up my mother's hamster cage.
@Robin_ yes I'm afraid you can sometimes come across as rude, you dont post much and dont join in with the likes and loves of general piggy joy then suddenly you pop up with a factual pedantic thing to something you never spoke to before. You did it to me before once about pesticides. Which is a field that I happen to have 4 years postdoctoral research experience and 8 peer reviewed scientific papers in. It was rather rude, especially as you have never once "loved" my adorable piggies or anyone elses.
So, back to topic! And maybe a mod or staff member @sport_billy @Lady Kelly @Swissgreys might tidy up this thread for @KezFlav which was rather derailed a bit there by a somewhat heated exchange about hamster bedding, so they can get back to the nice normal forum business of how to spoil their piggies rotten with lots of nice things we can all "like" and "love" and ooh and aah about in a happy way?
 
Piggylove82 said:
They pouch it and de pouch it to move their bedding area. I've never had an issue with it getting wrapped round their small limbs or them ingesting it. You have to pull it apart more before you put it in their cage.
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I had a hamster of mine nearly loose her foot due to this bedding. I luckily saw in time and managed to remove the tangled bedding wrapped round her foot which had turned purple. She was a lucky girl i found her in time.
 
Going to do a bit of tidying. I know we all have lock down fever :))
I have actually decided against the tidying, My phone is playing up and I am a lazy admin!

points of exchange are fine. People have had their say. But on this thread let’s stay on topic from now on please

If anyone wants to start a debate on hamster bedding, Feel free to do so in the appropriate part of the forum :)
 
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sport_billy said:
Going to do a bit of tidying. I know we all have lock down fever :))
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Thanks @sport_billy I think things went a bit off for a while there, we wouldnt want a new member to get the wrong impression! We all love pets like mad and want them to be happy and have the best stuff, I wheek in terror now at some of my naive early ideas and purchases for piggies until I found the forum! :)
 
Wow. What did I miss
It’s ok, I’m use to it....The only other forum I belong to is a parenting one and things can change swiftly on that too....one minute your asking what cup is best for your child and the next thing you know you’re debating politics! 😂
 
I am SO jealous you viewed 60 piggies! Where was this? Can't find any near me to adopt. I'm like you, trying to work out what to set up with for the first time so this has been a useful thread!
 
Sally Newbie said:
I am SO jealous you viewed 60 piggies! Where was this? Can't find any near me to adopt. I'm like you, trying to work out what to set up with for the first time so this has been a useful thread!
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In the end I didn’t get to see them all. It was such a hot day that she didn’t have them out and because of COVID I couldn’t go into the guinea pig (massive!) shed.
I said what I was looking for and what our home life is like. And she bought out a few pairs that she thought would suit.
When I choose she put them in a fleece bag and made me sit and cuddle them 😊

it was in Hayward’s Heath in West Sussex. She only had boys there though.
 
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