Stinky cage, Need help!

[Lotteluvspigs]

I seriously don't know what I'm doing wrong but my guinea pigs cage stinks! I have. 2x4 guinea dad liner which I've had since maybe January? (I don't really remember) I wash it once a week cause that's what guineadad recommends. I wash it on bedding with high spin and some adjustments but that not the problem. I have suspicions on why it stinks but don't know what I could do. I think I've noticed it starting to smell when I got 2 water bottles and they drink like CRAZY the big water bottle is usually gone within 2 days and the smaller one, 1 day. So I'm assuming they drink so much water, they pee alot out and the bedding gets soiled? It doesn't leak through to the other side though. Another thing that doesn't make much sense is that their poop smells, but I spot clean 2 times a day. Any suggestions?

 

[piggieminder]

Some thoughts.
I have heard that Guinea Dad liners smell more than anti pill fleece but I've never had one so I can't confirm that. I change my fleece liners every 4-5 days or they smell. I have pee pads in the places they sit the most and in their beds which get changed every day, I sometimes get away with every other day if they don't feel damp. I poop pick twice a day.
On the days I change the main fleece I don't change all the pads. If you change the whole cage in one go boars will re scent it and that does stink!
4x2 is a small cage for boars, is that the whole cage size or just the liner size with something else? Boars in a small cage can get over excited with each other and scent more. A 4x2 cage with two piggies would need changing more than once a week.
Certain veggies can make poop smell more. I find it with spring grass, coriander and cabbage but it can be different triggers for different pigs.
The amount piggies drink varies from one to another, how much they drink will be normal for them. They may not be drinking as much as you think. Is the bedding under the bottles getting wet? I've had 2 boars who liked to push the ball in on the bottle with their teeth and let the water run down their chins and soak the fleece.

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

Some thoughts.
I have heard that Guinea Dad liners smell more than anti pill fleece but I've never had one so I can't confirm that. I change my fleece liners every 4-5 days or they smell. I have pee pads in the places they sit the most and in their beds which get changed every day, I sometimes get away with every other day if they don't feel damp. I poop pick twice a day.
On the days I change the main fleece I don't change all the pads. If you change the whole cage in one go boars will re scent it and that does stink!
4x2 is a small cage for boars, is that the whole cage size or just the liner size with something else? Boars in a small cage can get over excited with each other and scent more. A 4x2 cage with two piggies would need changing more than once a week.
Certain veggies can make poop smell more. I find it with spring grass, coriander and cabbage but it can be different triggers for different pigs.
The amount piggies drink varies from one to another, how much they drink will be normal for them. They may not be drinking as much as you think. Is the bedding under the bottles getting wet? I've had 2 boars who liked to push the ball in on the bottle with their teeth and let the water run down their chins and soak the fleece.

My guinea pigs are both females and are in a 2x5 cage (with 14 inch grids) so I use fleece for the other 1x2 area, Guineadad only makes up to a 2x4.
Yes, the area underneath their cage is very wet cause one of my pigs like to play with the bottle sometimes. (I didn't think she would do it every time she drank)
What's weird is I don't feed any of those veggies you listed I feed lettuce (romaine and butter) and peppers everyday + other things that change like cilantro, carrots(rarely) and little bits of kale and collard greens.
I will definitely try puppy pee pads for their hides though because that where I find it stinks cause they will lay their and just pee and pee and pee in the same spots. Thanks for your advice!

 

[piggieminder]

Sorry, don't know why I thought you had boars. Probably an automatic reaction when people say they have a smelly cage!
For the smelly poop I'd be thinking possibly cilantro, kale or collard greens. You could try a process of elimination by not feeding one of them for a few days and then reintroducing it. It could just be they have smelly poop though, or may be your nose is sensitive to the smell.

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

Sorry, don't know why I thought you had boars. Probably an automatic reaction when people say they have a smelly cage!
For the smelly poop I'd be thinking possibly cilantro, kale or collard greens. You could try a process of elimination by not feeding one of them for a few days and then reintroducing it. It could just be they have smelly poop though, or may be your nose is sensitive to the smell.

Haha it's okay! But yeah I'll definitely try eliminating cilantro for a bit cause I didn't feed kale or collard greens for awhile and it still was smelly.

 

[Piggies2023]

Haha it's okay! But yeah I'll definitely try eliminating cilantro for a bit cause I didn't feed kale or collard greens for awhile and it still was smelly.

Is it coming out smelling okay after you've washed it?

My piggies would absolutely stink just on fleece if I didn't wash for a week. I now have part fleece and part teabag bedding. The teabag bedding area has their softer hay to bury in and on the fleece is their stalker hay. I find they mostly wee in the bury area so I can pull bits out. I find the mix of both they seem to appreciate, easier to run on the fleece and can be comfy, but then the hay/teabag area they make tunnels

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

It doesn't smell like the same smell after I wash it's more of an earthy smell which I just assumed was normal.
I saw someone who used this pre wash pet stuff which I'm gonna try and get but other than that I just use unscented laundry soap.
Also the 1x2 part isn't just fleece it's an old diaper changing pad from my parents with fleece on top of it but also that 1x2 area is where I put there hay box/litter area so there's not really a way for them to pee on it. (Except a little area where the litter box doesn't cover)

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

It's been a month now of doing what everyone suggested and nothing has changed, it still smells bad and right now I can't even open my windows cause it's 100 degrees out. I don't know what to do. I have realized it is definitely the poop and not their liner cause it stinks literally an hour after I had just washed it.

 

[Piggies2023]

It's been a month now of doing what everyone suggested and nothing has changed, it still smells bad and right now I can't even open my windows cause it's 100 degrees out. I don't know what to do. I have realized it is definitely the poop and not their liner cause it stinks literally an hour after I had just washed it.

Is it definitely poo rather than wee? And when you take the liner out the washing have you given it a sniff to see if smells fine?

 

[Piggies&buns]

How much veg are they eating? Are you sticking to one cup per pig per day?

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

Is it definitely poo rather than wee? And when you take the liner out the washing have you given it a sniff to see if smells fine?

Yes it just smells a bit earthy cause I use unscented detergent but it is doesn't smell the same as their poop at all.

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

How much veg are they eating? Are you sticking to one cup per pig per day?

If I'm being honest I don't really measure it anymore cause I did for a while and then realized how much of everything I feed and have just been guessing, if overfeeding/ underfeeding a bit effects anything I can start measuring again. It's usually 2-3 lettuce leafs(depending on the size) 2 bell peppers (there not the big whole ones there like mini singles idk how to explain it) and then varying foods by the day in small hand fulls. (I forgot to say this is per cage so 2 pigs)

 

[Piggies&buns]

It might be worth going back to basics and measuring again (I don’t measure my veg either, it’s just done by eye) - if nothing else to know you’ve ruled it out - to make sure they aren’t overeating veg (and potentially under-eating hay) and potentially the reason why their poop smells.

The sample plate in this guide is useful

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Lotteluvspigs]

If I'm being honest I don't really measure it anymore cause I did for a while and then realized how much of everything I feed and have just been guessing, if overfeeding/ underfeeding a bit effects anything I can start measuring again. It's usually 2-3 lettuce leafs(depending on the size) 2 bell peppers (there not the big whole ones there like mini singles idk how to explain it) and then varying foods by the day in small hand fulls.

It might be worth going back to basics and measuring again (I don’t measure my veg either, it’s just done by eye) - if nothing else to know you’ve ruled it out - to make sure they aren’t overeating veg (and potentially under-eating hay) and potentially the reason why their poop smells.

The sample plate in this guide is useful

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thank you very much!