Tips For Cleaning A Plastic Tunnel?

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RingoandOlly

RingoandOlly

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I have an extendable/bendable plastic tunnel that my piggies love to run through and hide in but because they are so fond of it, it gets very messy very quickly! Currently, I have to use a hose to clean it but then it take forever to dry and my pigs hate me for taking it away and sulk. Does anyone have any tips for cleaning this without water or making it dry faster?
Thanks x :)
 
You could use cleaning wipes, or dry it quicker with a hairdryer or popping it in the airing cupboard.
 
The problem is, the tunnel is quite long and I can't reach it all (when it's in its smaller state, you can't get into the grooves). I did consider the hairdryer but because the tunnel is of the extendable type it has lots of grooves in the inside and the water just collects! It's infuriating! Thank you for your suggestions. Any will be very welcome.
 
I used to use a hose and let it dry out side - they had to cope with out it for a few days! Now I just put a layer bedding inside it and then just empty it with the cage clean.
 
I'll try the bedding and if it is still messy, I will buy another. Thanks to everyone who replied!
 
I'll try the bedding and if it is still messy, I will buy another. Thanks to everyone who replied!
 
Vinegar is brilliant for cleaning. You could soak it in white vinegar and then use a brush to clean the inside.
 
Is it the extendable tunnels that I see in shops? They come in various colours?

Cleaning was the reason why I do not get them for my lot. They have overturned their carrot cottage and have peed on the roof...think of the mess they would make in a bendy tunnel! Ugh, all of that trodden in pee and poo!
 
Flamestriker said:
Is it the extendable tunnels that I see in shops? They come in various colours?

Cleaning was the reason why I do not get them for my lot. They have overturned their carrot cottage and have peed on the roof...think of the mess they would make in a bendy tunnel! Ugh, all of that trodden in pee and poo!
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's a lot of mess but they absolutely love it! The get so upset when I take it out! My one's the rabbit size one and it red but the guinea pig one was green and only big enough for them until they were about 2 and a half months.
 
I recently got 3 of those flexi tunnels. I previously had fabric ones which would fold up. They were a faff having to wash and dry after use.. I stored them over winter in the shed and when I got them out in March they had mold growing on them. So I ditched them and now use the plastic tunnels. They are a lot easier to clean than the fabric ones and more importantly the guinea pigs love them.
 
Are the flexi tunnels the that you can stretch out and bend into any shape? I have seen large one's over here and often wondered if they were any good. When my piggies were younger I used to use a piece of pvc Y shaped pipe and they loved it and use to sit next to each other with their heads sticking out of each end of the Y end chatting to each other. It was a bit of a pain as they squashed poo in it and it collected half eaten food and needed to be cleaned out regularly but the holes were big enough for me to get my hand down and scrub it so it was easy to clean. Coco got to big for it though and I tried to find a bigger one but couldn't.
 
Re. it taking forever to dry if you get it wet, I find these (well the smaller rat-sized version) very easy to completely dry with towels.
 
I clean my flexible tube each night with a watering can full of water (it certainly makes watering the garden more fun hoping that the water will come out of the pipe in the correct place!). Then I dry it with an old towel. If there is a bit of water left in it I give it a good shake. After that I stand it upright overnight and by the morning its dry. Simples!
 
Yeah, I use the rabbit sized one as I said and it makes the piggies popcorn! I'm flattered that you think this should be a sticky! Another way I have found easy to clean it is by spraying with water or disinfectant and then using a brush from a dust pan and brush set to wipe the inside and the dirt comes right off. Again, thanks for all the useful replies and I'm glad that some people have found this to be a useful thread. x :)
 
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