Trial thread of foam bedding

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Salt n Peppers mum

Salt n Peppers mum

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After reading Vida thread about a piggy bedding often used in her country
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=85902
I thought I might as well give it a trial, on one of my 6 indoor cages

So off to Dunelms and bought 2 meters of this http://www.dunelm-mill.com/search/?query=aquaflex

I have used recycled cardboard as the absorbant underlayer as I am using this in some of my cages already.
Its call Premierbed http://www.walmsleypremierbed.co.uk/
A nice thick layer
DSCF2514.jpg


This is the foam 'stuff'
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Rolled it in place
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Added essential piggy accessories
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Add 2 piggies, and the trial begins
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For thumbs up, I am checking
*Ease of caretaking
*Smell factor
*Pee soak away function
*Piggies liking it (but no eating)
 
It looks great - I used some of this as a temporary kitchen mat a few years ago mallethead
Could be the start of a new piggy craze :))
 
Ooh this looks interesting. Do you think it can be used in a shed as in for free range piggies?

Do you wash the foam bedding?

Who's the white piggy drinking in the last pic? x)
 
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Claire W said:
Ooh this looks interesting. Do you think it can be used in a shed as in for free range piggies?

Do you wash the foam bedding?

Who's the white piggy drinking in the last pic? x)
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Yes it is washable, quick drying I expect. I use something similar already on my ramps and it's excellent stuff.

The white Piggy is Meego (the other half of Ugo) Barc foster pigs. Meego has unresolved medical conditions so he is here long term - you can just see Ugo's brown bottom diappearing in to the left side hay box :)
 
Salt n Peppers mum said:
Yes it is washable, quick drying I expect. I use something similar already on my ramps and it's excellent stuff.

The white Piggy is Meego (the other half of Ugo) Barc foster pigs. Meego has unresolved medical conditions so he is here long term - you can just see Ugo's brown bottom diappearing in to the left side hay box :)
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Oh yeah, I can see Ugo now :) aww, poor Meego :( he is lovely and it's great he's staying with you long term xx
 
Do you know what the washing instructions for it are? I got mine from Ebay & there's no washing guidance.
 
Oh very interested in this - its a nightmare washing fleece as I am not allowed to use the "human only" washing machine so must go old style and bucket wash! Does the recycled cardboard smell of anything?
Mine are in a hutch would this set up be a little too cold for them?
 
SophRuss5 said:
Oh very interested in this - its a nightmare washing fleece as I am not allowed to use the "human only" washing machine so must go old style and bucket wash! Does the recycled cardboard smell of anything?
Mine are in a hutch would this set up be a little too cold for them?
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The recycled cardboard doesnt smell at all, apart from when it gets soaked with pee, in which case a spot clean daily to remove the clumps of wetness, and a full clean at least every week.

I normally would use the cardboard then a nice layer of hay for the piggies to forage around. Then removing and replacing the hay every other day which I think would work better in an outside hutch as lots of hay to snuggle into will be much warmer.
 
ortonc said:
Do you know what the washing instructions for it are? I got mine from Ebay & there's no washing guidance.
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Mmmm, the website says 'Machine Washable' so I am going to wash on a general setting at 40 degrees, I'll let you know how it turns out.
I wash the other form stuff I have on ramps (not as thick) at that and they come out like new.
 
I too am very interested how it goes.

Can you really get it in the washing machine.?
It looked quite stiff on the roll, it might just be the picture.

Looks good and I bet it's easier to poop scoop off than vet bed.;)

Good luck.
 
SophRuss5 said:
Oh very interested in this - its a nightmare washing fleece as I am not allowed to use the "human only" washing machine so must go old style and bucket wash! Does the recycled cardboard smell of anything?
Mine are in a hutch would this set up be a little too cold for them?
Click to expand...

I use wash bags to wash my piggy washing in the washing machine. Old duvet covers and pillows cases tied with a knot work just as well :)
 
Claire W said:
I use wash bags to wash my piggy washing in the washing machine. Old duvet covers and pillows cases tied with a knot work just as well :)
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I tried this but mum says its the guinea pig wee that she doesn't like the idea of it in the machine. Small baby in the house, my niece so mums hyper vigilant with cleaness
 
Can I just add, on googling aquaflex it seems there is an intimate cone object with the same name! Someone looking at my search history will see me looking for incontinence pads and now this pelvic floor strengthener!
 
SophRuss5 said:
Can I just add, on googling aquaflex it seems there is an intimate cone object with the same name! Someone looking at my search history will see me looking for incontinence pads and now this pelvic floor strengthener!
Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhahahahahaha, dying!

I pretty much wouldn't have survived up to this point without Google. I Google literally everything. My search history must look terrifying.

Very interested in this, wondering about using it between the newspaper and hay layers in the boys' forage tray. Does it absorb anything itself, or is the idea that everything just runs straight through to another layer?
 
SophRuss5 said:
I tried this but mum says its the guinea pig wee that she doesn't like the idea of it in the machine. Small baby in the house, my niece so mums hyper vigilant with cleaness
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You could ask your mum if she'd mind you washing them in the machine if you'd soaked them in napisan first to sterilise them.

I like the idea of the aqua flex stuff though seems like it would be easier to brush hay off it!
 
I'm watching this thread with much interest :)

I currently use a mixture of washable bed pads and mattress toppers underneath my fleece/vetbed - could this be used in conjunction with them?

I'm interested to see how long it can go between changes......
 
36 hrs in and all going well :)

Last night I was hoovering up the piggy poos from floor time and popped the noozle into Meego & Ugo's cage and sucked their poops up easily with out sucking up the 'Foamy stuff' too :)

It's really advertised to use on bathroom floors so it is spongy and warm underfoot. It also means the wetness doesnt sit on it. I am pleasently surprised as I expected puddles of wee and wet bellies... but no!

I have stuck my nose on it just now, and it doesnt smell of poops, pee or boarliness either :)

It's flexible spongy stuff, but I'll let you know how 2 meters fits into my washer when the time comes.
 
I'm following this with interest as well. I've bought some to put in my new c&c which I'm hoping to build next weekend, so I haven't been able to try it yet. I'm glad you confirmed that the hay doesn't stick to it, and that it stays put, particularly when hoovering, which are the main things that irritate me about fleece. I also find fleece can stay damp, so knowing it has good drainage properties is good as well. Mine arrived in a roll, so I would think it would squash into a washing machine well.
 
ortonc said:
I'm following this with interest as well. I've bought some to put in my new c&c which I'm hoping to build next weekend, so I haven't been able to try it yet. I'm glad you confirmed that the hay doesn't stick to it, and that it stays put, particularly when hoovering, which are the main things that irritate me about fleece. I also find fleece can stay damp, so knowing it has good drainage properties is good as well. Mine arrived in a roll, so I would think it would squash into a washing machine well.
Click to expand...

Let me know how you get on :)
 
Salt n Peppers mum said:
I have stuck my nose on it just now, and it doesnt smell of poops, pee or boarliness either :)QUOTE]

:)) Lovely image you have created there - you are slightly barmy with your bedding experiments but it is great that you try these things so we can learn too!
My fleece liners are looking scrappy now so this could be a good replacement. And brilliant if hay does not stick. Are they still not chewing it?
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gplearner said:
Salt n Peppers mum said:
I have stuck my nose on it just now, and it doesnt smell of poops, pee or boarliness either :)QUOTE]

:)) Lovely image you have created there - you are slightly barmy with your bedding experiments but it is great that you try these things so we can learn too!
My fleece liners are looking scrappy now so this could be a good replacement. And brilliant if hay does not stick. Are they still not chewing it?
Click to expand...

He he, yep had another real good nose snorting episode tonight as its hard to tell with the boar room swiffs where the smells are coming from but I reckon the foamy stuff is doing well under the pressure.
:)
Click to expand...
 
So what's the outcome :))? My three have been really stinky recently so i'm looking to try something new...
 
I think this could be god for Artie's indoor cage and for my 2 boys hutch outside.
Is there a link to Dunhelm online or an eBay shop?
 
alisont said:
I think this could be god for Artie's indoor cage and for my 2 boys hutch outside.
Is there a link to Dunhelm online or an eBay shop?
Click to expand...

Yes, I put a link up for Dunelms on my first post. £5.99 per meter and 65cm wide.

I popped over yesterday and bought another 5 meters. The washing info was to wash at 30degrees. However I washed it for the first time yesterday at a normal 40 wash and its on the line now.
I've extended the trial to Minty and Finlay's cage too which is a 4 grid by 2 grid, and they have a upper deck hay level.

Routine is to sweep up poos each day and change hay boxes every day.
The foam was never wet. A week later I washed the foam 2 meters fitted in the washer. Then I checked the cardboard premierbed and It was fine apart from where the water bottle is which is quite understandable. So I left the cardboard under bed and popped a fresh piece of foam. This will certainly cut down on the trips to the recycling centre. At the moment every week I'm taking at least 8 sacks.

I'd like to see how this does with a year's worth of washing to see if it last the test of time.
 
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