Vetbed & Hayrack Questions

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Alexa

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Hi everyone, I am thinking of swapping the bedding used for my piggies.

Anyone who uses vetbed, please could you help with some questions, as I think this maybe a good option for us, as we need to keep our house neater!

- do you buy it and cut it so size?
- what do you put underneath it in the cage?
- how often do you wash/change it? I know I have to tidy the poo etc every day. Do you put other things in the wash with it, or just wash the vetbed alone?
- is it quite good for keeping smells to a minimum? The house currently smells of piggies a lot with the traditional bedding. Is there anything else I could do to improve this.

Any recommendations on where to buy it from would be great.

Finally is it okay to use a hay rack? So far when I tried the rack they didn't really eat much hay and left it. Shall I keep trying or are they really trying to tell me it needs to be on the floor?

Sorry so many questions! I just want to make the right decisions before investing in it.
Thank you!
 
I have hayracks as well as litter trays .They love diving into the hay in the litter trays (meadow hay) and the more expensive courser hay goes in the hay racks.I use fleece with towels underneath.The litter trays get changed every day.Seems to keep the smell down pretty well
 
vet bed can be bought and cut to size. i get mine off ebay. there is also a similar product called profleece which is less expensive but i find works just as well.

underneath it you can use washable absorbent bed pads, disposable bed pads/mats/puppy pads, or towels.

i'd change a minimum of twice a week but it depends on how many share the space - it shouldn't smell if you change it enough.

wash it a few times before use and you can wash it alone or with towels/bed pads etc. depends on your machine and how much it will fit. use a non-bio gentle detergent and you can add white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help even more with smells.

hay racks are fine but i think in addition to hay on the floor, where most piggies prefer it. i think being able to play and burrow in it is important for them. you can use litter trays to keep it contained and a bit more tidy. garden potting trays make great litter trays.

aslong as you change the tray/s daily, pick up poops daily, and wash the bedding enough, there shouldn't be any issue with smells :)
 
Thank you so much to both of you, very helpful!

biscandmatt said:
vet bed can be bought and cut to size. i get mine off ebay. there is also a similar product called profleece which is less expensive but i find works just as well.

underneath it you can use washable absorbent bed pads, disposable bed pads/mats/puppy pads, or towels.

i'd change a minimum of twice a week but it depends on how many share the space - it shouldn't smell if you change it enough.

wash it a few times before use and you can wash it alone or with towels/bed pads etc. depends on your machine and how much it will fit. use a non-bio gentle detergent and you can add white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help even more with smells.

hay racks are fine but i think in addition to hay on the floor, where most piggies prefer it. i think being able to play and burrow in it is important for them. you can use litter trays to keep it contained and a bit more tidy. garden potting trays make great litter trays.

aslong as you change the tray/s daily, pick up poops daily, and wash the bedding enough, there shouldn't be any issue with smells :)
Click to expand...

Which eBay seller do you buy yours from? I am keen to get a decent quality.

Thank you for your time.
 
llf l remember corectly l bought mine in a 1/2 role, and l cut it to size, ! it did aprox 8 cages
l put news paper underneth !
l find it lasts 2/3 days before needing washing
if you change vetbed and cleen the cage regulary there shouldent be a smell
l never wash them with any other things.
if you are buying for a single cage, you will probabaly get the best price on ebay
l never use a hay rack, for my feed hay , l give them a sizabal hand full (genuraly a leaf off the bale will keep 6 pigs happy for 5 to 6 hours
 
I use vet bed with back 2 nature over newspaper underneath (the news paper just makes it easier to clear up but doesn't add much else) as it is mega absorbent and gives virtually no smell so even with two messy boars I only need to change the litter underneath every 5-7 days and can just change the vet bed on top. It is a bit of a faff to get the spilt hay off of before washing and I use a laundry bag to stop hair and hay clogging up the washer but I shake it out anbrush it with a rubber brush to get most of it off before putting it in the bag.

I had it off ebay from a random seller as they sold bits that fitted my cage well. The last set I had lasted about 2 years before needing replaced. I have two sets for each cage, one in the wash and one in use.

I have a hay tray in each cage for hay, it does get thrown about a bit but they love to be able to sit in it etc. I tried using racks and bags but they aren't too keen on them so I don't bother anymore, I just change or top up the trays as needed.
 
I use vet bed and would never go back to anything else!

I use bronte glen green backed vet bed from amazon- excellent quality and lasts.

The aim of the vet bed is to allow urine to pass through, but the green layer holds it underneath-therefore upper surface stays dry.

I place puppy pads under the vet bed, which creates an absorbent layer between pad and vet bed, and keeps upper layer dry at all times. The base of the cage stays dry, and is simply a matter of poop scooping, chucking bed in machine and binning puppy pads, then wiping base of the cage.

I change puppy pads daily, and vet beds every 3 days. I wash at 90 and they cope well.

The beds will shrink initially. I normally wash first, cut to size once dry, wash again (as edges fray after cutting) then use. I cut them too big to make way for any shrinkage next few washes.

I use the hay rack, but also hay on floor as they do prefer it. I use a handheld dyson hoover for poos and stuck hay so it doesnt block the washing machine!

Another point is my sow used to have thick callused skin on her front feet which needed trimmed and moisturised regularly- since using vet bed, it had never grown back!
 
Thanks for the post, this answers all my questions too! I'm looking at swapping my piggies from newspaper and hay bedding to vetbed/fleece of some description.They're just wasting too much hay otherwise. All that's left to figure out is what to do about hay... I think it's going to have to be in a hay rack of some description as they're outdoor piggies and I can't have hay blowing all around the lawn!
 
I changed from newspaper and sawdust because of everyone (including me!) sneezing and it produces lots of waste. We changed to vetbed and the boys need changing every 2-3 days but the girls can go a little longer than that as long as you've poo-picked. I wash it at 60 most of the time and put it in old pillow cases to help stop any hay that's stuck in it getting into the washing machine. I wash it at 90 occasionally and it handles that well but did shrink with the first few washes (we'd prepared for that and cut it slightly big). The boys love it! You can tell they prefer it and popcorn every time I put them back after a clean! I have two sets, like others have mentioned, one for washing and one to replace. I do have to put newspaper and/or towels underneath the boys as they drink so much. I know of a few people who use fleece, which I presume doesn't get hay stuck as much so would be better for washing?
 
i can't comment about vetoed as mine are on fleece, but i do use a hay rack which they all use and put some in their hideys to keep them occupied.
Buy a wash bag which is used for horse rugs etc, i got an extra large one from a fried who is local who stocks them for sale along with other guinea pig fleece bits. This way the fleece can be put into bag and into your washing machine without the risk of it getting blocked by hair or any hay bits over time.
Nikkis wesbite is: Snoozie's Cozies
 
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