What bedding?

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merey61

merey61

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I have a few questions, only because i'm trying to find the right bedding

1) What bedding do you use
2) How often do you clean your cage out
3) How do you clean your cage out?
4) What do you recomment for my cage?

I have a store bought pet cage but it has been extended with a dog pen(it has been baby guinea pig escape proofed). Currently I have hay in the store bought cage and newspapers in the dog pen. I have previously used fleece but found I have to change it everyday. When I only had Zafron I used wood shavings but they increased my likelyhood to get an allergy reaction when I had cleaned the cage.

Thanks in Advance
From
Meredith
 
Hi, I have a C&C and line it with vetbed which I find so easy to clean. I have a handheld vacuum which I pick the poo up with a couple of times a day and I just pop the vetbed in the washing machine twice a week. Its so soft and nice on their feet and they can cuddle up on it if they want to too (although mine sleep in their own snuggle sacs)
 
my two have the base from the trixe 150 cage with mesh storage grids round the outside. i line the cage with newspaper, then put fleecy pet blankets over and have vetbed in the area they sleep in. i change all the bedding everyday and wipe the base daily with petsafe wipes and then thoroughly clean properly once a week. :)

i am hoping to change to a c&c cage soon though. :)

for those who use vetbed - does it soak up the wee so the bedding doesn't stay wet? because i have to change the bedding daily otherwise they would be sat in wet. i have found the area of the cage better though where they have the vetbed. is this more hygienic to use?
 
I'm quite lucky in that my two wee in their litter tray or in their snuggle sacs so these get changed daily. It means I dont have to change the vetbed daily although they did wee on vetbed in beginning and it soaked through to bottom and didnt feel wet on top ;)
 
Hi I use newspaper to line the cage and bedding area,then lots of hay to make it nice and soft.
I clean my cage out everyday I find my pigs like it done all the time.
well i have a nero4 so its really simple to pull the cage apart and empty it then i use a clean cloth each time to wipe it down, then i spray it with the hutch cleaner leave for 5 mins then rinse and dry it off.
well my piggys are happy in just lots of hay but alot of people prefer fleece bedding so its up to your piggys what they like best:)
 
I use newspaper to line and then megazorb, great stuff and a sack last for ages :(|)
 
1) I line the bedding box with newspaper and cover the top with lots of hay.
2) I clean the cage out roughly every two days. I wash it with vinegar and water once a week or so.
3) To clean the cage, I remove and replace all bedding (the bedding is really easy to remove because I just grab the newspaper on the edges and fold all the hay up inside it), food etc. and sweep up all of the poo/food that seems to end up everywhere! I give them fresh food and water, along with a plate of fresh vegies (which they are given every day anyway). Every now and then, perhaps once a week, I am starting to wash out the cage with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water as well.
4) For your cage, it depends on your preferences. I think hay is quite a good choice as it does not stay too wet from the wee because it seeps down into the newspaper. I don't have experience with fleece bedding, but perhaps you could use fleece for the dog run so that they have a little more traction when they are running around. I suppose it is just trial and error, to find out what works best for you!

Hope that helped, and good luck :)
 
I always did (this was when we had our boys, i'll be doing similar when the girls arive this week) a lining of newspaper and then heaps of hay on top :)
A few cardboard boxes too so they have a hidey and something to chew on :))
As for cleaning well, i spot clean at least 3 times a day, a sleeping area clean out daily and food area clean out daily and a FULL total clean out of cage area weekly where i'd sweep and even wipe out with mild soap and water and then dry off with cloths :)
All leftover food is taken out daily as i wont leave spoilt foods in there.
I even re did pellets as well daily i'm just not somebody to leave stale food around, just me i suppose :{
I was particularly meticulous, oh yeah well i suppose over the top, when our boy was on towels only i changed them 3-5 times a day, so heaps of washing but i never minded.
 
i totally agree with you glynis my piggys veges/fruit/pellets are changed 3 times a day i just love making them breakfast lunch and dinner i feel like they are my kids;)
 
haha, I don't have "pets", I have children :)) . I mean my cats and Pola are my kids in every sense of the word except for the fact that I did not physically give birth to them and I don't have to worry about sending them off to school :))

As for bedding right now I am using the Wal-Mart brand of Carefresh (which I am not impressed with the texture of at all, I couldn't imagine walking on that stuff, ew). I spot clean daily and full change weekly. I am seriously contemplating fleece bedding when I get my second piggy home as it seems to be a lot cheaper to re-use bedding than disposable bedding.
 
1) What bedding do you use
-I use a layer or newspaper, with woodshaving on top.

2) How often do you clean your cage out
Once a week, but I spot check it every day.

3) How do you clean your cage out?
I just take a dustpan and scoop everything out. Then I discinfect the hutch and wait for it to dry.

4) What do you recomment for my cage?
Hmm, well, your indoors, so I would suggest vet-bed, fleece or some other brand like that. My boys live outside, so I cant help much on this one, sorry.
 
what is a Vetbed? I've heard of them, but i've never actually seen one
 
1) What bedding do you use?
i used to use sawdust but got fed up of the mess it made! (my pigs live in my room). so now i used towels throughout and pop a cushion in their bedroom, which they love. i used newspaper under the sawdust, and i still use that with the towels on top.

2) How often do you clean your cage out?
used to be once a week, but it's gone up to every three days since i changed to towels.

3) How do you clean your cage out?
shake the towels out into the cage and wash them. use a dustpan and brush to sweep up poop and food. pop some clean newspaper down and washed towels on top. i also clean any stains up with a damp sponge and some disinfectant, but i don't do this every time i clean them out, just every couple of weeks.

4) What do you recomment for my cage?
it really depends what you'd be happy with! can you cope with a lot of mess but good absorbancy (sawdust)? would you prefer your pigs to be more comfortable but be prepared to clean them out a lot (towels)? or do you have a lot of money to spend (vetbed)?
 
1) What bedding do you use
Fleece with towels underneath. I have designated hay trays that are just newspaper and hay.

2) How often do you clean your cage out
I do a total clean every 2-3 days, depending on how messy it is! Usually every three days. I do daily cleanouts/tidy-ups as well.

3) How do you clean your cage out?
Total clean - remove all the toys/dishes/hay trays. Pull out fleece and towels, tipping the mess onto the correx base. Vacuum poops/hay off correx base. Clean the correx with disinfectant and kitchen roll, and clean hay trays. Put in fresh towels and fleece. Put in new toys, fresh hay, food and water. This whole process for two cages (total size 7x3) takes under half an hour. I then shake the fleeces in the garden and run them through the machine on a quick wash, and line dry.

For a daily tidy-up - Vacuum poops, empty hay and newspaper from hay trays, and give fresh hay, food and water.
Food dishes get washed daily. Water bottles are totally emptied, rinsed and refilled daily and scrubbed thoroughly every 2 days.

4) What do you recomment for my cage?
I can't say what you should use - it depends on the time you have to spend cleaning out, what you can afford, whether you have access to a washing machine for alternative beddings etc.
As a rule, anything that's not sawdust, wood-shavings or long straw is generally okay.
 
1. I've been through many types but now use a waterproof layer, newspaper and fleece on top. My piggies are in the top part of the cage only, the wire bit, laid straight over this onto the floor of the conservatory. The bedding extends beyond the cage top.

2. Every other day. Their hay place has a towel and sheeting on the top which they wee on freely so that is also changed every other day.

3. Material shaken outside and washed. Newspaper goes into bin or onto compost heap. Tiles wiped with washing up liquid in water where needed, carpet pieces cleaned with astonish and left to dry before going back in when needed. Poos which scatter are brushed or hoovered up.

4. When I had a cage and restricted room they used to wee all over it, so the whole cage needed to be ok for this. They don't wee on the tiles or carpet - so I'm afraid my situation is too different now. Where they do wee I use towel and sheeting or newspaper and fleece.

This has been a really interesting thread to read.

Sarah
 
merey61 said:
what is a Vetbed? I've heard of them, but i've never actually seen one
Click to expand...

VetBed is what vets use when they take an animal into their kennels overnight or just to line their cages with. It's very high quality and lasts for years. It's reusable and saves a lot of money, and provides extra comfort for your piggies. Look it up and find out more ;)
 
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