Wood Shavings Vs Flax Bedding

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Chloe B

Chloe B

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Hi, I have recently stumbled across some information from two reputable guinea websites that wood shavings are a dangerous bedding for pigs and there is no excuse to be using it with all the othe options available..... and apparently cam also dry out their skin (my boys do seem to have skin issues!) Is this true? I've had my pigs on shavings for the whole year I've had them as this is what seemed widely recommended.

I do not want to use fleece as I already have fleece blankets down in their room for floor time and I couldn't keep up with machine washing anymore. I have read that "flax" bedding is recommended - can anyone explain to me what this is and does anyone else use this? I have read the bedding thread but no mention of flax. Would it be similar to using shavings in terms of the amount required and ease of spot cleaning?

I currently spot clean twice a day, replacing with handfuls of fresh bedding and a full clean once a week. This is working well for me but I want my piggies to be ok!

Thanks for reading!
 
I think regular wood shavings are fine.
The problem is with sawdust (not good) or shavings with things like cedar in (also not good).
As long as the wood shavings you are using are not too small and dusty, then I imagine they are ok to continue using if that is working for you and your boys.
It sounds like you have a good routine and your boys are very well cared for.

I personally have never heard of flax bedding, but maybe someone else has.

When mine were on disposable bedding we used Auboise and it worked well and I (and the piggies) were happy with it.
The downside (here in Switzerland anyway) is that it only comes in massive bales as it is designed to be used as horse bedding, so it might be a tricky option if you don't have a car! It's not the sort of thing you could take home on the bus.
 
I'm not sure what type of shavings I use - I just get them in a large bale from a local farm shop in clear packaging, no labels. I'm not sure how I would tell if it contained cedar. I hope it is ok! I have a feeling flax might be a type of horse bedding too.

Thanks for the reassurance! Just want the best for my pigs.
 
Chloe B said:
I'm not sure what type of shavings I use - I just get them in a large bale from a local farm shop in clear packaging, no labels. I'm not sure how I would tell if it contained cedar.
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Cedar shavings are an American thing - we don't have them here. Or well I suppose you could if you imported them. UK shavings are usually made of spruce, although some brands/ batches may contain more or less pine too. But spruce is grown on a lot of UK forestry land, is cheap, and the wood is less oily than other species.

Not that I use shavings mind as aside from any of the discussions about wood shaving suitability for rodents, I'm allergic to spruce and quite like being able to breathe! If your boys have skin issues though, it's probably worth looking into alternate options in case they are related.

You can get flax straw substrate, yes. Usually marketed towards horses, but also game birds and smallholders too. The main UK brands are Equisorb and Flaxcore. [NB Hemcore, the hemp version of Flaxcore, has citronella added. I don't know if Flaxcore does or not, but it would be something I'd want to confirm for sure]. However flax straw is even more lightweight and floaty than hemp straw, and thus even more messy!
 
Thank you that's helpful and reassuring! I'm using the last of my shavings now and have bought a bale of Aubiose to try out as of next week to see if it makes any difference!
 
Aubiose is good and I have used it but it's not warm and snugly for the winter (a human need more than Guineas I suspect) I now use medibed which is finely chopped up a straw and nearly dust free and very cosy for winter. I do also use fitch which I love and is by far the best (shredded soft paper) but it is expensive. In order of preference over many years I'd say Fitch first, then medibed then aubiose. Megazorb is also good but very dusty and not recommended by megazorb themselves for small animals.
 
Aubiose is a brand of hemp straw. It's what I'm trialling first for mine as I use it for my mice so always have some in :) @Guinea Slave do you find they eat the Medibed at all? I was advised against using any cereal straw bedding because apparently they tend to eat it in preference over hay (that of course being bad because of relative nutrition).
 
acapae said:
Aubiose is a brand of hemp straw. It's what I'm trialling first for mine as I use it for my mice so always have some in :) @Guinea Slave do you find they eat the Medibed at all? I was advised against using any cereal straw bedding because apparently they tend to eat it in preference over hay (that of course being bad because of relative nutrition).
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Hi @acapae , no not at all, they tend to nibble on the Fitch more which is most odd! But I have never seen them eat the medibed. To be honest it doesn't look or smell like usual cereal straw so I can see why.
 
Chloe B said:
Hi, I have recently stumbled across some information from two reputable guinea websites that wood shavings are a dangerous bedding for pigs and there is no excuse to be using it with all the othe options available..... and apparently cam also dry out their skin (my boys do seem to have skin issues!) Is this true? I've had my pigs on shavings for the whole year I've had them as this is what seemed widely recommended.

I do not want to use fleece as I already have fleece blankets down in their room for floor time and I couldn't keep up with machine washing anymore. I have read that "flax" bedding is recommended - can anyone explain to me what this is and does anyone else use this? I have read the bedding thread but no mention of flax. Would it be similar to using shavings in terms of the amount required and ease of spot cleaning?

I currently spot clean twice a day, replacing with handfuls of fresh bedding and a full clean once a week. This is working well for me but I want my piggies to be ok!

Thanks for reading!
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I just make sure it's dust extracted and not cedar and not sawdust I believe sawdust however is fine (Sawdust and shavings are different).
 
Guinea Slave said:
Hi @acapae , no not at all, they tend to nibble on the Fitch more which is most odd! But I have never seen them eat the medibed. To be honest it doesn't look or smell like usual cereal straw so I can see why.
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Fab, thanks. I might see if either of the supply shops here stock that.
 
Certainly Worth giving it a try. I find that it very soft and cozy compared to the other.

I love your avatar by the way!
 
I have used medibed ,it is not absorbent at all,i used aubiose with a layer of medibed for soft and warm bed in the winter.I found this worked well.I'm using ecobed corrigated cardboard with aubiose underneath and in litter trays with piggies that are in the shed.please inform us how you get on with the Aubiose @Chloe B .good luck .:)
 
Although my piggies are all on fleece, I have used Aubiose in the past and I loved it. I also had puppy pads underneath to absorb the urine.

I only changed to fleece to cut down on the waste each week, as I was filling three black bags (C&C cage plus the hamster's Zoozone 2 and pen changes).

My green wheelie bin was groaning.

Now I use 1 black bag a week (2 whenI clean out the hamster).
 
I just realised that sounds bad.

My hamster is not cleaned out fully every week, only his pee corner and nest. He is on Fitch bedding, which is 6-10cm deep (depending on weather) so he can burrow and snuggle in the colder weather.

When he is cleaned out, boy does that black bag get full!
 
Flamestriker said:
I only changed to fleece to cut down on the waste each week, as I was filling three black bags (C&C cage plus the hamster's Zoozone 2 and pen changes).
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That's good to hear. Do you need to put something underneath Aubiose or can it be used alone? I use woodshavings alone....

I have read that Aubiose creates less waste as you don't need to use as much of this? I really hope this is true as I too am struggling with the amount of waste. I have to sit on the bags to compress them down and battle to fit them in my wheelie every fortnight! My neighbours must think I'm crazy. Unfortunately where I am, "animal waste and bedding" is not allowed in my green bin. Nightmare!
 
And btw I only have two pigs! I sometimes wonder how other people cope with the amount of waste who have a herd of pigs! :(
 
Ah, my brown wheelie bin is for recycling and the green one is general waste.

I used puppy pads under the Aubiose to absorb the urine (the ones from B&M are thin but are great!). I used to remove only the wet areas, although poo picking was not easy.
 
I have never seen puppy pads, then again it's not something I have ever looked for. I may try newspaper. Poo picking I find easy with woodshavings but looking at the Aubiose in its bag I did get the feeling that might be more difficult! Guess I will just see how I get on when I clean them next weekend!
 
eileen said:
you can get puppy pads in b and m ,poundstretcher,100 pads for £12.99.!:)
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Cool, thanks. Not sure I have either of those near me. Never been to a b&m think there's one a drive away. If I used these or newspaper would it be ok to change once a week? As I only fully change the bedding once a week and spot clean every day. Would be difficult to remove the lining whilst leaving the Aubiose there if you get me!
 
Aubiose is much more absorbent if you lightly mist it with water first. The wetness is wicked down to the base layer, keeping the top dry. However you have to provide a deep enough amount of Aubiose for this to work - if you just provide a shallow depth it's not very absorbent.
The bedding works by soaking up liquids in a small area, at the base of the bed. The capped layer that forms over this saturated material reduces the chance of wet bedding being mixed in with the dry. The top layer of the bed remains warm, soft and dry for the horse.
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