wow @ reaction.. curious @ 'professional' advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter piggi
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

piggi

First of all I need reassurance that what I have just done is ok. I have just taken all of the woodchippings out of the bottom of my gps indoor cage and replaced it with hay because I've read that it is better for them. Just to clarify - I can put P@H run of the mill down for his bed - it seems awfully pointy.

Having done so I have made my new little man very happy. As soon as i put him back in his cage he was squeaking about investigating, eating it, milling around his food bowls, running in and out of his hide out. His reaction was lovely (I guess I don't need you all to tell me it was the right thing to do!)

My question is.. why did P@H inform me that I needed wood shavings for his bedding when alot of you (who I see are experts and have vast amounts of gp experience) use hay and agree that it is one of the better things to use as bedding? Are the staff in P@H trained in small animals? Is it a ploy about pricing, do wood chips cost more than hay? I just don't know why they would tell me to use something that would irritate my gp's breathing and dry out his feet. At least they could have given me an option to also use hay. They knew I was a novice.
 
I have no experience with Pets at Home, but there have been many post about them - none of them flattering!

And welcome to the forum :)
 
My experience is similar to your although I got my piggies somewhere else. We were sold a bag of dust extracted wood shavings for bedding and a bag of hay for food and to keep them warm in their bedding box. Before we bought them we noticed they seemed very happy in an enclosure with straw bedding however straw is one of the triggers for my asthma so we had to avoid using it. I'm in two minds about hay everywhere - have been trying different types of hay - because I wondered whether it was making me wheezy too, but then I have been unwell the last three weeks - so am not sure we have found a good solution for everyone.
 
shavings is actually cheaper, as you need to clean out more often with hay (hay isnt as absorbent as shavings).

so I dont think that they do it from a profit point of view. They just sell it because its the most commonly used bedding,
and one of the cheapest, and very absorbent, so alot of people buy it, so thats why they stock it.

as for my opinion, I dont see anything wrong with woodshavings, have used them for years, and never had any problems.
I know alot of people who have loads of piggies, indoors, and use shavings - never had any problems either.
Apart from two people who are considered THEY EXPERTS saying they are no good (gurney and stanley-spatcher), I have never actually seen any proven evidence that they are causing all these problems like drying out the skin on the feet, making piggies prone to fungal infection, causing breathing problems, etc. Never seen anything apart from people quoting Peter Gurney.
Which makes me think its something HE believed in and just because he was a clever man with piggies, people took his word for gospel, and starting saying the same things - without any evidence to back it up.
Yes, if you have asthma, you should probably use something like vetbed or fleece rather than shavings, for the obvious reason.
The same goes for a piggy that has already got breathing problems. But a healthy piggy becoming ill because of shavings?
Thats just not true in my opinion, and I have asked a few times, and noone was able to actually show me anything to back up this shaving theory. I hope that the anti-shaving-party will just accept this as my opinion, and not start flaming in this thread.
 
Thanks for your reply. I think I had to go from my piggies reaction this afternoon to know what he prefers, he's been playing in it too.. hiding and borrowing in it. I have to say he has been sneezing with it too but so would I if I was to put my head in a load of hay. I absolutely had no problems with the woodshavings I used before but I don't know what I am doing really and learning. I have no experience and at the minute I am all too eager to believe what I read.

As for the pet shop. I think you are probably right. maybe in their experience the woodshavings are a popular choice for people who have guinea pigs and other small animals for that matter.

I really must not think too deeply into things and assess everything I read and make my own mind up whats right for me and mine.

Thanks for all your replys
 
They sell woodshavings because they sell a ton of them due to people thinking it is OK. I used to think it was OK. I had a pig go completely bald on his belly from a bad batch of shavings. My vet told me and still tells others that there are many instances of this happening and they NEVER recommend keeping any small animal on shavings. I've seen pigs with burnt feet from the oils, too. Not nice. PAH go by popular demand, not what's best for the animals. The only staff with formal training are the managers, who require this by law for the shop to be licensed to sell live animals.

All I would ask is that those who DO use shavings grab a handful of them, rub them into your hands and then tell me how it feels! It makes you feel dry, itchy and horrible. I wouldn't put up with that myself so I wouldn't use it for any of my animals.
 
Abnoba said:
shavings is actually cheaper, as you need to clean out more often with hay (hay isnt as absorbent as shavings).

so I dont think that they do it from a profit point of view. They just sell it because its the most commonly used bedding,
and one of the cheapest, and very absorbent, so alot of people buy it, so thats why they stock it.

as for my opinion, I dont see anything wrong with woodshavings, have used them for years, and never had any problems.
I know alot of people who have loads of piggies, indoors, and use shavings - never had any problems either.
Apart from two people who are considered THEY EXPERTS saying they are no good (gurney and stanley-spatcher), I have never actually seen any proven evidence that they are causing all these problems like drying out the skin on the feet, making piggies prone to fungal infection, causing breathing problems, etc. Never seen anything apart from people quoting Peter Gurney.
Which makes me think its something HE believed in and just because he was a clever man with piggies, people took his word for gospel, and starting saying the same things - without any evidence to back it up.
Yes, if you have asthma, you should probably use something like vetbed or fleece rather than shavings, for the obvious reason.
The same goes for a piggy that has already got breathing problems. But a healthy piggy becoming ill because of shavings?
Thats just not true in my opinion, and I have asked a few times, and noone was able to actually show me anything to back up this shaving theory. I hope that the anti-shaving-party will just accept this as my opinion, and not start flaming in this thread.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you Ulrike
we use shavings in our hutches and have never had problems,good lord ive used them for years when we've had rabbits etc,and wouldnt change
i also hope the anti-shaving-party will accept it too
each to our own,thats what i say
 
I use newsapaper for absorbant base then thick layer of hay. There's 2 reasons for this:

1) I agree with piggi that my guinea pig reacted very happily in her new found hay bed - frequently running through it, hiding in it and it's on constant supply.. wouldn't you be happy if you could munch without getting out of bed!

2) When I clean it out I simply wrap up paper and hay and compst it with dropings and wee included.

Works for me just as much as woodshavings would work for the next family for different reasons I guess.
 
my piggles changed to hay a while ago and it has been cleaner and piggles have been happier ever since, welcome to the forum
 
hi there , i bed my pigs on news paper and hay in the summer and wood shavings and hay in the winter, it depends on your pig really, mine like both.

welcome ;D this place is great and really friendly to

chat soon them
 
why did P@H inform me that I needed wood shavings for his bedding when alot of you (who I see are experts and have vast amounts of gp experience) use hay and agree that it is one of the better things to use as bedding? Are the staff in P@H trained in small animals?
Click to expand...
Good question! I have asked them many times but never got an answer. Unfortunately people, including PAH just do what is easiest for them rather that what is best for the piggies.

In addition to the advcie of the late Peter Gurney (who is accepted as THE best guinea pig care author there is) and the CCT many rescuers also say that the guinea pigs who come to them with severe skin problems have been kept on shavings. Thats enough evidence for me. I would certainly take the advice of the 'experts' over my own or anyone elses personal opinion. I and more importantly my guinea pigs, love the alternative beddings that I have tried, vetbed, megazorb, aubiose. To me it makes perfect sense that Woodshavings would be a probelm for our pets since they spend so much of their time with their noses near to the ground and while they are linked to breathing, skin and eye problems they will never be used by me! And its more thatn just the dust, they draw away too much moisture which is how they contribute to skin problems. Not the most convienient solution but definately the best and tahts what counts for me.
 
I use newspaper, followed by dust extracted shavings with a layer of hay on top of that and don't have a problem

My OH is allergic to hay but I've found using the more expensive hay from somewhere like the hay experts you don't get the dust residue you do with cheaper hay and he's been ok with it
 
Does anyone know why hay is considered okay but not wood shavings? I keep chickens and the general advice you get with hens is the exact opposite . Experts say the dust in hay causes lung problems but wood shavings is fine. You would think the same applied to guinea pigs.
 
I give my hay a good shake before it goes in which removes any dust there might be. Guinea pigs need plenty of hay to eat so they have to have hay whatever bedding you use. I am sure you will agree there is no comparison really between the requirements of hens and cavies. As I said in the earier post it is not just an issue with dust but the fact that shavings draw away too much moisture which can lead to serious skin conditions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top