Changed to fleece - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**raspberryruffle** · #1 08-20-07, 06:06 am

Hello,

I am recently new to this site. We have had our c&c cage since Sunday and had sawdust/wood chippings in the cage but this really smelt. The whole house smelled like a guinea pig cage. I was considering fleece and this really made up my mind. Went out and bought fleece today - $12.99 from Lincraft which was enough to double over. I have two towels underneath - do you think this is enough? I bought a couple of fleece beanies cheaply from hot dollar and I have opened these out to make little cosies. The hats came with fleece scarves which I have put into their house for them to sleep on - do you think that is OK? They have a little kitchen - a hay rack with a tray underneath this filled litter suitable for small animals. I have got hay but they don't seem to eat it much. It is the only hay I can get from Petcare 2000 in Caringbah. It is pretty 'stalky' and quite dusty. I'm not sure where to get better hay - any pointers would be appreciated.

All in all they seem quite happy - they have been running around and jumping up in a funny sort of way and squeaking like they do. I am really happy to have changed to fleece - in the long run I think it is easier to clean and deal with.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'd appreciate any input on the above.

**pigsforlife** · #2 08-20-07, 06:21 am

I would not double the fleece over, it will interupt the wicking process and you won't get the best possible results. 2 towels underneath should be fine, mattress pads are an option which you may want to look into in the future. As for the beanies, that is a great idea. Oxbow and Kleenmamas Hayloft have the best quality hay out there, much better than pet store stuff. If you choose to go with KMs Hayloft, you will probably have to ship it in. As for oxbow, I managed to find a shop which sells the brand about 20 mins away from me. If your piggers are under the age of 6 months you will need Alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets, if your piggers are over the age of 6 months they will need timothy hay and timothy based pellets, both which can be brought from the 2 brands mentioned above:
Oxbow Products: Oxbow Pet Products | Products
Oxbow, shop finder: Oxbow Pet Products | International
Kleenmamas Hayloft: Kleenmama's Hayloft :: Home
Oh, and welcome to the forum, pigtures would be great!

**ginniemama** · #3 08-20-07, 06:24 am

I am a fleece lover! I also have towels under my fleece but I sewed the 2 together to make one. I have been thinking about switching to mattress pads instead of towels because I have heard alot of good input on that. Do you have any feed stores in your area? That would be a grea place to go for hay. Here is a site that also sell hay that you may want to try, or you can do an internet search to see if there is a location closer to you.
Oxbow Pet Products | Welcome
I am not sure about the scarves. I am sure someone else can advise you on that. My babies sleep in their hut just on the fleece/bedding.
They sound very happy! I think the hat idea is great!!

**Aertyn** · #4 08-20-07, 07:14 am

Hay and Pellets cannot be shipped into Australia, as it is plant material the only way for it to be allowed in is for it to be sprayed with an insecticide which then means you can't feed it to your Guinea Pigs.
KM's Hay cannot be bought in Australia.
Oxbow (hay and pellets) can be bought, but it is quite pricey, and is available on eBay Australia - Buy or sell practically anything on eBay, the world's online marketplace

**raspberryruffle** · #5 08-20-07, 07:20 am

Thanks so much for your replies.

For those in Australia - can you tell me what hay you do feed you piggies. I really don't want to continue with what I've got as they obviously don't like it.

Thanks.

**Aertyn** · #6 08-20-07, 10:01 am

I've yet to find good quality grass hay/meadow hay in my area, sure it's there, but it closely resembles straw in both colour and texture, and no way in heck am I giving that to my babies.

I free feed them Lucerne Hay, it's green, a little stemmy I will admit but with the drought I'll take what I can get, and smells wonderful. With my local feed store, they let you pick the bales you want, so I spent a good 25 minutes clambering over bales to get the best I could.

You can get a good bale (30kg's or there abouts) for between $18-$25 (and if they charge over that tell them to jump).

**kathrynj** · #7 08-20-07, 04:24 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by pigsforlife

I would not double the fleece over, it will interupt the wicking process and you won't get the best possible results.

No, I always use two layers of fleece!

The trick with fleece is to prepare it by washing enough times to allow the water repelling action to cease, and the wicking action then becomes very effective. Don't use fabric softener either, it creates a kind of water repelling coating on the fleece.

Talk to your local vet about ordering in Oxbow. It will be loads cheaper than paying postage over ebay. My vet can get in Oxbow cavy cuisine pellets, Oxbow western timothy hay, Oxbow timothy hay cakes, and critical care. I think she can also order in rabbit pellets.

**raspberryruffle** · #8 08-21-07, 12:28 am

I have doubled over - that is the two inside layers are against each other. Should it be two layers of fleece - both fleece sides facing up? With the hay there is a Vet Clinic on the northshore of Sydney which sells Oxbow products - Timothy hay, Timothy hay cakes, Rabbit Timothy hay pellets & Guinea pig timothy hay pellets. Contact email is david.vella@bigpond.com if anyone interested.

**pigsforlife** · #9 08-21-07, 12:57 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by raspberryruffle

Thanks so much for your replies.

For those in Australia - can you tell me what hay you do feed you piggies. I really don't want to continue with what I've got as they obviously don't like it.

Thanks.

I live in W.A. My exotic vet sells oxbow products, which is where I get my hay and pellets from. They are extremely good in quality!

**enchantingcavy** · #10 09-01-07, 04:19 pm

hey their!

with regards to your hay question definitely if you can get Oxbow timothy hay that's great ebay in australia also now sells oxbow products.

Also Big W sells a hay called Peters Pasture hay it's very tightly packed and you get quite alot in it it's basically like a nice grassy hay and I've heard that the piggies do like it.

Since I have to buy my hay in bulk ( around 100 rescue piggies to feed ) I have to get my hay from produce stores at the moment this time of year they'res a lovely Barley hay out that the pigs really like they also sometimes sell bales of grassy/pasture hay so if you have more than a couple of piggies sometimes the bales at produce/feed barns will do the job they're always very fresh.

jess

**raspberryruffle** · #11 09-01-07, 07:14 pm

Thanks for all your answers. I have emailed a vet in north sydney who sells the Oxbow products but it is a bit of trek to go all the way there. I will try Big W and see how I go with that.

**psychojelly** · #12 01-01-08, 07:53 am

When I first got my 2 pigs, (Sep 2007), I bought a big bag of shavings for half the cage, and used an old fleece dressing gown on the other half. The pigs avoided the shavings like anything, - which I was happy about as it stank, and affected my allergies. I use fleece now - and fold it over a couple of times with newspaper underneath. I just think it makes it softer, and havent noticed it is wet - because they use their litter trays for poops and wees 95% of the time... This tends to suit me... and them ! Once I bought some fleece pieces from Lincraft, and then some more at the Bed Bath and Table Clearance store (Rugs on Sale), I cut up the gown into smaller pieces and place it on top of the fleece - they just hide under it for sleeping. Cute!