Pine pellets

[cass2sons]

Where do you get these? Do they eat them? Thanks

[PixieStix]

Pine pellets are pressed wood pellets. They can be sold as horse bedding, small animal bedding, or fire starters. If they are for fires, make sure they're just plain, pressed wood without additives. They are sold in feed stores and some wood stove/hardware stores. They are cheap, and keep odors down. Here's a page on GL with them (at the bottom) Guinea Lynx :: Bedding - Wood Products. They are dried, but I still air mine out before use.

[cass2sons]

They don't eat them do they? I just worry about them thinking they are food. Do they get heavy when wet? Thanks so much!

[Haley0489]

Originally Posted by cass2sons

Do they get heavy when wet?

From the page PixieStix listed "Very heavy, especially when wet".
Actually reading the references people post is a good idea.

[PixieStix]

Yes, I buy them buy the bag, which is forty pounds. They are always solid and heavy, but I find that helps keep my piggies litter box with them in place (they use fleece with just a box now of pellets). One bag would totally fill a 2x4 C&C cage twice when I used pellets as bedding.

My pigs don't eat them, and my pigs LOVE to eat everything (wood shavings, carefresh, any paper or cardboard...), but all pigs are different.

[cass2sons]

Sounds great! I have two cat litter boxes where I feed them and they do their business in there. I have some fleece in there now, I need something on the bottom to soak up the urine better. I was using newspaper but didn't like it. Now if they do eat it, it won't hurt them right, as it is pine?


Thanks for sharing.

[bluezee]

When the pellets get wet they turn to powder, so it is easy to see were they did their business. We scoop those areas 1-2x's a day and pour in more pellets as necessary.

I think the pellets are great. They really keep the smell down if you scoop at least daily.

[SweetPie]

Won't the pellets - I have a bag - hurt my piggies tender pads?

[PixieStix]

Are you planning on using them throughout the whole cage? If so, many people use a layer of aspen shavings, kiln dried pine shavings, carefresh, or a similar softer bedding material on top of them.

[cass2sons]

I was going to use them in their kitchen area, but we have started using our aspen shavings again and they seem to be happy with that. Thank you everyone.