Bedding Flooring? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Holliegh** · #1 06-28-09, 12:06 pm

I'm trying to litter train my piggies so that I can have a fleece lining for the cage but they're being difficult about it. They use the litter box, yes; but they also now want to use their beds to do their business, too!

Newspaper looks bad and I don't think it's very comfy for them.
I want something a big softer.
But what?

I was thinking of wood shavings but I thought they could get mites from that.
Is that true?
My brothers guineas had mites and apparently it was because of the wood shavings.

Also, I did try fleece before but it ended up making them smell really bad, because they decided to ignore their tray completely and just pee all over the blanket!
I don't know why; but Guinea pee on a blanket seems to stink something fierce.
Yet I smell nothing when it's on paper.

So, aside from fleece or newspaper; is there any other type of cage lining/flooring I could use?

Thank you.

**akstrohm** · #2 06-28-09, 12:19 pm

Fleece can't be used alone. It needs something underneath it. Read the fleece project sticky. Once you use it correctly, it won't smell.

Most guinea pigs will not use the litter box perfectly.

**Holliegh** · #3 06-28-09, 12:36 pm

Thank you. Checking it out now.

Sorry. I didn't see it. It actually took me a while to find, too.

**jenniwat001** · #4 06-28-09, 01:31 pm

My pigs wouldn't litter train. One did, the other just took one look at the litter box and said "you think I'm gonna use that?!"

I'm pretty sure you can't get mites from shavings, you get them from hay but not shavings.

I used to think Fleece was smelly but it took a while for my pigs to get used to it- to begin with they were marking it with their scent all the time and it stank! But they've got used to it and it now smells less that the shavings did! I used to hate fleece but now I am a total convert.

**tehdoc809** · #5 06-28-09, 03:03 pm

For fleece, as long as you follow the guidelines on the "Fleece Project-study" sticky. It doesn't smell at all. It will if you miss a day of vaccuming up some poops, so you have to be on top of that. Also, for a nice clean smell wash them in vinager instead of regular detergent.

Edit:: Also, it's very hard, and from what I hear on the site it's a good 50/50 chance you're pigs will never be litter trained unless you are very.. VERY Adament about it. My piggers arent litter trained.. and like I said, if you are doing what needs to be done on the fleece, it wont smell either way.

**akstrohm** · #6 06-28-09, 03:30 pm

I would wash with detergent, although you can add vinegar as well if you want.

And being litter trained doesn't have much to do with how adamant you are about it. There isn't much you can do except to put the litter box in the most often used corner (and near the food).

**Holliegh** · #7 07-01-09, 04:42 pm

I just wanted to say thanks!

I gave it another go and my piggies are so relaxed.
The fleece still smells a bit but I put that down to the heat. It's only just started to smell today and it's been, I think, 3 days since I put it down.
So that's not half bad, really.

I haven't seen my piggies this relaxed. They're always sprawled out in the middle of the cage. They just adore their new fleece!
And there's something soothing about going to sleep with the sound of happy, popcorning guineas at the foot of the bed.

They stopped popcorning a few weeks ago. But they've perked up so much now.
I guess they don't like reading the newspaper?

**akstrohm** · #8 07-01-09, 06:01 pm

I'm glad it's working out well!

If you have boars, it sometimes helps to leave a little piece of dirty fleece in when you clean the cage. That can keep them from re-scenting everything.

Cleaning will be more convenient if you have several changes of fleece so you don't have to do laundry every time you clean the cage.

**Holliegh** · #9 07-01-09, 07:17 pm

Yup. Boars.
Oh! That's a good idea! I'll try that, thanks.

Yeah, I have 3 fleece blankets and in my house, we're never short of towels, so I "borrowed" some from my brothers.
I'm sure they won't miss them

I have to wash it all by hand, though. My dad hates me washing piggy stuff in the machine.
Even when I run the machine through afterwards, he still complains about getting hairs on his clothes.
But it doesn't take too long to hand-wash so I'm sure I'll get into the swing of it.

Shadow1 · #10 07-01-09, 09:16 pm

Okay I had the same problem
only my mom was allergic to the beding
You can try and put an air freshner beside the cage no where near reach of the pigs. Fleach is hard to get bedding off and to wash. You canuse care fresh under newspaper under the fleech. Care fresh is good bedding and is eco AND super unbsorbnet!
If your pigs poop on the fleece put it in the litter box so they are used to pooping there

**PiggieMom** · #11 07-01-09, 09:36 pm

A little bit of vinegar added to the detergent can help cut through the smell during wash times, though I'm not sure if you're looking for more steps since you're hand washing. Glad it's working out.

**LindaP** · #12 07-02-09, 03:30 am

I use fleece and towels, recently my girls only wee and poop in their little wooden house (they sleep there too, Gross). So I put their house in a cat litter tray and put small pieces of fleece and towel in there and change them daily.

**Holliegh** · #13 07-03-09, 07:08 am

I'm using towels under mine. I did try newspaper for the first day but it didn't work out too well. It just gets so incredibly wet when they pee on it.

I actually purchased a large litter tray yesterday because my old one was too small.
Arnold would go and lay out in it and Ralph would pee outside it because he could get past Arnold.
So I bought an extremely large one and I've over turned the old one to make a step to get into it. (For some reason Arnold can't get in but he can get out, so I had to make the step to give him a little boost

)

Now all I have to worry about is them peeing in their bedding. I checked this morning and they had a tiny accident in the middle of the cage but apart from that they only "went" in their bed (I agree, Linda, so gross!) and in the litter tray.
Mine don't share a house, so I think using more litter trays will take up much more space for them so I was thinking of buying some dish towels and putting 2 or 3 under each house and changing them daily.
Do you think that would work?

Also, thanks; PiggieMom. I think I'll try that! It'll be useful.

**akstrohm** · #14 07-03-09, 08:10 am

It's very unlikely that they will use the litter box perfectly, but as long as you have proper underbedding, that's okay.

Dish wash towels under the houses will work well.

**canuckles** · #15 07-10-09, 06:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenniwat001

My pigs wouldn't litter train. One did, the other just took one look at the litter box and said "you think I'm gonna use that?!"

I'm pretty sure you can't get mites from shavings, you get them from hay but not shavings.

I used to think Fleece was smelly but it took a while for my pigs to get used to it- to begin with they were marking it with their scent all the time and it stank! But they've got used to it and it now smells less that the shavings did! I used to hate fleece but now I am a total convert.

Is this true about the mites??