Bedding and litter box use

[Menanie77]

I am in the process of building and setting up a new cage for our little friend Max. Right now he is in a store bought cage and I am using carefresh bedding. I have seen lots of images where people use fleece and have a litter box? How do you train them to JUST use the litter box?

I just use a little cup or spoon right now and spot clean soiled bedding and poop out of it and add fresh bedding as needed.

Any suggestions would be GREAT!

Mel

[bpatters]

You can't litter train them. If you're lucky, they'll use the litter box, but most owners aren't lucky. :-(

They do a lot of pooping and peeing where they eat their hay, so most people put a litter box under the hay rack, and that helps with keeping the cage clean.

They may also pick a corner of the cage, or a sheltered spot, for they place they like to poop the most. You can then put a litter pan there, and hope they'll continue with it.

[Menanie77]

Thank you! So just use a seperate little tray where they eat their hay and use the same carefresh bedding in there or a different type of litter?

[lissie]

You can use fleece in the rest of the cage. Here's more info on using fleece.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ect-study.html
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...l-blanket.html

Edit to add:
Some people do use other types of bedding in the whole cage.
Fleece is high maintenance and needs to be swept at least once or twice a day to keep clean.

[SweetiePig]

Iv tried to litter box mine and it just doesnt work. BUT I have noticed that they poop and pee 80% of the time under and on the hay and around that hay area in their kitchen. You can make a kitchen and have the hay and food in their which will help with litter box training them.

[anwaflynurse]

Yea, piggies don't train. Mine do most of their "business" when they are in the loft eating. I used to use a tray of care fresh or something, but I would still have to clean that up every 3-4 days cuz of the pee smell and not to mention the tracking mess of it, so now I just use fleece pads (fleece/waterproof mattress pad) on top of the liner (under the hay loft and by the food and H20) and rake up the stinky pee hay every couple days and vacuum the pad area. I change out the pads every 3-4 days. Mine also pee and poop in their hideys, so again, I put pads under the hideys. I can go about 3-4 weeks before having to do a whole liner change with my 2 boys. Are you planning on making a C&C cage? Look at some of the pics of peoples cages. Some people have used their store bought cages as the "food/kitchen" area attached to or inside their C&C cage. This is a pic of my first C&C cage with the "kitchen" on the left with carefresh, and the fleece everywhere else. I would just sweep up the poops from the fleece and change out the carefresh every week or so. Good Luck and have fun with Max

[RubyRain]

A lot of people just put a cheap litter box (you can cut a door in the side of it for access) or other coroplast box in part of the cage to use as the "kitchen." Then you can just lift it out and dump it when needed. Some people use bedding in the box but I just put 2 layers of newspaper down and it gets changed every day or other day depending on need.
They do pee/poop more than half in the litter box so that definitely helps with clean up.
I just put the hay right in the box and they love to sit in there and munch away.
I change it when the hay is low so I don't waste much hay at all.

[Menanie77]

Yea, piggies don't train. Mine do most of their "business" when they are in the loft eating. I used to use a tray of care fresh or something, but I would still have to clean that up every 3-4 days cuz of the pee smell and not to mention the tracking mess of it, so now I just use fleece pads (fleece/waterproof mattress pad) on top of the liner (under the hay loft and by the food and H20) and rake up the stinky pee hay every couple days and vacuum the pad area. I change out the pads every 3-4 days. Mine also pee and poop in their hideys, so again, I put pads under the hideys. I can go about 3-4 weeks before having to do a whole liner change with my 2 boys. Are you planning on making a C&C cage? Look at some of the pics of peoples cages. Some people have used their store bought cages as the "food/kitchen" area attached to or inside their C&C cage. This is a pic of my first C&C cage with the "kitchen" on the left with carefresh, and the fleece everywhere else. I would just sweep up the poops from the fleece and change out the carefresh every week or so. Good Luck and have fun with Max

I currently have a mid/upper level that is the "kitchen". He has NEVER peed or pooped up there. He comes up and gets a few bites and jumps back down. He does a lot of pee/poop in the part UNDER the kitchen/loft and by the water/hay area. I am currently using carefresh bedding but am super interested in using fleece...any tips would be appreciated!

How often do you have to change the fleece pads? What fleece "pads" are you using? What do you use underneath, if anything? How do you wash them...anything special?

Thank you!

Mel

[Menanie77]

Here is a pic of his current set up. The top left is the "kitchen". I am using no slip/cabinet stuff and just have velcro on each end to keep it from slipping around. I can easily wipe it clean and remove it if needed (but he never does any "messes" up there). Far right is his hay bin (he now has a box with more hay underneath of it) He does a lot of his pee/poop to the right of the hay (by the water) and under neath the mid level/kitchen. This cage takes a lot of carefresh to fill up and I am clueless as to how often I need to change it completely. I have been just spot cleaning poop and pee (if I can find it/see it). Would love to try fleece! Any tips would be great!

Mel