Woodpellets and Yesterdays Newspaper

[dayi56]

Can somebody give information and tips about Wood Pellets and Yesterdays news?
Thank you very much<3

[juldga]

I use wood pellets. At first I put news paper under them but it smelled and the pellets work great alone. what specifically do you want to know

[bpatters]

One caution about wood pellets. One of the major suppliers of kiln-dried wood pellets in the country no long makes them for the residential market. I've been totally unable to find replacement pellets that don't smell strongly of pine, and thus aren't suitable for use in GP cages.

If anyone can get either kiln-dried softwood pellets (like pine) or hardwood pellets, please let me know. I'd be willing to pay for shipping, or else order a full pallet, in order to get them. I've had to go back to fleece, and it's driving me nuts.

[juldga]

Are these not good? Equine Fresh™ Pine Pellet Stall Bedding, 40 lb. - 2181006 | Tractor Supply Company

[juldga]

They dont really smell too much like pine to me. Also within 5 minutes of cage change the guinea pigs have completely covered the pellets in hay LoL

[bpatters]

If they smell at all like pine, they're no good. I accidentally used pine pellets for mine a few weeks ago -- didn't notice that they weren't kiln dried, and had a god-awful cold and sinus infection so I could't smell anything. By the time my nose was working properly again, the pigs had been on them for a week and already had the beginnings of bumblefoot.

I know you can air dry pine shavings if you open them, spread them out, and stir them around occasionally. But since the pellets are so much thicker, I don't know how long it would take them to air dry sufficiently to be able to use them.

I've emailed all the pellets suppliers I can find, trying to find dried ones, but haven't gotten a single response. I guess they're only interested in communicating with the stores that buy from them.

[juldga]

What is bumblefoot?

[juldga]

I thought the pine odor caused respiratory problems. What causes the foot problems. Also ontop of the my pellets is a thin layer of timothy hay.

[bpatters]

The pine odor does cause respiratory problems if they're on it long enough. But the odor comes from the phenols in the pellets, and that can be the cause of foot problems as well. Some pigs may be more sensitive to them than others, but mine definitely had foot problems after only a week.

One layer of hay won't do anything for the pine odor. Remember their noses are only inches off the bedding.