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Bedding If not fleece, what?

Kim37040

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I have 2 cages. Up until recently both had fleece. I tried carefresh in my "quarantine" cage and the piggy loved it!
My other 2 (in a 2x4) do well with the fleece, but are ok with the carefresh in their kitchen area.
In order to introduce them and have them in one cage, it looks like I will need to use something other than fleece because of a soft poo issue one of the piggys has.
I can not afford to keep a 2X6 in carefresh. So, I am needing advice on a good none fleece, non carefresh financially feasible piggy safe option.

I would greatly appreciate info regarding the brands below and any others members may know of.


Thanks in advance!
 

bpatters

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Wood pellets are the best at odor control and dryness, cost about $5 for a 40 pound bag, and are easy to change out. You need the kind with no accelerant, and you can find them at any Tractor Supply or at a farm store that supplies people who stable horses -- they're used as bedding in the stalls.
 

Kim37040

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Wood pellets are the best at odor control and dryness, cost about $5 for a 40 pound bag, and are easy to change out. You need the kind with no accelerant, and you can find them at any Tractor Supply or at a farm store that supplies people who stable horses -- they're used as bedding in the stalls.

Wow! That is a super reasonable price! I looked up a picture of them online. How do your piggies like lying on it? My boys enjoy stretching out. Do you think your pigs find it comfy?
 

bpatters

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I have some small fleece pads that I put in under their hideys for them to sleep on. I change them out every 2-3 days. They use them all the time right after I change the cage, but as the hay builds up that they pull out of the hay racks, they start sleeping on the hay.

The really nice thing about the pellets is how long they'll last in an emergency. I'd had to let the cage (6 feet by 2.5 feet) go two weeks between cleanings when I was in the hospital last spring. No odor at all, and it was still dry. Then I was called out of town for my brother's illness, and my husband can't see well enough to change it. So it went three weeks this time. Still no odor, and in not too bad a shape.

What I've realized since then is that when I'm gone the next time, it will be very easy for my husband to just take all the stuff out of the cage and pour in a new layer of pellets, then put the hideys, etc. back in.

We've even started using the pellets for our terminally ill cat, who has kidney and liver disease, and THE smelliest poop I've ever run into. It works way better than cat litter, and even with our cat's problems, we can sprinkle a little baking soda in the cat box every day. That way, we can get away with changing it every 2-3 days, instead of twice a day.
 

SweetiePig

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Are the pellets hard on there feet?? and when it breaks down into saw dust, do they breath it? I would love to use kiln dried pellet litter :)
 

bpatters

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I've been using the pellets for about six months, and I've watched their feet very carefully. No problems so far at all.

It's not at all dusty when it breaks down. The pellets break down into sawdust, and it stays dry, but no dust gets stirred up at all. In fact, when I clean the cage, there's very little dust flying around.

I was a big fan of fleece, but wanted to try the pellets to see if they'd work well if we were out of town. I thought the pellets would be easier for a sitter to manage. But I liked them so well I haven't gone back to the pellets at all.

The only problem I've run into is that I live in Houston, and there aren't any horse farms anywhere close to me that use them. I buy them from Tractor Supply, which has outlets all over the country, but they're strictly a winter item for them. So before they quit selling them in the spring, I have to buy up enough to last me until winter comes again. I've got about 15 bags in my garage right now.
 

Paula

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I have used (broken link removed) and totally recommend it. It's very cost effective, and remarkable for odor control. They are VERY heavy, though, especially when wet, so that's the only down side. What I do to make it more comfortable on their feet is cover it with something soft like pine or aspen shavings or maybe a thin layer of carefresh or the soft type bedding you list above or something similar.
 

bpatters

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Oops, my 10:28 post should have said that I haven't gone back to fleece at all, not back to pellets.
 

SweetiePig

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I was a bit confused with that but I knew what you meant lol
Im gunna get some pine pellets after my aspen runs out, hopefully I wont have to vacuum as much because they wont be able to kick it all out like they do the aspen.
I will put aspen in there house though for them to lay on..Im excited for the pine pellets now!
 

CanadianComforts

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The only thing I have an issue with pine pellets is the weight. They tend to be pretty heavy if used in the whole cage. I had them in my kitchen area for over a year and I decided recently I have enough, my cage has a slight dip from where it was. I also used 3-4 inches so it would not shift when they ran or walked.
 

Kim37040

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I'm leaning toward the wood pellets. I will go tomorrow at lunch the farmer's co-op to see if they have any.
I am leery of the aspen because 2 of my piggies are dark in color and I can see myself obsessively picking pieces of bedding off of them.
Great suggestion :)
 

Supermissdeedee

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I get a big bag of kiln dried pine from my local tack store (Along with some treats for the horses at my barn!) thats around the same size and price as the pellets. I just like the look of it better and my pigs prefer it, the pet store I got them at (Yes, I know NOW the problems of a pet store) used wire flooring so my pigs have sore feet, so the shavings are comfy for them.
 
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