Cage Why do they sell if it kills?

I use pine shavings. As long as they are 100% kiln dried pine and do not have a strong odor, and are dry they can be used. Cedar is a no go at all. Aspen is also considered to be safe. Fleece is by far my favorite, and I use fleece in my cage (my two rescued boys are in a makeshift cage for quarantine, with kiln dried pine shavings covered by fleece). Carefree is also a really good choice.

They sell the stuff because they want the money.

aspecht said:

I use pine shavings. As long as they are 100% kiln dried pine and do not have a strong odor, and are dry they can be used. Cedar is a no go at all. Aspen is also considered to be safe. Fleece is by far my favorite, and I use fleece in my cage (my two rescued boys are in a makeshift cage for quarantine, with kiln dried pine shavings covered by fleece). Carefree is also a really good choice.

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My mom bought the 'carefree" pine i wasn't sure if i should use it~

Alyssa Wills said:

My mom bought the 'carefree" pine i wasn't sure if i should use it~

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I love the Carefree Shavings Plus to be honest. It has the shavings and the paper in it and works wonderfully.

Kelsie said:

I like the fleece for my cages. I used to use Carefresh and that works too, but for a large cage it gets pretty expensive. I also tried Aspen bedding, but I felt that was too dusty. Everything around the cage always had a layer of dust on it from the Aspen. But I do know that Aspen bedding is safe to use. I know that a couple of our members use wood pellets. But since I've never used them I don't know which to recommend. I've used the fleece for over five years and I personally wouldn't use any other bedding. However, if you live with your parents perhaps they would not want you to launder it in their washer. I have a large horse blanket bag and I use that for all my bedding in my machine. But, I realize not everyone wants guinea pig bedding in their washer and dryer.

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so fleece you just throw in the washer and it's good to go again correct?

I brush and sweep my fleece off before putting it into the washer. That gets rid of most (not all) of the hay and hair.

Alyssa Wills said:

so fleece you just throw in the washer and it's good to go again correct?

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Sort of. It's good to either shake it or vacuum off the excess hair and hay before throwing it in the wash. I recommend washing it with vinegar (in addition to detergent) to help keep the washer from getting as stinky. You also have to wipe out the washer and wipe or vacuum out the dryer when you're done, too, or you'll end up with pig hair all over your next load of clothes (we also have a dog, so we wash his towels and blankets right after the fleece to pick up any leftover hair). But otherwise, yes, you just wash the fleece like you would a load of towels or something, making sure to use hot water and a fair amount of soap.

P.S. Pine is actually safe as long as it's kiln-dried.

I personally love fleece, and so do my pigs! They will sometimes flop down in the middle of the cage and fall asleep, the fleece is so soft!

As C. Cole-Chakotay and Princess Piggy said, brushing, vaccuming and sweeping the fleece before washing it is good, especially if you don't want the inside of the machine to be super gross with wet hay and piggy hair. After washing it, it's a good idea to run the sanitation cycle, if your washing machine has one.

Pet stores sell pine shavings because people use it for other animals (i.e. use it to line their dogs house).

I use Kaytee shredded paper. I really like it. I have tried fleece without much success. Some people really like Yesterdays News, which is a paper based cat litter. It's fairly cheap for the amount you get.

@ClemmyOddieIndy's comment reminded me to mention that we use a knock-off brand of Yesterday's News (I think it's a local brand-- our feed store carries it) for part of the cage, and it works great! I've found it keeps the smell down a whole lot better than the Carefresh we originally used (though I know a lot of people like Carefresh). I'm not sure I'd recommend using it for the whole cage all of the time, as you can't really pack it down to create a firm walking surface and the pigs kind of sink down into it, but for a litter or kitchen area it works really well (though we do fill the whole cage with it when we go out of town so the pig-sitters don't have to hassle with washing the fleece ).
It's also pretty cheap-- I can't remember exactly how much it is, but my guess is that the 40 lb. bags we buy are about $10-$20 each.

I use Carefresh which I love except the price. To cut down cost mixing it with shavings if fine. Kaytee clean and cozy is nice too

Totally didn't realize I typed Carefree instead of Carefresh!

thank you all for your advice!
My piggy i call him a pillow pig, because he loooooooves pillows (and blankets). He has a little blanket in his cage that he snuggles into when i hold him. When he's in his cage though he rather be in the box so the kitten can't look at him XD
Thank you all for your help. I'm glad my mom wasn't trying to kill my piggy with pine lol!