I have read that it is better to line the cages with fleece liner for the guinea pigs but how often should I change it? I experimented with it and it seems messier than regular bedding. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Please help!!!
Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!
I agree with Traysea on all of the above except those couple things:
I don't feel like fleece is more work than shavings/"regular bedding" though.
spot cleaning with fleece liners is MUCH easier for me because I just use a small broom/dust pan (you could also use a handheld vacuum) and even in my big cage it takes maybe 10min to do that (I spot clean 1-2 times a day). a part of my cage is a kitchen/litterbox extension utilizing the tray of a large store bought cage which has carefresh or wood pellets in it. spot cleaning there takes about as long as spot cleaning the rest of the cage which has fleece, and this area is only 1x2 grids big. it would be a nightmare for me personally if I had a whole cage full of regular bedding (even if the cage was smaller than it is, say 2 x 3).
sure you have to wash the fleece liners which can be a bit inconvenient if you don't have a washer and dryer in your house/apartment. I use the laundry facility in our apartment community so I know what that feels like but it's still way less of a hassle than dealing with other type bedding.
if you happen to have a store size cage though, I would personally stick with regular bedding. it's too small of an area to worrie about tucking in fleece and absorbant layer underneath and you don't need that much bedding so worst case scenario, you just toss it all if you don't feel like spot cleaning for a couple days.
Fleece won't work in a small cage. I expanded one of my 2x4 c&cs into a 2x5 when I added a third guinea pig in that cage because I knew it would be messier. They've taken to jumping into the hay bin and peeing in there. I just empty and spray and wipe down twice a day and I've found my cage is staying a lot cleaner. I add shredded paper under the hay which soaks up a lot of the urine so it's easy to clean out.
Now that you are mentioning this… is it possible they like to just pee in boxes? I find that when I feed my piggies their veggies on a paper plate they almost always pee on the plate. Maybe it's the small paper area they like to make on?
Exactly! That's part of what I'm trying to figure out. I started with a Coroplast box. (That was how I determined piggy pee on Coro was a deal-breaker for me. haha) Right now, I'm using a retired metal baking tin, because it was a good size, it's easy to clean, it's not as disgusting to clean as some things & the hay doesn't stick to it. So it looks like the motivating thing is either:
1. A "pile" of hay -- The hay stays in a little heap because it is in a box. With the CareFresh, it got flattened out & trampled on pretty quickly.
2. A box -- Before there was a box, they didn't pee in it. I added a box, they added pee. haha
3. A box with a pile of hay -- It could be that both things are key. Like the piggies see a pile of hay in a box-like container as a big invitation to go pee.
4. Something else -- Something else got them going & I just missed it.
5. None of those -- My piggies are weird & just decided to go pee in that box.
I'm hoping that pinky can shed some light on the situation. And if there really is a pattern with it, maybe I'll get lucky and other people will have experiences & be willing to share, too.
Haha- look at it this way: you have them litter trained!! You could put bedding in a box/ rubbermaid bin and they would probably pee in there!
Maybe use 2 hay racks?!
I'm not sure what it is about boxes and peeing but one of my females in my other female cage lays and pees in her hay, too. She backs up and pees in the corner of it. My males have never done that. They never even go in their hay bin.
Oh yeah! I'm definitely taking credit for potty-training them if anyone ever asks! haha Seriously though, I feel way better hearing that other piggies do it, too. I'm not sure what I would have done differently if I had known they might become such pee-mongers, but I feel like I should have done *something*! But yes, we now have both a hay rack *and* a hay box. Fortunately, they don't eat pee-pee hay, but since they started this, I felt like we needed some "guaranteed clean" hay in there for them. And since they have such a good time playing in the hay box, I haven't had the heart to take it away from them. So, I've opted to clean it & they get to "start fresh" twice a day. Aaaaaaaack! I know, I know, I'm a major buffoon. And the little wheekers totally work me. They actually *beg* & *cry* for the silly thing if I don't clean, refill & replace it fast enough. And, of course, they look majorly sad & pathetic when they're begging. It's SoSo awful. And yes, I'm quite sure that there's a big stamp on my forehead that says "idiot" in Guineapigese. hmy: Unfortunately, I fear that it's true.