Bedding Thoughts on bedding?

failur3byh3art · Jan 12, 2014

Hello everyone. Just recently I've switched from pine to care fresh and I'm deeply disappointed. I had to switch back to the pine shavings from the rescue I got my girls from but the pine has a sort of pine smell to it. As I understand the smell results in some oils still left within the shavings. So my question is, what in your opinions has been the best shavings, bedding to use for a kitchen area/poop/peeing, for your cavy friends? I recall reading a thread that @pinky responded to and posted a form of shavings as a recommendation. I tried researching that thread but couldn't find it. However, in your experiences what is HIGHLY absorbent, controls smells well (not TOO worried about this but scent control is always nice), and great for piggies overall. Cost wise, I have a good budget so I can spend quite a bit.

SweetCavy · Jan 12, 2014

I heard that some people use wood pellets, and they have good opinions on them. They said it's highly absorbent, can control scent odor and really cheap.

lunarminx · Jan 12, 2014

I am wood pellets all the way and use carefresh on top. I lay out a 40lb bag and 1/2 a 60L of care fresh in each cage and stir every few days. They have a kitchen/hay box that gets dumped every other day. For the haybox part of the kitchen I use newspaper and hay, the actual kitchen is bedding. Its the hay area that gets dumped all the time. The rest of the kitchen as needed and that I get from the less used areas of the cage. After 4 weeks or so, I do a full cage change.

Princess_Piggie · Jan 12, 2014

I use Yesterdays News cat litter (unscented) and it works very well for odor control and absorbancy.

failur3byh3art · Jan 12, 2014

Princess_Piggie said:
I use Yesterdays News cat litter (unscented) and it works very well for odor control and absorbancy.

I saw Yesterday's News on the Guineapigcages front page for bedding. It's listed there but I was curious if anyone has tried it. I may consider wood pellets, but I know it's hard on their feet. My girls are young and the odor isn't so bad, but it would be nice to have it in control along with decent absorbent bedding.

Princess_Piggie · Jan 12, 2014

I find that it doesn't need changing for about 5 days, and as long as you stir it around every day, it's pretty much completely odorless! I left it without stirring or anything for two days to see how things went, since it's a new bedding to me as well, and if they keep peeing in the same place then it gets a little..soggy and disintegrated (being paper based, I assume is the reason). As long as you stir daily, and remove any that looks at all soggy/disintegrated, it's a great bedding!

kltohlman · Jan 12, 2014

I love yesterday's newspaper (unscented) I have 4 pigs that use a 1.5x2 kitchen I just fill it up & it's good up to a week with no smell. I always scoop off hay debris from the top and give the pellets/bedding a stir.

30lb bag lasts me a month

pinky · Jan 12, 2014

My two favorite non fleece beddings are Sunseed bedding and Fresh News. They're a little softer than Yesterday's News and more absorbent than Carefresh.

failur3byh3art · Jan 13, 2014

Thank you all for your wonderful responses and suggestions. Also @pinky I found your thread or the thread where you posted on that sunseed bedding. I think I'll give that bedding a try. Also, @Princess_Piggie I'll give yesterdays news a try as well. I want my girls to remain healthy and be in a great environment. So far it's just the smell of the pine shavings that worry me but my girls show no signs of illness or abnormality other than the rumble strutting, dominance, mounting issue >_<. I'll be purchasing bedding tomorrow!

foggycreekcavy · Jan 13, 2014

I find that with Carefresh or other newspaper type beddings I need to spot clean more often. In fact, the only time I spot clean with my current bedding is when there's a problem with the water bottle leaking. I use a thin layer of wood pellets with either white or pine shavings on top.

failur3byh3art · Jan 13, 2014

foggycreekcavy said:
I find that with Carefresh or other newspaper type beddings I need to spot clean more often. In fact, the only time I spot clean with my current bedding is when there's a problem with the water bottle leaking. I use a thin layer of wood pellets with either white or pine shavings on top.

I've noticed that too =/ and I currently have a problem with my piggies water bottles leaking. Atleast 2 sections of their kitchen is rather wet due to their water leaking out. I ordered some Lixit brand bottles because I heard they don't leak so much. Hopefully that'll fix that problem. With the pine I currently have I change their kitchen bedding atleast once every week or week and a half. Since their kitchen is 2x3 I don't change it as often as I used to.

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Bedding Thoughts on bedding?

failur3byh3art

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SweetCavy

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lunarminx

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Princess_Piggie

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failur3byh3art

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kltohlman

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failur3byh3art

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