Fleece Guinea Pig Cage/Fleece stinks?

My2Piggies00 · Mar 13, 2017

I got my GP cage like last month on Feb 17 I believe and their cage was perfectly fine. Changed their fleece I want to say every 4 days along with towels and I even started putting baking soda down in the corners cause because it seems that's where they are choosing to pee but it didn't get bad till like a week ago. I don't know if I'm hyper aware but their cage is starting to think to the point I want to buy 7 pieces for daily changing.

It's not a smell that takes up my room at all. Like if you walk in and stuff you don't smell them but as soon as you get to their cage...yikes. It's not a bad smell but it's smell that is starting to annoy me because it won't go away. I'm super "anal" about these things which is why I don't spot clean. Until recently I want to say I fully cleaned their cage out 3x a day. Morning, Evening and Night. Now I usually either do it the Morning when I wake up or before I go to sleep. Maybe I need to go back to my original schedule?

I feed them hay and pellets so there's that and their veggie diet is usually romaine lettuce, occasionally spinach, and cucumbers so usually romaine lettuce and cucumbers.

I literally had put in some new fleece because the other was making me upset then the very next morning this one smells gross too. Their cage is circulated and I leave my window open for this very reason too. I was starting to think maybe it was the midwest cage bottom but it doesn't stink when I smell it.

Should I try vinegar with washes? Is the smell building up even though I wash their fleeces once a week? Help!

The smell even sunk into their fur so I gave them bath then the next day it popped back up along with the fleece!

dirah93 · Mar 13, 2017

Doing a full cage cleaning 3x a day is way too much. Do you have male or female guinea pigs? I ask this because male guinea pigs that are not neutered will smell during their adolescence, some smelling bad and some smelling really bad. Also, if you're giving a full cage cleaning that often a day, usually boars tend to mark their scent in their cage which is why there's still a smell lingering.

Also, the midwest cage is too small for housing two guinea pigs. Please see this chart: https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

Guinea pigs need at least a 2x4 C&C cage for females, and at least 2x5 if housing males. Putting them in small spaces such as the Midwest cage can cause the enclosure to get smellier and dirtier very quickly. If you don't want C&C cages, then you'll have to buy multiple Midwest cages and connect them together.

And lastly, there's not enough vitamin C in their diet. They need to have vegetables that are high in vitamin C such as bell peppers daily or they can develop scurvy. Spinach has very high calcium content which is widely said to cause bladder stones, so I would leave that out from their diet completely.

My2Piggies00 · Mar 13, 2017

dirah93 said:
Doing a full cage cleaning 3x a day is way too much. Do you have male or female guinea pigs? I ask this because male guinea pigs that are not neutered will smell during their adolescence, some smelling bad and some smelling really bad. Also, if you're giving a full cage cleaning that often a day, usually boars tend to mark their scent in their cage which is why there's still a smell lingering.

Also, the midwest cage is too small for housing two guinea pigs. Please see this chart: https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

Guinea pigs need at least a 2x4 C&C cage for females, and at least 2x5 if housing males. Putting them in small spaces such as the Midwest cage can cause the enclosure to get smellier and dirtier very quickly. If you don't want C&C cages, then you'll have to buy multiple Midwest cages and connect them together.

And lastly, there's not enough vitamin C in their diet. They need to have vegetables that are high in vitamin C such as bell peppers daily or they can develop scurvy. Spinach has very high calcium content which is widely said to cause bladder stones, so I would leave that out from their diet completely.

Both of my Piggies are female so there isn't any marking going on. I'm also working on getting them a bigger cage but there is enough air circulation and the cage itself isn't latching onto the smell. It's the fleece itself. I just cleaned their cage out and the cage doesn't stink. It's the fleece and towels that are smelling. So I'm worried when it's time to size up their cage up it won't make a difference because they're stinking up the all the fleece.

And that's the only veggies they are eating. I'm still putting other things in their veggie bowel and so far the only new foods they are taking is carrots and they only want the shredded kind. I've tried bell peppers like 5 times and they just eat around it as well when I attempted some fruits. I don't think they like bell peppers to be honest. I also don't give them spinach often that's why I said occasionally because out of cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, and cilantro that's all they'll take. I just put more pellets in there because there's no point in putting veggies in there they don't want or will eat :/

dirah93 · Mar 13, 2017

There are also females that smell worse than others, but it is more common in boars. If the fleece is the problem, then you'll need some more absorbent layers along with your towels, such as uhaul pads. Lots of guinea pig owners say they noticed less smell when they added multiple uhaul pads underneath fleece. The fleece wicks the urine away, and transports it to the uhaul pads and towels layer, where it is absorbed. The towels alone may not be enough to absorb the urine.

If they don't want the bell peppers, I would suggest using Oasis Vita Drops Pure C and sprinkle it on their veggies. Or you can use children's chewable vitamin C as those won't have any additives or added sugar. They need 25-50mg of it daily. Vitamin C is very important for them to consume, or they can develop scurvy.

Soecara · Mar 13, 2017

It is probably the towels that are causing the smell. If the towels are getting quite wet in specific areas then that is likely the cause of the smell, you could try putting in more towels to make the towel layer thicker to reduce this or towels may just not be a bedding choice that is working out for you but there are other options. I'm not sure if it is possible for you, but many members who have found towels to be too smelly chose to use either uhaul furniture pads or wood pellets as their absorbent layer.

The wood pellets are by far the best choice for an absorbent layer when it comes to odour control so that may be something to look into. For more info on wood pellets have a read of this thread https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107419-3-full-weeks-of-wood-pellets

However if the weight of the pellets, the disposal of the pellets, or if pellets are simply too hard to purchase in your area make them a choice that simply wouldn't work then you could try Uhaul pads, which while not being as great as wood pellets for odour control still perform much better than towels in that department. For more info see this thread https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/58123-Review-UHaul-blanket

As for the vegetables, it may be worth trying the trick in this thread to see if you can get them to warm up to other kinds of vegetables https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/105287-How-to-teach-a-guinea-pig-to-eat-vegetables

bpatters · Mar 13, 2017

Also, how are you washing the fleece? It needs to be washed in hot water, with strong detergent and bleach. You're not going to harm the fleece by washing it like that, but it should get the smell out.

mellieann · Apr 2, 2017

Im tardy as always, but I have hard water so I have to add washing additives to my laundry, anyway. But yes, adding vinegar will help neutralize the odor. I soak my pig bedding in warm water I've added vinegar to and then wash it again with detergent. sometimes I just soak and wash pig laundry in my bathtub, always with the vinegar soak step, first. It seems to freshen my pig laundry. Even after pulling from the dryer, my stuff won't have that warm piggy smell when I use vinegar first. I also use vinegar with my own bedding because my dogs often sleep in my bed with me.

elewis618 · Apr 2, 2017

bpatters said:
Also, how are you washing the fleece? It needs to be washed in hot water, with strong detergent and bleach. You're not going to harm the fleece by washing it like that, but it should get the smell out.

What detergent do you use? I thought you were supposed to use a mild detergent (scent and dye free) so as to not bother the guinea pigs' sensitive respiratory system.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

bpatters · Apr 2, 2017

Adding vinegar to the wash water will lessen the effectiveness of the soap. You're better off to wash it normally, then run it back through again with only vinegar if you want to do that.

But I've never had a problem with odor just using strong detergent, hot water, and bleach.

mellieann · Apr 2, 2017

I said I prewash with vinegar, not add it in with the soap. I prewash my pig laundry with vinegar water and then rinse. Then wash again with soap.

bpatters said:
Adding vinegar to the wash water will lessen the effectiveness of the soap. You're better off to wash it normally, then run it back through again with only vinegar if you want to do that.

But I've never had a problem with odor just using strong detergent, hot water, and bleach.

BFGuru · Apr 26, 2017

Ok I'm comparing this to cloth diapering my kiddos and I just wash fleece the way I did those. I know they aren't human but pee is pee and bleach was a major no no with cloth diapers because it can cause irritation to mucous membranes. And it breaks down the fabric. Also...too much detergent actually causes build up which in turn leeches stink and bacteria\fungal growth. So I always used 1/3 of what I normally used for clothes in my dipes and I do for my fleece. I do a pre rinse on HOT. Wash them with limited detergent and a post rinse with vinegar.

Not sure if it is technically considered piggie appropriate but I don't have a smell problem. The fleece comes put smelling like...nothing.

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