My bedding story, finally found the perfect solution!

[edica]

Very interesting thread! I am considering using the pellets just for the litterbox area, so I called a couple farm supply stores out of curiosity and asked if they sold wood pellets and they all said they sell "Pine Pellets". Now I know that Pine shavings shouldn't be used, but what about Pine Pellets? I guess I am wondering if there is a SPECIFIC type of wood that needs to be used for pellets? Hope this isn't a silly question!

 

[lissie]

I'm torn between trying that or trying the wood pellets now! I've been following two threads about it and I can't decide! Haha I don't have two stories to walk like you do though.

You should try them. They're so easy to keep clean. I loved them, until I have to haul them up and down the stairs.

 

[lissie]

Very interesting thread! I am considering using the pellets just for the litterbox area, so I called a couple farm supply stores out of curiosity and asked if they sold wood pellets and they all said they sell "Pine Pellets". Now I know that Pine shavings shouldn't be used, but what about Pine Pellets? I guess I am wondering if there is a SPECIFIC type of wood that needs to be used for pellets? Hope this isn't a silly question!

Pine shavings are fine to use if they are kiln dried. Same goes for pine pellets. If they don't smell too strong, you can use them.

You can also let them air out before using.

 

[May09]

Does it day whether they're hardwood or softwood? If they're softwood, they need to be kiln-dried.

i looked on the bag and it doesn't say whether they are or not so i googled what both look like and i think they look like soft wood pellets because they re lighter in color, so if that's the case is this a dangerous thing to be using?

 

[pigger123]

Again, softwood (like pine) is safe as long as it's kiln-dried and does not have a strong smell. Airing them out works, but it takes a really long time and isn't really worth it unless you absolutely cannot find kiln-dried pellets.

 

[May09]

okay so is it bad that i am using non kiln dried?

 

[pigger123]

Don't use the pellets for your piggy bedding if they have any strong smell.

 

[Lord Pigwidgeon]

okay so is it bad that i am using non kiln dried?

As a soft wood, yes.

 

[May09]

Does it day whether they're hardwood or softwood? If they're softwood, they need to be kiln-dried.

i just called the store and asked them they said that they are hard pellets. Sorry if i am bothering you i am just worried about my piggies

 

[Lord Pigwidgeon]

i just called the store and asked them they said that they are hard pellets. Sorry if i am bothering you i am just worried about my piggies

So the pellets are hard, but the wood itself is a soft wood. :-/

 

[pigger123]

Just wanted to update after 4 weeks. I still haven't changed the pellets. There's a lot more dust in the heavily peed-on areas, but I mixed it around and it fell to the bottom so it's like new! It wasn't too heavy and difficult to scoop up when I was mixing it, so I don't expect it be really that hard to change it out.

 

[Lord Pigwidgeon]

And it still doesn't smell?

 

[pigger123]

Nope, no smell. The fleece was getting a little smelly after a week, but once I changed the fleece it went back to being odor-free.

 

[pigger123]

I added a fleece forest under the patio! It's a huge hit with the pigs, I highly recommend both patios and fleece forests.

 

[sallyvh]

I'm thinking of trying wood pellets now! I'm not a fan of fleece but I may give this combo a try in the near future. I currently use a mix of kiln dried spruce and fir topped with a layer of aspen shavings. I may try the wood pellets with a layer of aspen though and see how it works!

 

[pigger123]

I considered doing wood pellets with another disposable bedding like shavings or Carefresh on top, but I decided I would prefer fleece. With all disposable bedding, the cage gets full of poops and you wouldn't be able to go as long between changes. With a layer of fleece on top, the poops can easily be removed frequently so the bedding can stay for a lot longer. I hate scooping up poops, whether it's off of fleece or out of bedding, so the shaking off method works really well for me. This way I can buy less bedding, change the bedding less often, not have to do any scooping or spot cleaning, and I only have to wash a single piece of fleece every week.

 

[sallyvh]

See shaking off would work fine for me now but winter is coming and we generally have freezing weather (-30 C or lower) and we get a ton of snow so in the winter I can't say that I would want to be shaking off hay and poops twice a day then! I'm going to give this try though, probably with disposable and fleece and see what works best!

 

[pigger123]

Yeah, I can see how it would be a pain in the winter. I actually haven't thought about that, even though we're predicted to have a snowier and colder winter than usual (which is hardly anything for here, but still). Hm. Maybe you could do fleece on top in the warmer months and shavings on top in the winter. If you do try wood pellets with shavings on top, let me know how it works out!

 

[Lord Pigwidgeon]

We get really cold weather where I live, but I don't mind having to sweet poops up. Granted, I only have 3 guys and I don't know how many you guys have. I sweep once in the morning, once after work, and once right before I go to sleep and it doesn't trouble me any. I don't know if they're burrowers, but I'm going to try the wood pellets next time around with the fleece coming up the sides and binder clipping them the way I do now. I'm excited to try it since there's still no smell for you @pigger123 !!

And btw, that fleece forest is so cute! I made one about a week ago for my guys and they practically live in it! They love to run through it, run their noses over it, hide in it, popcorn around it and do zoomies, running through that part as many times as possible. It keeps them so entertained!

 

[zsguineamom]

I am following this thread as I too would love to see the final outcome of the changing of the bedding. Not having to do a complete change every few days would be great! We've only had our guinea pigs about a month and I use fleece flippers and sweep every day and flip them every other day. I have two kitchen/bathroom areas with care fresh in them and I change that about every 4 days. They care fresh is in two kitty litter bins so everything is contained and easy. But some of the bedding gets stuck to the bins and I have to scrape it out. I guess it's not a big deal but it's just gross to clean out. I was wondering what I could put underneath that wouldn't make it stick so that I could change less frequently.

Maybe the pellets/fleece might be the way to go. I'm just wondering if letting it sit for so long will make little pee burns on the coroplast. I am eagerly awaiting your cage cleaning day.