My bedding story, finally found the perfect solution!

[zsguineamom]

I'm also wondering if anyone who has changed the pellets has their cage on a second level of the house? And if you have a loft do you put them up there or do you still use flippers or fleece and pads/towels? I currently use fleece flippers in our 2x4 cage and in the loft I have a large litter box with care fresh and the other half of the loft has just a fleece flipper. I am sick of the piggies getting scared and getting litter all over my son's floor. I am wondering if I should at least try to use just the pellets in the litter box/kitchen area and if that would help. I think my hesitations for the pellets is the noise that people mention since it is in my son's room and hauling those pellets down stairs and outside. I would love to hear more information about hauling the pellets outside. Thanks!

 

[bpatters]

My cage is on the main floor, so I don't have any stairs to deal with.

To get rid of the used pellets, I have a garbage can on wheels that I bring in and put a garbage bag in it. I dump the pellets in, close the bag, roll the can out and wait for the garbage men. To put new pellets in the cage, I bring the bag in on the kids' wagon and just lift it into the cage.

 

[icicle]

Did you get the piggies yet and did you end up trying this as well? I am looking for other opinions. I am kind of getting sick of changing out the fleece flippers all the time. I am tempted to try the wood pellets but I am hesitant for some reason. BTW, I'm in VT too.

Hi! Nice to see another Vermonter!
No, we haven't gotten them yet. We suddenly lost our beloved old tabby cat a few weeks ago and, just as suddenly, found ourselves with two new kittens. Piggie plans are on hold until they settle in. I did break open that bag of pellets for kitty litter -- it's what the shelter was using and we wanted to keep things as much the same for them as possible -- and it's working well for that. Zero urine smell, even with radiant heated floors.

 

[zsguineamom]

So sorry about the kitty but congrats on your two new kitties. Do you sift the poop out of the pellets and how often do you end up changing the pellets? I think my litter box is what smells the worst. Thanks for replying even though you never got the guinea pigs.

 

[Dr. Protein]

We use the wood pellets in our cat's litter box. That clumping cat litter can't be good for their tummies! And it doesn't smell! Even the high-priced cat litter had that "fresh" (so-called!) odor!

I had to go the wood pellet's manufacture's website before I would trust it to my piggy's cage. They make it as an animal bedding, specifically horses, though they advertise for rodents and small pets too. So we tried it ($5 compared to all that laundry?? YES) and LOVE it. No smell, no stinky bedding to wash, no red and sore feet. Full change every month, cat litter scoop when needed. It is also wonderful for the leaky water bottle! I'd say win-win.

 

[CavieGuy]

I'm getting really excited about not having the "pee" smell with 5 piggies. I bought 2 bags that I've cut opened and letting it air out a bit and still waiting for the manufacturing to get back to me if the bags I bought are kiln dried instead of air dried.

 

[jrv4babies]

Thank you pigger123 for all your involved posts on this forum. I can't even imagine the grief you have saved a new owner like me. We picked up our first guinea pig today! I have her all set up with wood pellets and fleece on top. They did not have a hardwood pellet, it is pine, but it specifically says kiln dried and there are no additives and there was no smell to it at all, so I think we are good to go! Since she is still a tiny baby, I don't think it has bothered her one bit and I don't notice the noise (again, probably because I am not used to anything else. We are so excited to get to know this little bundle of furry joy!

 

[pigger123]

This Saturday it will have been 10 weeks since I last changed the pellets. Still going strong. I'm able to go for this long largely because I only have 2 pigs in a huge 2x6 with a 2x3 basement, so there isn't really that much urine and it's very spread out over a large area. It's still mostly pellets, although there are some spots where a lot of the pellets have turned into sawdust. If you have more pigs, a smaller cage, or you don't have fleece on top (so poops would get mixed into the pellets) you would probably want to change them more frequently.

 

[oldnewie]

8 weeks for me. Did quick sift & sweep last night & a few large scoops of fresh pellets. Still have a lot of the original pellets in the cage. Absolutely the best! Hoping to get a couple of bags this week if there are any left over in Bunnings. Pellets are now out of season here in NZ. If none I'll have to use chopped cardboard (only available online) or shavings.

 

[blessedmom]

I am at almost 7 weeks using the wood pellets. I have 2 boys in a 2x4. I don't keep a different bedding in the kitchen so the whole cage is pellets with a layer of fleece. They pee a LOT in their bedroom area (two grids at one end of the cage made into two separate fleece forrest rooms) so the pellets under there are really becoming like dust. I mix things up weekly when I wash or change the fleece.

My questions:

Should I go ahead and do a full change and scoop out everything or just scoop out the dust and leave the pellets but add new add well? I used 2 full 40 lbs bags before and need to go buy some new bags today.

I had to drive 30 mins away last time to a tractor supply store for the pellets. Has anyone found a common retailer that carries a good type of wood pellets?

 

[oldnewie]

You could just scoop out the dust & add a few fresh pellets. Someone can tell you where else you can get the pellets, I can only get wood fuel pellets here in NZ.

 

[pigger123]

My questions:

Should I go ahead and do a full change and scoop out everything or just scoop out the dust and leave the pellets but add new add well? I used 2 full 40 lbs bags before and need to go buy some new bags today.

I had to drive 30 mins away last time to a tractor supply store for the pellets. Has anyone found a common retailer that carries a good type of wood pellets?

I would just scoop out some of the dust and leave the pellets, since there's no point in throwing away perfectly good pellets. If there ends up being too few pellets left, you should probably add some more.

Home Depot and Lowe's both have wood pellets, but they don't carry them in every store. I believe you can check on their website to see if the pellets are available in your store.

 

[bpatters]

I totally change out the pellets about every two months or so. It takes a bag and a half, or two bags, when I do that. But I buy 8-10 bags at a time, so the 40 minute drive to the feed store isn't so bad.

 

[piggy_mom]

Would any of these work?

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/fuel/40-lb-premium-wood-pellets/p-2157391-c-19135.htm

(broken link removed)

(broken link removed)

 

[pinky]

I would just scoop out some of the dust and leave the pellets, since there's no point in throwing away perfectly good pellets. If there ends up being too few pellets left, you should probably add some more.

Home Depot and Lowe's both have wood pellets, but they don't carry them in every store. I believe you can check on their website to see if the pellets are available in your store.

Can you videotape cleaning out the cage so we can see how much effort is needed to do it?

 

[pigger123]

Would any of these work?

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/fuel/40-lb-premium-wood-pellets/p-2157391-c-19135.htm

(broken link removed)

(broken link removed)

The Lowe's ones are perfect. I'm not sure about the Menard's ones, and the Home Depot ones are not okay unless they say they're kiln-dried.

 

[pigger123]

Can you videotape cleaning out the cage so we can see how much effort is needed to do it?

I can definitely do that, but I don't plan on cleaning them out for a few more weeks.

 

[piggy_mom]

Thank you! How many pounds of pellets do you think a 2x3 cage needs? i use the 14 liter paper bedding bags FYI.

 

[lunarminx]

For your 2x4, I think one 40lb bag will work fine.

 

[piggy_mom]

its a 2x3 cage, not a 2x4.