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Wood Pellets/Chips 3 full weeks of wood pellets

SardonicSmile

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Fleece is a a visual preference. Some owners want it perfect and flat, it will go up the side of the coro and then binder clip it to the coro. Me, I do really dont care. My fleece fits the bottom of the 2x3 and I lay it flat. Yea i can see the wood pellets underneath, no biggy to me. Sometimes when I am doing a spot clean I will pick up a corner of fleece and shake all the stuff to one area and I just pick it all up there.


So how well does a loose piece of fleece work when the piggies do zoomies? Doesn't it bunch up and trip up the piggies?

Don't the piggies just go underneath? (Or redecorate as some piggies like to do)

How many stray poops and hay ends up underneath the fleece?
 

bpatters

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My pigs are too old to do many zoomies, so there's no problem with bunching up.

I have had one that occasionally would try to go underneath, but I just put a few bricks along the wall of the cage on top of the fleece, and that took care of that. Others may be more determined.

Not much ends up under the fleece, but after just a few days, the top layer of pellets smooths out and you can actually sweep it.
 

SardonicSmile

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I have a semi-senior (she turns 5 in early April), but she still does the occasional zoomies. She is my lone survivor piggie, and is going to be my last, and I recently moved her into a smaller cage (still within acceptable guinea standards). There is, however, no room for bricks!

Right now I have the fleece draped up the sides of the cage, but when next changing day comes I will try the loose fleece. I hope she will not be the burrowing nor the rearranging type.
 

mamaduck71

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So how well does a loose piece of fleece work when the piggies do zoomies? Doesn't it bunch up and trip up the piggies?

Don't the piggies just go underneath? (Or redecorate as some piggies like to do)

How many stray poops and hay ends up underneath the fleece?


My pigs rarely do zoomies but when they do, it's not an issue. Huts/foodbowl, water brick holds it in place.

The fleece kind of sticks to the pellets, so it does not really move easily.

Do they go underneath? No, they dont, cuz after some time the fleece flattens out even more flatter. If they redecorate, let them. Gives them something to do.

Yea there is poop/hay underneath but once the poop dries out, it does not smell. No worries.
 

blessedmom

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I stir mine occasionally, but never sift them. I don't know how that would work, because the ones underneath the top sawdust layer are still perfectly formed pellets, and they're bigger than the poop.

They are heavy, but I have a rolling garbage can that I pull in next to the cage, put a garbage bag in it, and just dump the pellets in the bag using a dust pan. Then I tie the bag off, just leave it in the garbage can, and roll it out.

When I sifted mine I never had poops in the wood pellets because I had fleece on top. I would scoop a large colander full and hold it over a trash bin and shake. Then dump the remaining good pellets back into the cage. Like I said, time consuming so I didn't keep it up. I think they would've lasted a year that way though! It also got dusty doing so. It's cheap enough to just do a total cage change. I had just read about doing it so gave it a try.
 

TK9NY

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I'm considering switching to the pellets under fleece - are these what everyone is talking about?!?

(broken link removed)

So far i haven't had much of an issue with the uhaul and fleece combo but it is a lot of work to change the cage out and it does tend to smell a bit faster than i would like. This looks so much easier.....
 

bpatters

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As long as they don't have a strong pine smell, those will work. Some of TS pellets do, some don't.
 

pawner69

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I am going to give this a try this weekend. Currently use fleece and uhaul but with 7 pigs, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a bird...I need easier! Hahaha Quick silly questions...so I sweep daily as I currently do with the fleece but how often to "stir"? Weekly? Every few days? Longer?

I tried pellets once before but I didn't use fleece on top and didn't understand use so I was doing a full cage change each month which was really heavy and wasteful. I had no idea that the pellets lasted so long.
 

TK9NY

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As long as they don't have a strong pine smell, those will work. Some of TS pellets do, some don't.

What makes certain ones "work" while others don't work? Is there anything i have to look for in the pellets (to avoid, other than strong smell, or that they should contain?) What is the difference between, say, the TS ones i linked and the ones found at Lowes (Greene Team Platinum Hardwood Pellet Fuel) or Home Depot (Timber Heat Wood Energy Pellets)?

Just curious. I'm going to go shopping for some tomorrow (all places have them in stock - i called and asked!) and want to make sure i gt safe but effective pellets to try out. I'm also going to splurge my x-mas gift card to JoAnn's on new fleece.
 

bpatters

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They all work, as far as I know. I've used several different brands, and never had a problem with nay of them.

Pellet fuel sometimes has an accelerant added, and that means you can't use them for the guinea pigs. As long as the fuel is just pellets with nothing added, and doesn't have strong pine odor, it's fine. Same thing with large animal bedding, except that there's no accelerant.
 

pawner69

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I made the switch today! I am used to fleece/uhaul combo as flippers so I am excited to try something that can last a few months.

My pigs are acting funny too. I think they like it. They have been running and playing and just being silly. Maybe its the noise of the pellets under the fleece? No idea but they sure are having a good time. Hahaha

I just hope mama (me) will be as happy. I am not used to dealing with such a large piece of fleece (I have a 2x7) but I think changing one big piece a week versus 7 flipper covers and 14 pieces of uhaul is gonna be great.
 

mamaduck71

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I think the pellets give the pigs a slightly harder surface to walk on vs uhaul, fleece flippers..so on. They will get used to it. Once the urine is in the pellet, the pellets flatten out and become even more of a flat surface. My pigs always popcorn when I change out there fleece.

Wood is Good!
 

pawner69

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I think the pigs approve of the pellets. I have never seen them this relaxed. (Alice my 5 yr old in the first pic and Carmel my 2 yr old in the second.)

I am still not sure I enjoy sweeping the looser fleece. I am hoping it will get better with time. BUT...if it makes my pigs this happy, then it makes me happy and I will find a way to make the sweeping easier.

dcfce1c7826f3199b7847edc4a0d03ac.jpg


d84b6c93ab2526cc041e1ee996ffb59e.jpg
 

frNzR4evr

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The urine-soaked pellets don't breed harmful bacteria when used as [MENTION=11925]cavyguy[/MENTION] demonstrated?
 

mamaduck71

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The urine-soaked pellets don't breed harmful bacteria when used as @cavyguy demonstrated?

Are you asking Does "The urine-soaked pellets don't breed harmful bacteria when used as @cavyguy demonstrated?"

Or are you Telling us.
 

bpatters

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Asking. There's a question mark at the end of that sentence.
 

blessedmom

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I'm back to wood pellets! I built our new cage and got some wood stove pellets from Lowes and there was zero odor! Sometimes I noticed a little before and let them air out but these bags had none. I used two bags for my 2x5 with 2x2 loft. I'm about to help my sister build a 2x4 cage soon and want her to try pellets. Is one bag enough for that or should we do more?
 

bpatters

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Estimate from your own cage. You've got nearly twice the square footage she has.
 

lissie

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I'm back to wood pellets! I built our new cage and got some wood stove pellets from Lowes and there was zero odor! Sometimes I noticed a little before and let them air out but these bags had none. I used two bags for my 2x5 with 2x2 loft. I'm about to help my sister build a 2x4 cage soon and want her to try pellets. Is one bag enough for that or should we do more?
One bag should be enough for a 2x4. I'm using 2 bags in a 2x7.
 

frNzR4evr

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This is exciting! Ok, I'm going to try this kind first: https://www.lowes.ca/wood-pellets/north-american-pellets-40-lb-wood-pellets_g1201735.html
In the reviews, people have even used it successfully for their CATs' odor!
 
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