Bedding Pine shavings making pig sneeze, suggestions on alternatives other than fleece

[wheeksandwheeks]

So, some friends of mine got a baby guinea pig in January. All was fine until he started sneezing a lot. Took him to the vet, and he is on Bactrim. His lungs are clear, his condition hasn't worsened, but it hasn't gotten better. He was sneezing a lot while they were holding him. They don't wear perfume, etc. I told them it could be their laundry detergent, so they switched to fragrance free. Solved that problem. But, I noticed when they put him back in his cage, he sneezed. Not constantly, but when they dropped him on the wood shavings, and occasionally after that. In going over everything with his vet, we have concluded he is allergic/sensitive to the wood shavings. They use kiln dried pine shavings. They can't do fleece as they live in an apartment building and they can't be washing bedding all the time, plus the super is anal about stuff like that[leaving the machines clean after using, etc. no hay, hair, etc.]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a dust free/low dust option? The cage is 2 x 4.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Carefresh is an expensive but excellent alternative to pine shavings. Pine shaving are the absolute WORST type of bedding to have a pig on due to the phenols and other chemicals in them. Aspen shavings are the best as far as wood goes.

 

[wheeksandwheeks]

Thank you, Guinea Pig Papa. I had heard from some that they find Carefresh quite dusty, though(even though it's labeled 99% dust free). And, I had been led to believe that the kiln dried pine shavings were safe as the kiln drying removed the phenols. Does it not remove all phenols, and that's what is causing the irritation?

So, this is why I am asking. I am getting a lot of conflicting information on here and other guinea pig forums. I don't want to have them drop $$ on Carefresh just to find out it's just as bad as the pine shavings due to dust.

 

[bpatters]

I think the dust varies a lot from package to package, no matter what's on the inside. But aspen is definitely safer than pine.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

From my experience, yes, even the Carefresh did have a bit of dust from time to time. My boys loved it however, and would burrow in it constantly and kick it everywhere just to amuse themselves. The two main reasons I switched were cost and my one boar, Sly, had (and still has) an issue where he likes to lie in one place and crap. A LOT. Carefresh made a big mess even bigger when he did that because it would stick everywhere and he would have to have his rump cleaned constantly. Switching to fleece just made the mess much easier to deal with.

 

[wheeksandwheeks]

Thanks, Guinea Pig Papa and bpatters. I had also heard a few say their pigs had trouble with Aspen, but I would imagine that is rare, and nothing is 100%.(have to start somewhere) Since Aspen is cheaper than Carefresh, we will start there. While I am thinking of it, are there any generic Carefresh knockoffs that are comparable, or do you pretty much have to stick with the original?

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I've not seen generic Carefresh, but I live in Canada and that type of thing would probably be more prevalent in the U.S. Some of the American members would be better equipped to answer that question for you. I had gerbils on aspen shavings and never had a problem.

 

[jaycriae]

I find Carefresh slightly less dusty than aspen, though I'm sure it depends on what brand of aspen you buy. Carefresh is also much less smelly- with bedding instead of fleece, you can't spot clean as well, so odor control is more important, and aspen doesn't do much in that regard. Starting with aspen is probably a good idea since it is much cheaper, but if it doesn't work, giving Carefresh a try could be worth it.
You could also get an air purifier, I use a HEPA because one of my pigs has a similar problem where the dust just gets her very congested. It hasn't fixed her entirely, but I do think she's more comfortable, and the air feels much cleaner.


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