Cage Kitchen bedding, having trouble

[Countrycavy]

I'm having a tough time with kitchen bedding. I'm using fleece over moving pads or bedding pads. For the kitchen area, it's 1x2 coroplast size. I tried fleece. The padding is soaked in a day or two and smells. I tried critter care after reading it would absorb better and didn't notice much difference. I'm back to fleece after I ran out if the bedding. I saw a thread about wood pellets, does anyone use those in the kitchen only? Are they pine? I've tried different paddings in the kitchen area under the fleece. I haven't tried that guinea dad padding, I don't know if there's a kitchen only size. What other options are there? Thank you.

 

[bpatters]

You can use any wood pellets that don't smell strongly of pine and that don't have an accelerant added (those are intended for use in stoves). Your best bet is probably horse stall bedding. One sack will last you a very long time.

 

[CocoNParis]

1 x 2 is quite big. We use a kitty litter plastic rectangular box and pellets. We only shallow fill and we top up pellets next day. One 3rd day, we take out the tray and tip everything out. Wipe with anti bacterial wipes and put fresh pellets. A bag of pellets bedding from produce store can last 1-2mths and cost aud$10.

Our cage is indoor but we have moved it next to a sliding door/window so we can air it n give them
lots of fresh air n sunlight. We also use a plug in deodoriser which sprays automatically every 15mins. Their fleece bedding is cleaned multiple times. We use a small dustpan or we just use paper towel to quickly pick up droppings. They mainly poo in kitchen. We change fleece twice a week. Usually wed or thu and sat or sun. Once a week is too long to wait. They pee n poo so much!

However, I must say that 99% of everything above is done by their mummy (my 10yo daughter). She is really the best mummy! She wakes up at 6am each day to clean their cage, feed and new water n cuddle time for 1hr before getting ready for school. The only time she asks for help is bathing Coco and Paris.

Sounds like a lot of work but it’s quite easy even for a 10yo. There’s no smell and the area actually smells nice of chrry blossom. They are a big part of our lives. The cage is in the umm sitting? room with sofas and coffee table. We can sit there n watch them or bring them out for cuddles n movie time etc They love cuddles.

 

[RoseCarter]

I'm new to this as well. My kitchen area is also a pan. Bottom layer is pads then fleece then hay. I've been letting it "go" two days then I dump everything out of the pan,wash, then relayer. We also invested in a mister. It helps keep the barn smell down. Winter is difficult. Closed windows here. Let me know if I should try something different. I am always looking for a better way.

 

[ChinandLacey]

I use fleece for the main part of my cage and wood pellets only in the kitchen. The pellets are hardwood stove pellets with nothing added. My kitchen is 1x2 and gets dirty pretty quickly, so I sift out the wet stuff every night and add new pellets. With the amount I use a 40 lb bag lasts me 2-3 months.

 

[thistlewriter]

My boys' kitchen is 1 x 2. I use wood pellets from the Tractor Supply Company, which work great for controlling odor; I change these out twice a week.

 

[SSLee]

I use paper cat litter in my girls' litter box and pick out wet pellets and refresh nightly. The brands I've used are Yesterday's News and FreshNews at approximately 25 pounds between $15-20. Twice a week I empty out the entire bin and switch to a new one.