anyone use just wood stove pellets as bedding?

[bridgetb125]

I have tried practically everything for bedding with my guinea pigs. I need something cheap because I have so many. I was just looking for experiences with using wood stove pellets alone. What are they like compared to using kiln dried pine?

 

[laura220]

What about fleece? The intial cost may be a little costly in some places but over all it's really cheap.

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I've never heard of wood stove pellets. Do you have a link to a website which sells these pellets?

 

[John4216]

I have tried practically everything for bedding with my guinea pigs. I need something cheap because I have so many. I was just looking for experiences with using wood stove pellets alone. What are they like compared to using kiln dried pine?

I tried wood pellets for pets (the ones for wood stoves may have harmful chemicals) and found them to be heavy, not very absorbent, and the piggies did not seem to like them as much as some others. I have experimented with a lot of different bedding and this is what I currently use:

Bottom Layer: Newspaper - Changed when next layer is changed
Next layer: On top of the Newspaper I put Aspen Chips - Changed 1/month
Next Layer: Newspaper: - Changed Daily
Top Layer: Fleece - Changed Daily

The Newspaper I get for FREE from the recycling center so there is no cost for it. The fleece was about $10.00 and it is a one time cost other than washing it every day.

I use the setup I do because it reduces any smell and the piggies seem to enjoy the aspen and the fleece. I used to use just Paper with Fleece on it but with 6 piggies they would sometimes soak through the paper to the cage. By adding the Aspen and paper under it I dont have that problem and once a month I let them have the Aspen bedding only to play in (which they love to do) for a day.

 

[LindaDelta]

I use woodstove pellets for one of my cages. The pellets are free from firestarting chemicals. Some pellets have firestarter, so it's best to read the label before getting it. My neighbor has a pellet stove, so I was able to see pellets before trying them. I spot clean the pellets and change them once a week.
The pellets I get are from the grocery store. They are also available at some hardware stores and Sutherlands. The stuff I get is mostly oak, so there is a low odor to the pellets. With the pellets there is little odor in the cage. I remember trying cedar shavings for bedding (before knowing better) and would the cage would start smelling quickly.

 

[JiggityJig]

I've been using Woody Pet covered in a layer of newspaper, and then fleece. I LOVED it. The fleece covered the roughness of the pellets, and the newspaper enabled me to quickly raise the fleece (no pellets sticking to it) to shake away the poos etc. When I did so I'd do as the pkg. sd., and just stir the pellets around to redistribute the moisture. I had one $5 bag of pellets in there for TWO MONTHS (!!!), and I'd stick my nose down into it....absolutely no smell. (of course, at the time, that was just with one pig)

Obviously, I'd have to wash the fleece a couple times a week, but the pellets...NO smell. I can't believe they're not a more popular option.

The fleece still didn't always wick away the moisture as much as I'd like, though, so I just got in my order of palace pet bed (YAY!), and plan to use that over the pellets. Being able to vac away the hay and poos, with the absorbancy of the vet bed and then the pellets...I'm thinking this will be as close to perfect as the bedding issue is going to get!

(this is just cuz bizarre circumstances gave me the extra money to order the vet bed! To answer your question, I don't know about using the pellets by themselves, but with the fleece on top, it was better than anything else I'd tried! And since shaking off the poos lengthened the life of the pellets *considerably*, I think it would be quite worth your initial investment in fleece.)

 

[Da_3_mad_pigs]

I use straw(dont shout at me, please!), but the good thing is that it is chopped up really thinly so it wont poke in there eyes, and its only like $5 a bag from most pet shops!

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I use straw(dont shout at me, please!), but the good thing is that it is chopped up really thinly so it wont poke in there eyes, and its only like $5 a bag from most pet shops!

I have never heard of 'chopped up straw'. Straw is very sharp and nothing can be done to alter that. It isn't very absorbant and isn't very good for the pigs if they eat it.
Do you not give your pigs hay? If you do, just put hay down instead of straw! It is more absorbant and it much softer and better for them, not to mention the importance of hay.

 

[Da_3_mad_pigs]

I give my pigs lots of hay every day, but if you put it in there bed conpartment then i have heard that you have to clean it out twice a day?

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Not necessarily. You can just clean it out every morning or every other day. If they have lots of hay elsewhere in the cage then every other day should be OK.

 

[Da_3_mad_pigs]

cool, thanks, I will try that"!