Bedding Eater

[avygrrl]

Does anyone else notice their cavy eating bedding? I use Pine bedding. I avoid cedar; but recently I've heard pine is a no-no, too. The recycled material is too expensive for me to use regularly. Should I even be stressing over his eating the bedding anyway?!

 

[loves2travel]

unless it is kiln dried pine that you are using, toss it. im sure that if pine is not good, eating it could be toxic. but i could be wrong....

why dont you try carefresh? if cost is an obstacle, maybe you could go to towels and fleece

 

[Starbucks]

yes most piggies will eat some of their bedding. you could switch to aspen instead of pine.

 

[ice_on_fire]

my piggies eat their shredded newspaper bedding when they are hungry.. ^^

 

[loves2travel]

newspaper bedding, however, is fine to eat.

 

[avygrrl]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I actually stopped shredding newspaper because I thought it was bad. Good to know that it's not. I work for a newspaper publishing co. so that'll be easy to do. First, I'll check to see if my pet supply place has aspen. I never thought to use towels either! I think I'll keep wood bedding though; he loves running around in it. He's so cute! Again, Thank you all.

 

[Piglet]

Nope, black and white newspaper isn't bad at all. Its cheap so you can afford to change it everyday. Towels are really easy to use as well.

 

[CavyCrazyMom]

my piggies eat their shredded newspaper bedding when they are hungry.. ^^

Am I the only one that caught this!?

Your pig should never be hungry!! That's what they have the pellets and hay 24/7 for!! Maybe you should up the amount of pellets you are giving them...I think maybe they have grown some and need a bit more!

 

[loves2travel]

oh, cavycrazy mom, completely missed that!

your pigs should never be hungry. even if veggies and pellets are portioned(which in my case, they are not) hay and water should always be available. never, ever, should they have nothing to eat and drink in their cage!

 

[Starbucks]

also, you want to make sure that the newspaper is printed with SOY-BASED ink. or your piggie could get sick from it.

 

[ice_on_fire]

don't worry.. my piggies get PLENTY to eat.. i actually think they need to go on a diet.. lolz

 

[Baby Joey's Mom]

So newspaper is safe for piggies to have as bedding and digest?
What do you guys feel is best for odor control out of all the beddings. I use carefresh.

 

[loves2travel]

careFRESH is no doubt the best. and yes, newspaper is ok to eat as long as it is only black and white. dont use any of the colored pages.

 

[FloppyRagzDolli]

Ive never seen any of my women do it, but dollie's littles babes do this all the time. they love to chew on the newspaper that i stuff tissue boxes with.

 

[loves2travel]

LOL floppy, cute!

 

[mncavylover]

Newspaper is safe if there is only soy-based ink. It's not the best bedding (not too absorbent), so it usually just works on the bottom of another bedding. Can you try aspen? It's nearly as cheap as pine, just a few bucks more, and it's safe! Good luck.

Also, do you have two cavies? The pig could be lonely and bored.
Does he have unlimited hay and pellets? That could be another reason. Veggies are also needed daily.

 

[avygrrl]

Also, do you have two cavies? The pig could be lonely and bored.
Does he have unlimited hay and pellets? That could be another reason. Veggies are also needed daily.

Schizo's an only pig for now. I'm looking to get him a new friend VERY soon. And he's got TONS of hey, pellets, romaine and carrots. I think I give him too much in the way of carrots.... I don't think he's too fat.

 

[mncavylover]

Ok, that's good. I hope you can find him a cagemate soon! Pigs are only supposed to be fed one baby carrot a day. How about trying some of the veggies listed on (broken link removed) ? That may give you some info. What kind of food and hay are you using? Oxbow Cavy Performance is the best for pigs younger than a year, Cavy Cuisine for those older. ((broken link removed)). Also, great hay is at (broken link removed)! It's cheaper, doesn't support a pet store, saves you time and gas, is fresher, and comes in bulk. I love it!