Smelly brick problem!

[loves2travel]

I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Ok, so everything is going fantastically with the fleece, but the brick is another problem.

i lifted it up about half an hour ago and there was a whole ton of pee under it. it stank horribly. then i washed the brick in warm water, and it still stank. how do i get rid of this AWFUL smell! help ASAP!!!!!!!!!! the girls are in floor time and I cant put them back in their cage until this problem is solved!!!!!!!!!

 

[Loveheart]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

hmm what about vinegar i dont know how much your supposed to use argh i wish i could help you better i know theres somewhere on forum about washing bricks i think

 

[cinn&sprinslave]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Either let it soak in vinager or dish soap in a bucket. Scrub it a little bit. For a while then rinse it off really really really well. Dry it. Next time put a nice (and I mean thick) layer of newspaper under the brick. And a thin layer over the brick. If you have multiple bricks to make up your patio (rather than one large brick), the pee will leak through the spaces. That is why piggies either have one large brick as a patio or I just use the small bricks as stairs and ramps.

 

[Starbucks]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Either let it soak in vinager or dish soap in a bucket. Scrub it a little bit. For a while then rinse it off really really really well. Dry it. Next time put a nice (and I mean thick) layer of newspaper under the brick. And a thin layer over the brick. If you have multiple bricks to make up your patio (rather than one large brick), the pee will leak through the spaces. That is why piggies either have one large brick as a patio or I just use the small bricks as stairs and ramps.

i wouldnt recommend using soap because the bricks soak up water and soap, and even with a really good washing, it will be hard to get all the residue out of the brick. a good vinegar soaking should do the trick. you may need to air out the brick to get the vinegar smell out.

i usually have 4 bricks in the piggies cage, but i keep 8 on hand and rotate them when i am washing them. that way i always have dry bricks at hand when i am washing and airing out the other bricks.

 

[cinn&sprinslave]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

I use dish soap. I just rinse it off really well. The vinager soaking is ok, but I prefer to use dish soap and then rinse it off really well. Keep in mind I do all this outside not in the house. So I have lots of water pressure, when I use the hose to rinse it off.

Um did you fix your problem?

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

loves2travel, sorry you are having stinky brick problems, but it would be a little more helpful to be a bit more specific in your topic description. I would save "humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!! " for a sick, injured or dying guinea pig rather than a stinky brick. Not everyone has time to read every post on the forum every time they visit here, but when time is short, we do want to read the urgent posts.

 

[mncavylover]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

I have to agree, I thought this was a really sick piggy or something. Please put "stinky bricks" in the title, or something else to that effect. Thanks!

As for the bricks, I think they'll get peed on one way or another, so I really don't know what to say. Rinsing it or just vinegar should be good.

You can put the pigs in again without the brick for a short time, can't you? I don't see why this would be a problem. Hope it all goes well!

 

[loves2travel]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

im sorry guys about the title. it was misleading, and i want to change it, but the edit button has dissappeared. treen or cavyspirit, you can change it to "stinky brick" if you want.

to answer your question, mncavylover, i use fleece, and if i put the pigs back in without the brick, then they would be walking on bare coroplast since i have no fleece for that spot.

yea, i solved my problem. For last night, i put newspaper down on that area, and i washed it in vinegar and water. thanks for all the help guys!

 

[jennz11]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

You shouldnt use any type of soap because it leaves a toxic residue over time. But vinegar is good. I dont know what to tell you L2T!! Sorry i couldnt help out! Hope you get rid of your stinky brick problem!~!

 

[loves2travel]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

i did get rid of it. thanks!

 

[jennz11]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Opps that last post before my last one wasnt there when i wrote it!! Sorry bout that. Anyways im so proud of you L2T!! = P = P

 

[jhoban]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

I would agree to be a little more specific in the topic, but I would leave the urgent in it. A sick pig is not the only urgency there is on this board. I would think a nasty smell coming from urine build up to be quite urgent. Same with the toxins that could be put in the cage if washed wrong. It all sounds pretty urgent to the health of the pigs.

Sorry, I had to throw in my two cents.

 

[mncavylover]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

It was just on the brick, though, and not in the cage at the time of the posting. You can put urgent if you'd like, but I think something about a brick would be nice. It's ok, l2t, just for future reference.

I agree that if it was in the cage, it would be urgent.

 

[Starbucks]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

I use dish soap. I just rinse it off really well. The vinager soaking is ok, but I prefer to use dish soap and then rinse it off really well. Keep in mind I do all this outside not in the house. So I have lots of water pressure, when I use the hose to rinse it off.

Um did you fix your problem?

i understand, but any type of soap should be avoided if possible. like jennz11 said above. soap will leave a residue, and there is no "for sure" way to know if you got it all. especially since the bricks are very absorbent. personally i wouldnt use any soap for my piggies things because its not worth the risk.

although i do wish that there was a100% antibacterial organic or safe product we could use. but vinegar has worked fine for so long, might as well just stick to it.

 

[three_piggies]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Well no offense but you guys are taking the whole dish soap thing way to seriously. Um we use dish soap to wash the dishes we eat off of, so I see no reason why a brick that is going into a guinea pigs cage can't be washed with dish soap. I mean really it is not like they are going to lick the brick. Now about using hand soap (example) or any other soap I wouldn't reccomend that, but dish soap?!!? I mean come on we can eat dishes washed with dish soap but it's not ok for the piggs to have a brick washed in dish soap!???!!!
Sorry if I came off rude (I don't mean to at all) it just really surprised me about every one saying not to use dish soap thats all.

Anyways I don't have a brick patio any more for my piggs, I didn't like all the washing, and it is quite stinky. Wet brick is really stinky esp. if it has been peed on lol. So I just cut my piggs nails, it doesn't bug me to have to clip them every 3-4 weeks. Worked out much better than cleaning the brick every week (or more) like I was doing before. Now I just use brick as a stair or something. Not in high pee and poop areas.

 

[three_piggies]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Oh didn't find anything wrong with the title of the thread except maybe it could have been "I have a humongous brick problem". Instead of "I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!"

Well anyways glad everything worked out!

 

[loves2travel]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

actually, my piggies do bit the raised ends of the brick. Just nibbles, like they nibble pigloos or PVC pipes. I guess to help trim down their teeth. Dont worry, they dont bit in the places they pee.

 

[three_piggies]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Ok......... Thats weird that they nibble on the brick!​

 

[loves2travel]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

yea, it kind of is weird. Oh well. Theres my piggies for ya!

 

[Starbucks]

Re: I have a humongous problem and I NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY!!!!!!!!

Well no offense but you guys are taking the whole dish soap thing way to seriously. Um we use dish soap to wash the dishes we eat off of, so I see no reason why a brick that is going into a guinea pigs cage can't be washed with dish soap. I mean really it is not like they are going to lick the brick. Now about using hand soap (example) or any other soap I wouldn't reccomend that, but dish soap?!!? I mean come on we can eat dishes washed with dish soap but it's not ok for the piggs to have a brick washed in dish soap!???!!!
Sorry if I came off rude (I don't mean to at all) it just really surprised me about every one saying not to use dish soap thats all.

Anyways I don't have a brick patio any more for my piggs, I didn't like all the washing, and it is quite stinky. Wet brick is really stinky esp. if it has been peed on lol. So I just cut my piggs nails, it doesn't bug me to have to clip them every 3-4 weeks. Worked out much better than cleaning the brick every week (or more) like I was doing before. Now I just use brick as a stair or something. Not in high pee and poop areas.

my piggies also nibble on the bricks sometimes, so thats why i said i wouldnt use soap. i know dish soap is okay for us, but guinea pigs are so much smaller then us, that if there is something in the soap to upset their stomach, it will effect them much faster than us. in other words, the guinea pigs only need a small amount for it to be potentially toxic to them.

i may seem too serious about this, but its only because i wouldnt take the risk when it comes to these little guys. i love um, too much. not saying you dont, as i know you do as well. thats all.