Carefresh Tips for carefresh, please?

[grace&piggies]

Willy and Winifred's summer house is under construction. Depending on if they gain a new friend or two, the size of this c&c cage is still up in the air. I'm thinking of using carefresh as the bedding. What I was wanting some guidance with was about how quickly would I go through it? I've also heard that to make it more affordable, putting a layer of shavings underneath can have some success. If I was to use shavings as well, are the shavings compostable? Where I currently live, my upstairs neighbour/landlord is happy for me to have my pigs here and wants the compost for her garden!
Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome!

 

[pinky]

The shavings and the carefresh make a good mulch or compost.

 

[grace&piggies]

Excellent. Do you know how much of both is needed per cage change?

 

[pinky]

Excellent. Do you know how much of both is needed per cage change?

It depends on the size of your cage, the number of guinea pigs, how much they poop and the depth of the bedding you put in there. I use fleece now but used to use Carefresh in my kitchen area. My guinea pigs all make different sized poop and some poop a lot more than others so the only way to really determine how often to clean it is try it out and see how it goes with yours. I'd suggest you line the cage with newspaper before you add the bedding. It makes cleaning the cage a lot easier.

 

[grace&piggies]

I will definitely be lining it! It is far easier to roll it up than it is to dustpan it all. Yeah, it is looking like I'm only going to answer my own questions properly by trialing carefresh over shavings myself. Thank you for your help!

 

[Nicolene]

I can tell you I use 60L a month in a 2x1 kitchen area, so I would say it it safe to say about 15L per 2x1 grid area. I found a new more affordable supply of carefresh, but before I was using "Yesterday's News" with a layer of Carefresh over it. I would pack the carefresh in tightly, so they don't step on the YN. I think of everything I've ever used YN had the best absorbency and was so each to clean out. I wish they made it in smaller pellets.

I'm starting a mulch heap soon too, between the hay, poops and carefresh I have plenty to add back into nature..

 

[pinky]

I like the unscented Yesterday's News for cats. I used it in my kitchen area when I had one. What I liked about it is that it kept their feet very clean. Mine never minded stepping on it and I found they slept on the YN more often than on the fleece. I put used bedding around my plants and anywhere I wanted to keep weeds from sprouting up. I didn't add it to any areas where I grew vegetables because it needs to be composted first to kill any bacteria.

 

[grace&piggies]

Oh okay, so Yesterday's News instead of shavings as the layer underneath? (Yesterday's News is recycled paper pellets, yes? I'm in Aus so it might have a different name...)

 

[grace&piggies]

I've been to a number of stores and located a more affordable product to Carefresh called 'Back-to-Nature'. It set me back only $15.80 for a 30L bag which absolutely trumps Carefresh pricing in Australia. The same brand that makes 'Back-to-Nature' make a recycled paper kitty litter pellet, so it looks like I'm all set! Thanks guys for all your help!

 

[PIGGYandCHILLI]

not sure where you are in aus but i'm in aus nsw too! i found carefresh for cats and it's about $13 for 12 L in sydney chatswood westfield. if you live in sydney you might want to have a look ^_^

 

[grace&piggies]

Did you know that the 14L is on sale at Pet Barn for just over $10?
The Back-to-Nature stuff looks similar and is 30L for about $15, and when I plan on going through quite a bit, any saving counts.
I'm on the Central Coast! You're probably the closest person to me that I've ever found on the forum ha ha