Bedding Which one?!?!

[arionat799]

Ok so I had my heart set on using fleece. I was going to have a litter box full of carefresh or something in the hay area and fleece for the rest of the cage. I was going to ask for a hand-vac for christmas to clean up the hair. Well now it sounds like everyone hates it. What should I use?!?! What do you guys use?! My brain is exploding!!! :eye-poppi Ahhhhhh!!! Help!!!

 

[arionat799]

Btw I'm still confused on what Yesterday's News is and also how you use pellets for bedding...?

 

[sewlittle]

I was thinking about doing the same thing. where the food is...put bedding and try fleece on the second floor...unless i like the fleece too much ...right now i have pine bedding everywhere.

 

[bpatters]

Arionat, Google is your friend. Put "yesterday's news" in the search box, hit enter, and you'll more than you ever wanted to know about that brand of cat litter.

As for asking "What do you guys use," you only have to look at this forum to see what everybody uses. In the last week, we've discussed several different kids of bedding that cover just about all the possibilities. You can use whatever you want. Pick one and try it -- you're not signing a lifetime contract for it. If you don't like it, never buy another bag of it, and try something else.

My general recommendation about fleece is that because it requires an upfront cost that the others don't, and because many people wind up re-doing their cages a few times before they wind up with something they're satisfied with, is to try fleece last. Because if you cut or sew it to fit your cage and then change the cage configuration, it may not work. Wait until you're sure you like your cage before doing fleece.

As far as pellets are concerned, you use them the same as you use any other litter. Clean the cage, pour the pellets in to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Put some pads down for your pigs to sleep on. That's it. Dead easy.

 

[Eimear]

I used to use fleece but I just switched to hay today, my guineas pigs are loving it so far does anyone else use hay?

 

[bpatters]

Eimear, hay is not good bedding for guinea pigs. You need something that will keep their feet and bottoms dry. Hay is not absorbent, grows mold which may cause urinary and respiratory tract infections, and smells terrible after just a few hours.

Kiln-dried wood shavings, wood pellets, or recycled newspaper kitty litter are all much better choices than hay.

 

[cavycuddler91]

Hay? Not a good idea. bpatters is right.

Fleece is actually the cheapest. It's a one time cost and then you just throw it in the washer! Plus it comes in many cute patterns to match your home!

 

[Eimear]

Thanks bpatters, I probably will switch back to fleece, I used hay today because I'm waiting on all my fleeces to dry (this whole laundry thing is a real pain! ), but the hay wouldn't be in there long enough to grow mold, there's layers of newspaper underneath for absorption and no smell so far.

 

[bpatters]

Eimear, you should look into wood pellets. They're available in Ireland, are far better at odor control than fleece, and keep the pigs' feet and bottoms very dry. I throw in a few fleece pads to give my two something to sleep on, but the laundry for those pads is much less of a hassle than for the whole cage. I love the pellets, and the only reason I can think of to switch back to fleece would be if my pigs ever develop a foot problem.

 

[Eimear]

thanks i'll look into it, unfortunately the only decent pet shop near me is a train and bus journey away, but I'm trekking up to it next week so I shall have a look

 

[arionat799]

. In the last week, we've discussed several different kids of bedding that cover just about all the possibilities. You can use whatever you want. Pick one and try it -- you're not signing a lifetime contract for it. If you don't like it, never buy another bag of it, and try something else.

My general recommendation about fleece is that because it requires an upfront cost that the others don't, and because many people wind up re-doing their cages a few times before they wind up with something they're satisfied with, is to try fleece last. Because if you cut or sew it to fit your cage and then change the cage configuration, it may not work. Wait until you're sure you like your cage before doing fleece.

As far as pellets are concerned, you use them the same as you use any other litter. Clean the cage, pour the pellets in to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Put some pads down for your pigs to sleep on. That's it. Dead easy.

Thanks

Arionat, Google is your friend. Put "yesterday's news" in the search box, hit enter, and you'll more than you ever wanted to know about that brand of cat litter.

As for asking "What do you guys use," you only have to look at this forum to see what everybody uses.

Oh, and thanks for making me feel stupid.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

I use fleece because my buddy Benny has deformed feet from poor care when he was a pup. I like the fleece but I don't think I'm in love with it. My life style is too chaotic most of the time to properly deal with fleece. I have two children, 4 and 2, one with special needs plus the dog and husband. lol Fleece needs to be poop scoped 2-4 times a day. It needs to be laundered at least once every 3 to 5 days. I noticed that the fleece smells very quickly compared to pine wood chips. Having a hand vacuum to clean the fleece is definitely a time saver! I highly recommend it.

Right now I use Yesterday's News in my kitchen area and fleece everywhere else. I do not recommend using carefresh or any wood chippings if you are using fleece. It will just get everywhere and that sucks. Yesterday's News or wood pellets are the best because they will not stick to the fleece or guinea pig fur and there for can't be tracked around.

Just try a few things and figure out what will work for you. Fleece is a bit of a hassle but it is much better for their feeties over all. Other bedding has better at smell control.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

Just a thought. Has anyone tried just fleece over wood pellets?

 

[bpatters]

I haven't really tried fleece over pellets in any meaningful way. I throw a piece of fleece in for them to snuggle in, but neither of them is a snuggler. It does wick ok, but you still have the problem with the hair, which is why I gave up fleece in the first place.

 

[lissie]

Just a thought. Has anyone tried just fleece over wood pellets?

I have tried that in the kitchen area. The results were bad. Besides having to sweep hay off the top before washing, I also had to sweep wood dust off the bottom of fleece were it comes in contact with the wood. When wood pellets get wet, they turn to dust. And with fleece right of top of the pellets, the dust didn't get a chance to fall to the bottom of the pan and got attached to the fleece.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

Oh well, It would have been awesome if it worked. =/

 

[lissie]

I've read here that some people put window screen between fleece and wood pellets and it works. I haven't tried that.