Air Purifiers for the GP Room

[PigDad]

As indicated on another thread, I unknowingly got 2 pregnant sows who wound up having 7 pups between them. when I had only two GPs I was fine.

Now that there are 9 (while I place the other 5, keeping 2 pups with the moms), I can't walk into the room without getting hit in the face/chest by what I think is the Timothy Hay scent.

It seems I am allergic to something. My original 2 are short hairs, but some of the pups are medium hairs.

Do you guys think putting an air purifier in the room might alleviate the overwhelming GP-related smells. The cage is sanitary and cleaned often. I really think I am reacting to the Timothy Hay.

Any suggestions?

[WindeSpirit]

Purifiers, haven't got my big one yet so don't really know.
I do know a exhaust fan out the window does a great job though.

[snowflakey]

I have a HEPA filter going 24/7 in the pig room.

[salana]

What brand of hay do you give them? A lot of problems with cheap hay can be solved by switching to Oxbow or KM's hay. Is timothy the only kind of hay your pigs like? You could see if you're less allergic to orchard grass or bluegrass.

[sus4rabbitsnpigs]

Is it the hay in the cage? Or the stored hay?

[TwoWhitePiggies]

In addition to the purifier, the other big things you can do are clean the cage and area daily to make sure there isn't hay and hay dust settling everywhere (serious "do as I say, not as I do" time here), and shake out your hay to get the dust out before putting it in the cage. KM's hay isn't nearly as dusty as the store-bought stuff, I've noticed.

[KarasKavies]

I have a HEPA on 24/7 by the pig's cage. It DOES help and you should see the stuff it collects on the carbon pre-filter! Yuck! Silky, soft, grey "dust" and lots of it.

Bluegrass fromn KM made a HUGE difference for me. I was working with Timmy at the last rescue we did and wound up with the most severe allergy/asthma attack ever. The bluegrass is less heady to me.

[PigDad]

Here are answers to the questions from top tpo bottom:

Salana - I give the pigs Timothy Hay. It's called Timothy Hay-Kob from LM Animal farms. It is the only hay I have used since getting the guinea pigs in July.

sus4rabbitsnpigs - Not sure of your question - the hay is in the cage using a hay rack. The unused hay is in the bag it came in.

KarasKavies, snowflakey - How noisey are the HEPA filters? How expensive are they to buy and replace filters for? Which unit do you recommend?

[salana]

That's not very good quality hay. It's probably all brown and dusty. Check out Kleenmama's hay and Oxbow Hay, which are much better quality and cheaper per pound, even with shipping.

I have a Honeywell HEPA filter. It's kind of a moderate amount of white noise, comparable to an air conditioner. The filter has to be replaced every year and the pre-filter every three months.

[onmiwei]

I have a HOLMES hepa air filter in my pigs room. The store I buy my filters at ran out last week. I had to go a week without the filter. nearly drove my husband crazy. We have the guinea pigs in the computer room so the filter actually needs replaced every 1 1/2-2 months now. But my computers stay virtually dust free too. Before when they were in the dining room I could go 2-3 months before I changed them.

My air purifier was about $75 and the filters run $16 a piece it takes two. I had the pigs in a larger room so I bought a bigger one. I have seen smaller room air purifiers from the same company for $40 and one filter. It makes noise about like a fan but It has low (for night time)med (for constant use) and high (for quickly running the air thru) I do run in non stop too.

[JoePig]

I have a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze. No noise, no filters but it is an expensive initial purchase. (But you are guaranteed to like it) You can try buying a refurbished one, they have the same warranties and guarantees as the new models.
It really cuts the “boar cologne”!

What kind of bedding are you using? I've found I'm allergic to CareFresh. Wood-chip bedding throws a lot of dust during cage cleaning too. Some folks on this board use blankets or fleece to line their pigs' enclosures. (Do a search on fleece)

[onmiwei]

I was going to get a sharper image one but my daughter's allergist said they aren't worth the money they are asking for them...though I have heard some people really like them.