Suggestions and Help

User avatar
Kimera

Post   » Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:17 am


Hammock hidey can also be a regular hammock with sort of loops/tunnels sewn underneath. Piggies can lounge either on "the roof' or inside the hidey which is on the bedding level.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:27 pm


Originally we were using a combination Paper bedding and hay but found it wasn't ideal and they were eating hay they were pooping and peeing on plus eating the paper. It also made spot cleaning a little harder and we typically ended up doing a full clean and replace each time which meant lots of soggy paper bedding to dispose of.

In mid May after losing one of our girls to a URI we switched to Fleeces called Guineadads due to concerns about dust. They have a Quilted Fleece top with a bamboo core (supposedly antibacterial) and a waterproof backing (which doesn't help if they manage to pee down the side of it so it gets under the whole thing). They also have a fleece pocket at one end that the piggys can burrow in to.

In some ways they make cleaning easier as you can just sweep up the poop with a dustpan and brush or carefully fold them in half and lift them out and then kind of use the fold to shake out the poop and any other debris in to a bag for disposal. You can then take them outside and give them a good shake to get rid of any stuck bits and pieces. They do seem to wick any liquid away quite quickly but can still feel slightly damp if there is a lot of pee in one place. The Manufacturer suggests that you spot clean like this at least twice a day and then wash the liners once a week (Free and Clear detergent on a cold wash).

While we like them we have found that the fleece pockets can get a bit smelly and if they pee and poop in there a lot (which they tend to do as that is the only place they can hide in our current set up at least until the "discover' the loft) it can get quite a strong urine smell. We have found that in practice we have to change them out (we have two sets) about every 2-3 days just to be safe. We typically wash them on a pre soak wash with detergent and then a rinse and spin cycle with no detergent followed by at least two 90 minute cycles on cool in the dryer. I have seriously considered removing fleece pockets or at least folding them back on themselves so they are no longer usable and using hideys instead or moving the fleece forests down from the loft. The manufacturers has also now suggested that you soak them for a couple of hours in cold water at least once a month before washing them to "unlock" any dried in pee in the liner core. I had been doing that every wash for the last 4-6 weeks and it did seem to help get them cleaner and less smelly but will be doing it once a month from now on as soaking them every 2-3 days for two hours is time consuming and I think it got rid of the worst that had built up over the previous 2-3 months.

There are other types of fleece out there that use a Uhaul blanket (or two) as the liner. We have a few for the loft but the girls haven't gotten the hang of getting up the ramps and using it yet so i cant say how good they are in comparison.

I should also add that we have still had URI issues with the girls since switching to the Guineadads so it wasn't much help there

Hope that is of some help. Others may have better advice on other Fleece solutions.

User avatar
GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sat Sep 15, 2018 1:19 pm


I bought one of the guineadads fleece last year, just after they started coming out with them. I know the pigs love it, but I find it a bit difficult to clean off before washing. Maybe I'm not doing it right. Also, with poop problems one of my pigs has, I have to wash it every time I use it.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:27 pm


As of Friday we stopped our 3 girls using the pockets on the Guineadads as we realized that since they had been sleeping and hiding in the pockets on a regular basis and peeing and pooping in there most of their URI and breathing issues had started. There is no ventilation of clean air if they are under the blanket.

We are currently folding the pockets back but if we continue to see the improvements we have so far with them not using the pockets we may cut the off so the liners lie a little flatter.

The other thing with them is that they tell you to wash them in cold water each time and use the cool setting on the dryer. There are others out there (like those on Guinea Pig Market) that you appear to be able to wash with hot water and warm or hot dry which may help keep them cleaner. We may try some of those when our finances recover a little.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:50 pm


I do think hot water is better for cleaning and for getting rid of bacteria. Maybe you could write him and ask if hot water would work on the ones you have? Ask what happens if you use hot water? Synthetics should not shrink.

SSLee

Post   » Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:20 pm


I have four GuineaDad liners for my 2 piggies and they spend most of the day and part of the night under the pocket. The first GuineaDad liner was purchased in June and so far, no smell in the pocket. Since they spend so much time there, I asked my sister to sew potty pads (2 microfleece towels encased in fleece) for that high traffic area which I switch out 3-4 days. My girls also tend to pee and poop mainly in their cuddle beds, also lined with microfleece towels, and switched out 1-2 times daily. I shake the loose hay/debris off the liners and use a curry brush/squeegee to remove the rest. I do add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle for odor control.

The GuineaDad instructions are that the product was created to be washed in cold water and air dry or low heat. Prior to my purchases, I had researched fleece on the internet and generally found the consensus to wash in cold or lukewarm (to avoid pilling) and air dry (to prevent shrinkage and damage to the fabric). Except for the pads my sister sewed, I purchased the fleece accessories (tunnels, cozies, and cuddle cups) from Etsy and most of the seller instructions also state to wash in cold/luke warm and air dry or low heat. I air dry all my fleece items 3-4 days, as I live in San Francisco, a cool weather area. That is why I bought so many liners, in case I get lazy and don't want to do laundry for awhile. I recently started using small potty pads in another high traffic corner.

rjespicer, you might want to try potty pads for high traffic areas of the piggy habitat. It should help keep their space cleaner longer and being smaller, is much easier to wash and dry.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 18, 2018 4:40 pm


We have 4 liners, 2 in the cage at a time, but as I said we have stopped using the pockets on the Guineadads completely and now have fleece forests with potty pads down one end and Cuddle Cups up the other. Our concern was that our 3 girls were sleeping under the blankets where there is little or no ventilation so when they do so they are not breathing fresh air when they sleep.

We had been spot cleaning 3-4 times a day and switching out the Guinedads for clean ones every 2-3 days and it was still an issue. We usually do a pre-soak wash with detergent and then a Rinse and Spin with no detergent. If they get too smelly or washing doesn't get rid of all the smell then we soak the for a couple of hours with some white vinegar but doing that every 2-3 days can be time consuming especially at the moment when we are having to medicate and hand feed a sick piggy. May see if adding the vinegar to the rinse cycle is a workable option.

We are in SF too but dont really have the facility to air dry so have been using the cool dryer cycle. I will see if there is some way we can do this but we only have a small deck which doesn't get much sun but does get a lot of wind funneled through it, there just isn't much space to set up a drying line though.

Our other concern about drying outside is that where we are there are a lot of rats and raccoons in our area and we dont want to end up getting any contamination from them onto the bedding. It also gets pretty foggy and damp in the evening.

Will see about getting some more potty pads for other areas.

I cant state categorically that that there is a correlation but all 3 of our girls started having issues when they began sleeping and spending more time in the Guineadad pockets. We reviewed all teh changes that had been made at different times and that was what coincided with them having breathing issues.

Now we have stopped them using the pockets the one that was having serious breathing issues suddenly perked up and is almost back to her old self although she is still on meds and needs hand feeding 3 times a day.

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:47 pm


SSLee just curious but what do the microfleeces look like?
I Googled them and kept getting Microfiber cleaning cloths come up instead.
Where do you usually get them from?

SSLee

Post   » Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:52 pm


rjespicer, I meant microfiber but accidentally typed microfleece (although there is such a fabric and it wicks away moisture). Sorry about that as I know from reading your past posts that you are very dedicated to the health of your piggies and would research immediately. You do a more careful job than I do of washing the liners. I am also a part-time caregiver to my father and right now, the piggies and I are staying mainly at his place. I am washing the piggie items in his building's washers, which only has one rinse cycle. I've put liners through two complete washes for those times when I was lazy and didn't get to them for over a week. Except for the tub, I don't have anywhere to soak the liner for a long time. My father does not want me to use the bathtub; apparently it freaks him out having guinea pig pee in his tub.

Bay Area Bird Hospital on Taraval Street is also the vet we use. The VCA hospital on South Van Ness is also very good for guinea pig care; hopefully your piggies will not have to visit the vet again soon.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:51 am


OK Thanks for the info.
Yes I have done and am doing a lot of research, I have to. My wife got the Guinea Pigs without consulting me first and has a very laid back approach to their care.
If I had my way we would not have any pets as I know how much work they are (and Guinea Pigs need even more care than most) and I know that I get way to attached to them and it hurts to lose them. We have already spent thousands on vet bills not to mention what we have spent on cages, bedding, food, hay etc.and she only got them in March/April. She just didn't seem to appreciate what she was taking on, or more correctly what she was expecting me to take on. She is prone to impulse purchases.
I am trying to see if I can come up with a more efficient way of cleaning the liners as most of my day outside of work is currently taken up with piggy care, they dont seem to be getting a smelly now we dont use the pockets so I may be able to start adding the vinegar to the wash cycle rather than having to soak them.
The daughter helps with feeding and cleaning during the day during the week which is a big relief. The wife keeps saying she will help but rarely does and if she does she is apt to do things "Her Way" rather than the way that is best for the piggies. It can be very frustrating.
The more info I can glean from others to help save time and keep the girls happy and healthy the better.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:21 pm


The absolute cheapest, easiest, most odor-free bedding you can use is wood pellets. I use TerrAmigo, which is marketed as horse stall bedding. But any stove pellets without an accelerant or horse stall bedding that don't smell strongly of pine can be used.

Two sacks of pellets, about $15 total, lasted me almost 10 months without having to be changed. I was going for a year, but recently had to move the cage, and it was far too heavy to move with the pellets in it.

I use a thin piece of fleece over the pellets, held down by bricks, but you can find other methods of holding it in place if you have burrowing pigs. The fleece can be taken out and shaken and put back in if not too dirty, or you can replace it with clean fleece. The pellets need to be stirred every six weeks or so.

Before washing, I shake the fleece out, then put it in laundry bags. You could brush it first, but I'm too lazy. I let it pile up in the garage until I'm ready to wash, then do all the fleece laundry in the same day. I have to wipe down the inside of the washer afterward, and also the dryer, but I haven't had any problems with filters clogging. And since I've got enough fleece to only have to wash about every six weeks, it isn't much of a chore.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:55 pm


bpatters.
What fleece do you use and where do you get it from?
I assume you mean just regular fleece blankets not the ones with UHaul liners sewed in to them?
Are all fleece blankets OK or do they need to be a particular type?
Roughly how frequently do you have to change the fleeces?
How many fleeces do you have to keep you going that long and what size are they (and your cage)?

I am busy trying to find a supplier near us (Nor Cal) but not having much luck

Post Reply