Bedding Options

[UP Lisa]

What do you all use for litter pans? Do they actually use them?

Lisa

[Pozone]

On the alternative-bedding theme . . . for about the last month we´ve been using polarfleece blankets, which so far have worked out well. In one end of the cage is a kitty litter box lined with newspaper and a thick layer of hay (changed daily -- this is where both pigs do the majority of their hanging out and peeing). The rest of the cage is a cheap fleece blanket -- I have two and change them every 2-3 days -- doubled over, and underneath that, a thick layer of newspaper. A couple of times a day I shake out the blanket into the trash, and once a day I´ll turn it so that a fresh side is "up." I find that any wetness tends to get wicked down into the newspaper, while the surface the pigs are on stays dry and soft. The fleece is also a lot easier to wash and dry than towels were -- I went that route briefly, but I don´t have a tumble dryer, and the laundry load became too unmanageable very quickly. Not a problem with fleece. The blankets cost me roughly $4 apiece at the discount shop, and the newspaper we have lying around anyway, newsaholics that we are, so this setup has been a good one from the economic standpoint as well. I´d initially read something about using fleece as a dust-free bedding for asthmatic pigs -- my pigs aren´t asthmatic, but my husband and son are, so I thought I´d give it a whirl. So far, as I say, I´m really happy with it -- I´m not cleaning the cage any more often than I was spot-cleaning with shavings, and a whole-cage cleanup is actually much easier and quicker than the old spot-cleanings were.

[KarasKavies]

Pozone, how big is your cage and how many pigs do you have? I really like the idea of using fleece, but I think my cage is too big. It is 6 by 2 grids with a loft. I have 4, soon to be 5, pigs. I wish there was a place in the pen where the girls did NOT pee!! Seems like I am always picking up handfuls of wet litter.

[youngseph]

i get all my cavy stuff like bedding and pellets at my friends werehouse so i get 30 pound bags for 3 dollors good deal eh?fresh and good

[Lynx]

A good deal if they are good quality pellets. Not all pellets are created equal, however.

[youngseph]

i read a book and it says what the pellets need in them they have the same and in some they have more

[Lynx]

If you want some feedback on the actual quality of your pellets, you might list the manufacturer and ingredients.

They may look the same superficially, but can be a poorer quality product. Not to say yours is, you haven´t told us what you are using. Some guinea pig pellets are even made with animal byproducts (not recommended).

[Pozone]

Hi, Kara --

Re the polarfleece question -- I have two pigs in (cringe -- I know it´s too small) a 7 sq.-foot cage. They spend a lot of time out of the cage, which may be one reason the fleece works well, though even in the morning, when they´ve been in all night, it´s still pretty dry. They have never been real neatniks, when it comes to where they pee, but they seem to pee most in the "hay room" at one end, since it´s where they spend most of their time, hanging out and grazing and sleeping. Squeaky has a favorite sleep-spot on the fleece, and that´s about the only place that ever gets damp -- mostly there´s just a pile of poop where his behind has been parked all night.

I do notice when I take up the blanket to shake it that there are pee spots on the paper underneath, so I know they´re not being all that tidy about it, yet the blanket stays dry on top. Because polarfleece is quick-drying, I think it would work even with a number of messy pigs in a cage, as long as there was something underneath to absorb the moisture (like paper). I think if it were just put straight on the cage bottom, it wouldn´t work as well. One of my grand plans when we move -- sometime in the not-too-distant, but still-indeterminate future -- is to build a seriously bigger cage for the guys, and I´ll definitely keep with this system. It´s as easy, cheap, and low-maintenance as anything I´ve tried, and the pigs seem to like the feel of the fleece. They don´t seem to chew it, either, though they´ll go for an edge of newspaper if one happens to stick out past the blanket.

[KarasKavies]

What´s the del with the newspaper?! Mine love it too. Thank you for the details. I´m spending about $20 a week right now on bedding. I could do it for less, by buying cheaper bedding, but this works for us. I think I may try the polar fleece in the are where they sleep and see how it goes there. They just pee and poo wherever they are, don´t they. I bet they poop and pee in their sleep! I´ll let you know how it goes. Mine pee in the hay area a lot too. They are just little animals aren´t they!?

[youngseph]

i rarely have wet beding when i got my pigs they were potty trained already put a liter box in the corner they only have 2 poops out of the box a week i still change it every 4 days though.

[KarasKavies]

youngseph, use punctuation so we can read your posts!

"I rarely have wet bedding. When I got my pigs they were potty trained. I already put a litter box in the corner. They only have 2 poops out of the box a week. I still change it every 4 days though."

See?!

I sure wish I could get my girls to go in one spot. We are working on it during floor time.

[rosieandco]

One of my pigs is pooping in the one spot (Padme I think) now if only they would all follow her example...