Cage odors?

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Aridane

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:05 am


I am sure this has probably been posted somewhere before, but I fully confess to being too lazy to look it up.

Here's my problem:

I have my two pigs in a 2x4, bedded on fleece. They have been with us since December. I change the once every day to day and a half. Even though I consider myself to be a pretty conscientious gp owner, it has come to the point that you just can't deny that "barnyard odor" in my house. The boys are in a high traffic area in the heart of our house and the smell is undeniable. (Me personally, I grew up on a farm, around animals of all types, so I don't mind the smells at all, but houseguests are starting to raise an eyebrow.)

What do you folks use to keep odors at a minimum? I need to tell you all that I am allergic to a lot of soaps, cleaning products and etc. I am also allergic to artificial air fresheners. Just about anything that has a strong scent.

-- I just had a thought: I think there are unscented 'odor neutralizers' out there. Have any of you tried one? And what were your results?
Thanks in advance, all!

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sus4rabbitsnpigs

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:16 am


Is there an odor to the fleece after you wash it? Sometimes adding vinegar to the wash helps.

Otherwise - what are you putting under the fleece? What kind of fleece is it? Some fleece is better than others.

Gessika

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:39 am


I had two pigs in a 2x4 C&C with a 1x2 loft (now I have three) and I change the fleece 1x a week.

I put a layer of towels down and then polyester fleece. Some of the fleece I have is thicker than the others and the thinner stuff gets smellier faster.

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Aridane

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:03 am


Ok - we are going to try the vinegar, it sounds like it could really help.

We use the thinner fleece, so that is probably why it is getting smelly quicker. The towels we have been using underneath are on the thin side as well, so I will maybe add another layer of towels - more absorption = less smell, maybe?

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akintolife

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:49 am


I use fleece and towels for most of the girls cage, however I have a small section around the water bottles and food bowls that is divided off and has recycled paper bedding and newspapers rather than fleece and that really seems to help, since it's in the areas most likely to get wet.

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catzattack
Piggie Power

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:44 am


I can't figure out how some people can get by with only changing their fleece once a week. I read this all the time. Both my towels and newspapers under the fleece get soaked with urine after only a day! Plus, the poops make the fleece poopy smelling, and naturally the rooms smells! Even if vacuumed or picked clean!

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WEAVER
one pig at a time.

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:00 am


There is no way my cages could go a whole week either. Every other day to every second day is max on my cage(with the exception of the herd's cage because it is double the recommended size) or I think it stinks and has wet spots. I only use the premium fleece otherwise I can smell it a lot sooner.

Brandilynn
Who's your Branni?

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:32 am


I would think that incontinence pads are much more absorbant than newspapers.

Guest

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:44 am


When I used fleece, I only changed it out once a week. I had a layer of fleece with a layer of towel and a layer of puppy pads underneath that. Except when my head was in the cage to sweep up poops and near the end of the week, I never smelled much of anything at all. I buy the puppy pads by the boxload from a seller I found on ebay. It takes 8 of them to make an even layer over the bottom of my cage, and a box of 200 lasts about 20-25 cage cleanings.

I'm seriously considering going back to the fleece bedding. While the shavings seem to control odor longer if I'm a day or two late cleaning out the cage, I had forgotten how much garbage there is with them.

Brandilynn
Who's your Branni?

Post   » Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:22 am


Shavings make my lungs close up and fast. I also think with all the vacuuming I do of stray poos and hay..that I would be really weary of all the crazy shavings on the floor!!

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Aridane

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:52 pm


Just wanted to add that I tried the vinegar when washing the fleece and it worked great! I am still getting a bit of a 'barnyard odor', but it is more the hay than anything. What the heck, people will just have to deal with it. :) The hay is nice and fragrant, and that just means it's good quality for my boys. :)

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toriandlukesmom2

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:08 pm


I have switched to fleece for about 2 weeks now. I change mine twice a week. My mother has the most sensitive nose in the world and is not too enthused about the "contraption" in the living room, and she says she can't smell a thing.

Maybe it is because mine are still babies, but here is our setup:

They are in a 2x5 with a 1x2 hayloft. I use 2 layers of newspapers, a layer of thick towels, and 2 layers of fleece, which is thick because it is actually a fleece blanket cut up.

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