Cage odors?

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Rocinante

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:04 pm


Try placing some charcoal briquettes in a small container (coffee can) and punch holes in it to allow it to absorb the odors.

I don't think charcoal is toxic, but keep the can out of the cage and place it nearby. It works very well in absorbing odors. After a few weeks, the charcoal stops working and you can throw it out and replace it; it's cheap.

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Aridane

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:05 pm


Wow, rocinate, I had never thought of that! I think we have some charcoal in the shed from this summer - I will give it a try!

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new piggie mom

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:14 pm


Activated carbon should be totally safe. Aquarium water and drinking water for humans is generally run through activated carbon to purify it. I wonder if a layer spread under the last layer of bedding, were thhe piggies are unlikely to reach it, might help too?

Naturally, if they smell that bad that fast, perhaps have them checked for urinary tract infections. I had one piggie who smelled bad even minutes after a cage cleaning. It was CHOKINGLY pungent. Yuckk. And she and her quarantine cage were always sopping wet.

Now that she has been under treatment for UTI, her cage stays sweeter-smelling for days, not minutes.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:30 pm


NPM, I think putting the charcol under the fleece would make too big of a mess. When I used to do "make your own water filter" with kids, the carbon was the messiest component. It's very tightly confined in a water filter to keep it clean.

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CavyConfusion
Cavy Slave since '05

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:49 pm


We learned our solution at the regional convention that we got our first pig from. (We didn't know any better back then.) There were many hundereds of pigs in a fancy motel ball-room and no smell! The secret was wood pellets for burning in a wood pellet stove for heat (easy to find in high/cold country but may be difficult elsewhere). They are an absolute Godsend for absorbing moisture and odor.

I had quinea pigs as a kid and used cedar shavings (now considered bad, I realize) and the ammonia urine order was terrible after a couple days. If you use wood pellets, there is virtually no smell for many days. the pellets even let you know when they need changing. they dissolve and turn to saw-dust consistancy as they absorb moisture (and smell). When the majority starts to look like the floor of a wood working shop, it is definately time to change them (preferably, you will change them before this point).

We had covered the entire floor of the cages with these, but that tends to be a bit trouble some and uses a lot of pellets (they are fairly cheap, but this method had us using a full 40 pound bag every week or so). We now have a fleece floor (with a matress pad and newspaper underneath), but beer flat boxes of pellets for "pee" boxes in each cage. We put the hay lofts above these boxes to give the little guys an extra reason to hang out in the box and get used to being in them. These need to be changed only every few days.

I may be a bit nose deaf, but we have had no comments from any visitors (including those that are not nose deaf or have any real concern of social grace). This method (asside from the total floor coverage) does depend upon your pets willingness to use the boxes. Ours occasionally miss, but most of the time they have found that the boxes are best. We only (thank God for smart little pigs) change the fleece once every week or so (and then, usually because they have found a way to completely make a mess of the floor with small bits of hay). We also vacuum the cage once a day.

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new piggie mom

Post   » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:00 pm


Hmmm, rshevin, you're right. Unless, maybe, do they still make those flat carbon cartridges that would slide into a filter box? They were the size of a large post-card, a porous sleeve with carbon inside. Maybe laying one under a potty corner might help? (OK, it's late and my brain might be on vacation-!) Heck maybe I'll try to find one, just to see.

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SusanL

Post   » Sun Feb 18, 2007 12:14 am


Here's how we keep the smell down, and I realize that not everyone has the space we do, but maybe some of this will help.

First, we have 4 adult pigs: 2 boars, 1 neutered boar, 1 sow. We have two 3x6 cage grids. Two pigs in each 3x6 cage. We also don't use a coroplast base.

So, we cut 2 large, heavy-duty construction trash bags so that they were flat, and laid them down over the carpet. Then, we put x-large size puppy training pads over those. These pads have a lining that absorbs fluids. We used to use old towels, but the washing and changing effort became too much for a working family. The puppy pads are expensive, though, but worth it, as you'll see below.

Over that, we layer on some el-cheapo fleece blankets we picked up for $4 each at the fabric store. These aren't very absorbent at first, but the more you wash them, the more absorbent they get. I would avoid using any kind of fabric softener in the wash. I like the vinegar idea, and will try that next time.

Then we lay the cage grids over the fleeces, leaving us at least a foot between them and around them so we can service the hay, food, water, etc.

Here's the part that really helped, when we did this: We found 4 plastic bins at a Walmart that measured 18" x 24" x 6" approximately. We got what was on sale. Then we used a razor knife to cut an opening in one side. The healthy pigs just step right in; they don't need an opening, but one of our pigs is crippled, so he needs an entrance. Then we put Carefresh in that. I'm also thinking about starting to use a folded towel under the Carefresh. Anyway, this makes an eating/litter area.

We hang their water dispensers over the litter area. We put their pellet bowls in there, too. Then we got 4 wire baskets at K-mart and we hang those from the side using paper clamps, and we put hay in the baskets. The basket hangs high enough up that they can hide underneath it if they want to, and they frequently do. In fact, the sow pulls hay down around the sides so that she has a hay tunnel.

They do all their eating, nearly all their peeing, and most of their pooping in the litter box, which we change as often as needed. They don't have a regular change schedule, since even though all the pigs have their own litter area, they usually end up sharing, so one gets messier faster than the other. Also, every day or so, as needed, we use a Dustbuster to vacuum up the poops that don't make it into the litter box.

The first day we did this, I was flabbergasted at how well it worked. The pigs actually took to the litter boxes extremely well. In the mornings, we pick up any leftover vegetable pieces and vacuum up the poops. Then we check the litter boxes to see if they need changing. The ones that don't, we just clean up the Carefresh from the fleece, then refill the food and hay and water, and that's it.

We only have to change the fleece and puppy pads every two weeks!

The good thing about the puppy pads is that you can immediately see where any pee has leaked through when you change it the first time. Then, when you put the cage back up, just put a folded towel or the litter box in that area, and really, you'll be able to catch pretty much all their messes.

I also have in the room, large bins with rolled up towels, and good size bins with lids that I keep hay in (once punching holes around the sides so the hay can breathe and not mold or anything.) I have a bucket with an air-tight lid that holds the pellets.

The only thing is, the room still smells like a barn, because of the hay. :-) But at least it doesn't smell like urine.

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WindeSpirit
Sewing for a Cause

Post   » Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:02 am


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?

Personal observations from our home, the thinner fleece isn't your problem, but the towels, yes. Thin towels are not always the best choice when you got the towel & fleece back to back like that.

But then there's the detergents, some work better then others at different view points. Also there is the fact of how full is the washer being packed. Things do seem to work hand in hand with the next to get the outcome. But like I said, that's my personal observations.

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CavySlaveinCA

Post   » Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:35 am


I'm a bit of a self-styled expert on fleece. I've tested out multiple methods as well as a few types of fleece. My question is exactly where it the odor coming from? If it's from the fleece then simply drop in a bit of chlorine bleach into the water before you wash it. Fleece actually works better if there are no perfumes of any kind, and most especially NO softening agents of any kind. No dryer sheets or liquid softeners. The glue that adheres itself to the fabric to make it feel softer actually also adheres the bacteria and odors along with it. In addition, it completely defeats the purpose by removing it's absorbency

Fleece washed in the following method has no smell whatsoever. It needs to be washed in hot water. Personally, I try to use the "free" types of laundry soap. It worries me to think of using perfumed products for the purpose of fleece bedding. To me the fragrance and other additives seem like they would agitate the skin and sinus of piggies living on it 24/7.

Fleece needs to be washed with a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of chlorine bleach, such as Clorox. This is for all colored fleece. Fleece does not fade with bleach as long as it is placed into the water before the fleece. I have a tie-dye piece for a year and its been bleached every time and still looks bright. Using non-chlorine bleach will not kill the bacteria.

The bleach helps to kill any bacterial build-up as well helps a bit on detergent build-up. It's important not to use too much though, as bleach on the fabric of clothing for even humans can cause serious chaffing. If one chooses to use more bleach, I would recommend strongly to do an extra rinse cycle.

Finishing with a small amount of vinegar in the rinse cycle (about 1/2 cup) will finish cutting detergent build-up, reduce static and fluff up the fleece like new.

Personally, I don't like using towels under the fleece really. I do urge you to bleach out the towels if you are going to use them. The bacterial build-up would be immense because they are going to absorb the urine, but never dry out.

My own favorite is to use polyester quilt batting or hospital pads like these: http://stores.ebay.com/petnvet
Image
I lay down a super thick layer of packaged polyester quilt batting (about 2-4 inches) and put the fleece on top.

The urine gets dispensed quickly throughout it and it's basically never wet. My pigs use the area that has this thick batting as their "resting place". I do this on my upper level and it took a month before it finally started to have any kind of smell and I decided to remove it to wash it. (I simply changed the fleece weekly) The batting is cleaned by laying it in the bathtub in hot water and bleach. I soak it for an hour and then just drain it out and lay it on the patio to dry the rest of the way. Plain quilt batting would never take a washing machine or dryer (except a spin dry in the washer) and it would bunch up and be ruined. That's why I wash it somewhat delicately. Since it's only to remove the urine there isn't a need to agitate it in the washer anyway.

On my lower level, I actually sewed up a comforter using fleece. I love it. I have no odor, and it's super easy to change, and to wash.

Hope that helps those of you with odor problems. I say don't be afraid to try different things for the absorbency level, and also to test out different fleece types. For example, I've even found that simply using a quadruple thickness of fleece can make a big difference in keeping things "high and dry".

Some people are averse to using chlorine bleach and prefer using "Oxiclean". I'm sure it works as well, since I love Oxiclean myself for cutting odors out of my kitchen handtowels. Soaking in it makes a huge diffference.

PatsPigs

Post   » Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:29 am


I am new to using fleece bedding. I have a large 2 x 5 C&C cage for 2 little girls who both tend to pee where she rest--pigloo, box, etc., and so sits in it. They have long hair (which I do trim) which is frequently wet, which concerns me. I have been using disposable hospital-type pads under the fleece with a double to triple layer of fleece over the pads. I really do like using fleece and would appreciate any advice on how to ensure quick and efficient wicking of urine through the fleece to keep my little girls clean and healthy. Would spot areas of CareFresh under the fleece, on top of the hospital pads, help? I have been washing the fleece in "Free" laundry detergent (i.e. no perfumes, etc.) though I have been using a 1/3 piece of dryer sheet in dryer to stop the static.

Any help appreciated,
Pat

HollyT
Get on your bike.

Post   » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:35 pm


Not all fleece is created equal. What kind do you have?

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vanillapooh1979

Post   » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:41 pm


If it is just odor in the air a cup of apple vinegar sitting out will remove all the odor . I even use this in my bathrooms behind the toilets to eliminate the pee smell that comes with having boys that don't aim so well. It doesn't mask the smell it absorbs the smell.

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