Guinea Pigs reek like urine

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Leb
Supporter in '08

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:58 pm


This is my first go with "fleece", I am using a guinea Dad liner with towels under, have a kitchen with carefresh bedding. After 48 hours I find the smell intolerable. I feel like I am not doing it right at all. The underside of the liner has a shiny bit, which is confusing me - shouldn't the pee be able to fall down to the towels?

Can someone please explain like I am a very small stupid person exactly what layers to line? Like on top of the coroplast towels first then fleece?

Also the white carefresh bedding stinks way more than I am used to, is there another better choice?

Thanks!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:49 pm


I looked up Guinea Dad liners. They've got fleece on top, a bamboo absorbent layer, and plastic on the bottom. You don't need towels.

By far the best thing in a cage for odor control and for saving money is horse stall bedding. Two $8 bags of horse stall bedding lasted me 10 months, and would have gone longer except that I had to move the cage. And there was never any odor whatsoever.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:49 pm


I don't have much odor trouble with towels and fleece. People who have been in our home (pre-Covid) have said they don't smell anything, when asked. I put two layers of bath towels on the bottom, and then plain fleece on top. New fleece needs to be laundered a couple of times or so before actually using it.

Carefresh, on the other hand, never did much for odor control when I used it. Does it seem to be getting very wet in the 'kitchen' area?

User avatar
Leb
Supporter in '08

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:53 pm


Bpatters - I keep hearing about horse pellets for bedding, would you happen to have an online line? I don’t live in a rural area, may be a local place that sells it but I’ll have to search around and a website or brand name would be awesome!

Second do you just use the pellets as bedding and scoop out the wet? Or does it go under fleece?

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Leb
Supporter in '08

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:57 pm


Sef - Do you use regular fleece like a fleece blanket you cut, or do you buy online pre made for GPs?

So if I were to use plain bath towels, 2 layers with any fleece material laundered often in vinegar how long before you have to remove and wash it all?

I changed out the guineadad pad today and the smell is better. The carefresh isn’t really wet, it’s white so looks different. Smells weird to me from the brown stuff I used to use.

Thanks so much! I am looking forward to getting it right.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:28 pm


I liked TerrAmigo horse bedding better than anything else I ever used, and I got it at a local feed store.

But before I found it, I used just plain wooden pellets, also available from feed stores. But the brands do change fairly frequently. You have to be careful to get ones that don't smell strongly of pine and that don't have an accelerant added to them -- the wood stove pellets often do. Most places will cut a hole in a sack and let you smell the pellets before you buy them, but it helps to take a role of duct tape with you so they can seal the hole back up. Hardwood pellets, if you can find them, won't smell of pine.

The pellets turn into sawdust as they get damp, and form sort of a "floor" under the fleece. I just left it alone until there was a good layer of sawdust, and then I'd stir the whole cage. I put about 3-4 inches of pellets in, and my cage was about 16 square feet.

You do NOT need the towels. Generally, people use towels under the fleece as an absorbent layer. But the Guinea Dad bedding has the absorbent layer sewed into the blankets, and the plastic keeps the urine from coming through. The plastic is to protect whatever the blanket is on, but of course on a coroplast floor, that's not really needed.

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:58 am


Correct. She just needs towels if she wants to use regular fleece and not the liners.

I just use plain fleece, which can be bought by the yard at places like Wal-Mart, or you can buy fleece blankets and cut to size. If you go that route, just make sure the labelling says Fleece and not the material labelled "Plush." Heavier fleece tends to wick better for me.

I sweep out the cages nightly and do piggy laundry on the weekend. I generally don't use vinegar; just unscented laundry detergent.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:32 am


I use a top layer of fleece fabric (I like the anti-pill plush) with washable bed pads used in hospitals and care centers for incontinence. They are quilted and moisture wicking and have a waterproof backing. I have 1 Guinea pig in an 8-sq foot cage and I wash everything every 3 days. I also use wee pads in the corners of the cage. That’s where she tends to go the most, and the pads are just a top layer of fleece over a light kitchen towel or dish draining mat sewn together with a plain fabric backing.

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:11 am


I believe the kitty litter Feline Pine is the same as the horse pellets. You can get it at most pet stores. It is just a little more expensive than horse pellets, but still cheap compared to other beddings. You would probably need 2 bags for a 2x4 C&C. I agree, it is the best for no smell. They are just a little heavy when you need to replace them in the cage but that is not too often.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Mon Aug 31, 2020 7:29 pm


By far the best thing in a cage for odor control and for saving money is horse stall bedding. Two $8 bags of horse stall bedding lasted me 10 months, and would have gone longer except that I had to move the cage. And there was never any odor whatsoever.
I can totally confirm this to be accurate. I use this on my boys and I change their fleece every other day or every second day at the most. Bottom line is that they never spend more than 72 hours on the same blanket. I made bumpers out of 1X 2 boards and covered them in fleece with thick plastic underneath. They fit snugly and hold the fleece in place. They also prevent the guinea pigs from burrowing under the fleece where all of the urine goes to be absorbed. When I change their fleece, I scoop out any wet pellets and replace it with dry. It's usually only in one or two spots where they do most of their business. This system works very well for us.

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Leb
Supporter in '08

Post   » Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:02 pm


Thanks so much for the information! Someone called me from guinea pig cages and gave a very long scientific explanation about the best way to reduce ammonia, which is the urine smell, is to use the wood pellets and then add shaved hemp over it. So what I did was "switch" their cage around so the majority is wood pellets with shaved hemp, and the old "kitchen" is their "bedroom". I hung corner canopies and have down a 1x2 guinea dad liner. The bedding smells soooooo much better. Home Depot delivers the 40 lbs of wood pellets for about $10, however I am interested in the horse bedding and will look into it. Can anyone suggest cuddle cups? The ones on the guinea pig market place are $40 each which I do not understand! I used to have about 6 cups and the cozy flat pags they could also burrow inside of. I like to have a lot to switch out when they're dirty, but at $40 each that seems insane to me!

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Sep 19, 2020 1:37 am


I have a Kaytee Cuddle E Cup that was a gift. I've had it a couple of years and it's pretty durable. Chewy has these for $11.75. My guinea pig likes it but it eventually becomes a bathroom. What she seems to like more is a corner with a plush fleece towel and fabric draped right overhead so it feels enclosed. I use small binder clips and the car polishing fleece cloths from Dollar Tree.

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