I have run out of sawdust for the Guinea Pigs

[FabIsGoingToGetFit]

Will they be okay just on paper for 1 hour while I get some?

definatly

Thank you.

They are outside atm but I am worried it is going to rain so would have to put them away quick. I haven't time to go the pet shop and come home again before school time and don't want to leave them any sooner than I have too.

I don't use sawdust at all so I'm sure they will be fine.I didn't think you were supposed to use sawdust for guineas?

I don't use sawdust for mine either. I might have read it's not that good for them, but i might be wrong.

Mine have poncy timothy hay. Although I have noticed a new craze for posh hay for piggies. We had some fancy hay & dandelion mix the other week. Spoilt little furballs.

Oh bugger. We have used it since we had them in September and have just bought a massive bag. It does say okay for small animals???

Just checked - it is wood shavings.

They'll be fine on newspaper for a short time, it's not very absorbent though.

We stopped putting ours on shavings as I got thoroughly fed up of the mess (ours are in the living room), and 2 of them started having problems with hair loss and skin irritation, which the vet said was probably caused by the shavings.

We now have them on fleece, with DS's old cloth nappies as the absorber. It works fantastically- hoover every day or so to pick up the poos, and then chuck it all in the washing machine on 60 once a week. Doesn't smell and they look so cosy!

If you're interested, more here. Best thing we ever did, would never go back to shavings now.

That sounds like a great idea. Where can I buy the right fleece from?

I keep mine on fleece too.. very economical and a lot less messy. I get my fleece in Ikea or Primark. You just need to wash and dry it three or four times before you use it as it will improve the absorbency and let the wee pass through it so its not damp for your guineas.

Cat Litter is brilliant - we use it under straw for or GPs and our rats.

The wooden pellets that is not the gravelly stuff.

Try shredded paper

We just bought cheap fleece blankets, as kingprawntikka says you need to wash it 3 or 4 times first, otherwise the wee doesn't go through and will just sit on the top!

If you have a look around on the internet there's loads of information on keeping pigs on fleece. Once you get used to it it's so easy- ours are currently drying on the line with the guinea pigs out on the grass.

We use towels for our pigs (used to use fleece) we change it every day but its fine.

Sawdust/shavings are not recommended for pigs because of the dust factor I think?

Why is it so important to sweep up the poos every day? We never do this, just take the lot out with the newspaper when we clean the hutch.
Does fleece make it more important?

It's not massively important, we do have times when they go longer with the poos not being cleaned out, and when we hoover every day or so it's more of a spot clean of the messy areas.
It's more just it doesn't look nice, and I don't like the thought of them stepping on them!
And I find that as they often sit in the same areas, they poo a lot in those areas, and then wee on top. Not removing the poos regularly can make them almost cement to the fleece, which makes it quite difficult to get them off after a week!

Thanks for all these ideas.

We currently have news paper then wood shavings on top. It says suitable for small animals so I thought it was okay. They also have a fabulous cosy bed to sleep in.

We don't have an Ikea near but there is a Primark in town, never been in so should be interesting.

Thanks again.