Newspaper As Cage Bedding

When I read the e-mail from Joanne, one of our supporters, my first reaction was stupefied silence:

A piggy friend of mine posted that there was a piggy who suddenly stopped eating. It turns out after a vet visit, that a staple was stuck to the roof of his mouth! Naturally, if he tried to bite down it would hurt.  Apparently this person had lined his cage with a publication that contained staples.

My second reaction was, "Really, people? Does this have to be explained? Staples in a cage with critters who chew and gnaw and shred?" (I know...I know...it could have been said more gently.)

My third reaction was, "Oh ick, wet newspaper!" Every time I think of newspaper in cages, I think of the cages in shelters, lined with newspaper that so easily gets wet, then shreds into soggy bits the wetter it gets and the more the critters scramble over it. I think of the guinea pigs and rabbits I've pulled out of those cages, with inky feet and soaking wet bellies and rumps. I always think, "This is no way to live, no matter how temporarily."

I know there's folks who put layers of newspaper under layers of fleece, instead of using store-bought cage bedding. The fleece part I can understand -- it's washable, it's not going into landfills in plastic bags, it may be cheaper than conventional cage bedding (I've never done the math to figure the annual cost of store-bought bedding vs. annual costs for detergent, hot water, and gas or electricity). I also can see using just layers of fleece to line the bottom of the cage.

But handling all that wet newspaper? Ick. Double ick.

So for the folks who use newspaper for cage bedding along with fleece, share with us (please) why you went that route. How wet does the paper get? How much fleece do you layer on top? Doesn't the fleece get inky and hard to clean? What does the newspaper/fleece combination give that just using fleece doesn't? And if you use only newspaper, please share your experiences.

Comments

[Catherine]

Good question! I wouldn't do newspaper - paper just isn't absorbent enough and my pigs love to eat it.

I do 3 layers of terry cloth, then a layer of absorbent fleece - the whole thing gets shaken out and washed in hot water at least once week. I use a tissue to pick up waste from the surface everyday (with a good hand washing afterwards).

I also do small cat litter pans filled with Carefresh - two in each cage, and that is where the water bottles and hay are. My pigs frequently hop up to potty there rather than on the fleece. I change these as needed, no less than once a week.

[Rene]

Thanks for sharing Laurie! I've thought about using fleece but worry that it would stay too wet. Do the towels underneath the fleece soak up urine? My concern is the smell. You also said that the fleece is water-repellent. Doesn't that cause the urine to sit and not soak through?? I'd love to move away from aspen bedding, which I currently use. Thanks! Rene

[Laurie]

Hi - I have used fleece for a long time but never with newspapers. Instead, I line the cage with 2 or 3 towels then 2 layers of fleece. It is long-lasting, and works just fine for my piggies. All I have to do is wash everything once a week. Daily, I remove the top 2 layers of fleece, shake out the waste, and replace it. Since the fleece I buy is water-repellant, it lasts a while. It's economical and good for the environment as well.