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

[Whitney]

Hi Dana:
I've heard of folks doing different combinations of bedding using newspaper -- towels on top of newspapers, fleece on top of newspaper, and so forth. All were cleaning cages about as often as you are.

I would use your guinea pigs' physical appearance as a guideline for how well this approach is working for them. Are their feet or fur often stained with newspaper ink? Is their rump or belly (or both) wet?

If they're clean and dry and their cage doesn't smell, then your approach is likely working fine. If not, then you'll want to use something else on top of the newspaper, like fleece, towels, or a thin layer of CareFresh.

Also, make certain they're not digging up the newspaper and eating it. If they are, you'll definitely want to put something heavier over the newspaper (like fleece) or layer on a denser bedding product (like CareFresh).

[Dana]

I use several layers of newspaper underneath a thick layer of all-natural, color-free, recycled-paper based bedding. The bedding absorbs any liquids very well and the only part that gets wet is under her water bottle spout. It makes the old bedding easy to replace (everything just gets rolled up), which I do every 2-3 days. Does this sound safe?

[alyssa]

Hi everyone, so I guess I'm the comment you have been waiting for lol. I DO in fact use newspaper under my fleece. At first I was using the towel technique but since I wash everything by hand the towels became extremely heavy and difficult to work with. They also took a long time to hang dry. So I began experimenting with other things including mattress pads and newspaper. The mattress pads were fine but were rather expensive. The newspaper on the other hand was virtually free and seemed to be just as effective as long the newspaper is changed frequently and a litter pan is available. The newspaper is layed down pretty thick and it does not leak any ink onto the fleece surprisingly. It doesn't get soggy like you might think and it just feels damp. I haven't had any problems with it at all and my guinea girl is always nice and dry. I only have one guinea pig however (she was housed as a lone guinea pig when I rescued her and an attempt at a friend intro didn't go well) so for two guinea pigs you might have to do a quick exchange of the newspaper halfway through the week. Hope I helped clear things up!

[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.