Trying another new litter - results are in

For the pigs rather than the buns - the buns have gone back on to hay and newspaper ( Flo's foot is looking much better ) 

I am trying a Miscanthus horse bedding - http://www.burlerrowfarm.co.uk/burlybed.html It cost £7 for a big bale  and it is well compressed.

Here are the pigs on the new litter. They are looking slightly bedraggled as they have had a bath this afternoon and are still damp. Nutmeg on the right is still having some eye problems so she's squinting at you as well.

You will have to let us know how it works Cheryl.

Lovely to see piggies :-)

I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes

I'm not sure about yours, but my guinea pigs were always really gross so they're probably the best test of how well it works

They are so cute!

Gross doesn't even begin to cover it!   

I always tell people who say they are thinking about getting guinea pigs for their children that they need to be prepared for just how mucky they are and amount of cleaning out they will need to do.

what litter didi they all used to be on?

We have tried almost everything. The girls are quite elderly now and Nutmeg has had foot problems in the past which is due to poor circulation. So the upshot is they need to be dry as possible or her feet swell up. For ages we used megazorb but that just gets too wet too quickly as pigs tend to lie where they have peed. I quite like nedz bed advance which is a straw pellet but as with yesterdays news and the other pellets I am always concerned about the hardness on their feet initially. Nedz Advance is super absorbent though and it has been my favourite litter so far.

Well I have checked this morning and despite having 3 wet piggies on it yesterday and the pigs having peed on it overnight the miscanthus is still dry.

How lovely to see the piggies     

Like you I just use newspaper and hay with the bunnies. I have a couple of friends who collect newspapers for me. I adore the number puzzles in the Times, which is what one of my friends reads. I make sure I take the relevant pages out before it goes into the litter trays!

Poor thing, it is difficult to find a soft enough and absorbent enough one. We use back 2 nature for Dougal but think the pellets would be too hard and big for the pigs.

That sounds great if it is still dry, looking promising.

And my verdict is that I quite like it.

It absorbs quite well and Nutmegs feet are currently still looking good.

It also is good at minimising odours. Prior to using this miscanthus I had been using up an old bag of megazorb. After using the Nedz advance I found the megazorb quite bad a reducing pig pee smell and would often come home to the smell of pigs. This had not been a problem with the miscanthus. And you just remove the old hay from the top and then remove any wet and particularly pooey bits say to day. I think this might be a winner as is available locally (the manufacturers/farmers are only about 5 miles from my house) and is a good price.

Funny you say this. Lots of people recommended Megazorb so I gave it a go. But I don't think the odour control is good at all. It was better with the wood pellets I got for the cat litter trays.
I have ordered back to nature and carefree and if this fails it will be back to the wood,pellets. Yes Megazorb absorbs the fluid but this is only important if the litter trays are left for extender times. Mine get cleaned on a daily base so it is not appropriate.

If you are changing daily then newspaper and hay is fine and no litter is required for the buns. Pigs are just stinky as they have a high ammonia content to their pee which can burn their bare feet.

Would it be any use for rabbits, Cheryl?

c.bolduan wrote:Funny you say this. Lots of people recommended Megazorb so I gave it a go. But I don't think the odour control is good at all. It was better with the wood pellets I got for the cat litter trays.
I have ordered back to nature and carefree and if this fails it will be back to the wood,pellets. Yes Megazorb absorbs the fluid but this is only important if the litter trays are left for extender times. Mine get cleaned on a daily base so it is not appropriate.

Back 2 Nature is excellent. By far the best litter I've ever used. But unfortunately, it is costing me a small fortune

I would say it would be fine for rabbits. The blurb on the compay website says it is fine for all small furries. You just have to check with the local merchant that their brand of miscanthus has no added ingredients.

Something else to be put on the shopping list by the sounds of it!         

Well I have now tried it with the buns now and they are using it without eating it and it is pretty absorbant.

Glad it's working well - I've not heard of miscanthus before. I use fitch paper bedding for the pigs. It's absorbent, not dusty and doesn't have a strong odour - quite important as the pigs are in the living room. A bale lasts me ages.

Incidentally, I don't find the pigs that gross - it might be that I'm not as used to it but rabbit wee seems to smell stronger to me? Plus also, if I'd posted earlier on today, just after I'd cleaned the bedding and poo from Cadders' bum pouch, I might have been more critical of their loveliness!

Went to the pet shop in Cirencester on the way back from the vet to get some. It says on their list tha toomers would have it. No only the main shop in Swindon does it. Is it possible to order online?

Just to update you all - after buying a bale of this stuff in April I am just coming to the end of the bale. So it is fantastic value at £7. I use it in the potting type trays for both rabbits and guinea pigs changing the trays between 2 and 4 times a week depending on how disgusting they are being.

Sounds like good stuff - I had a look around online but it doesn't appear you can get it 'oop north'.

Mind you, I switched my pigs (who are generally messy, messy boys) onto fleece last month and they've suddenly litter trained themselves. They'd had litters tray in their cage for ages but just used them for entertainment rather than toileting, but as soon as I switched to fleece they use them almost exclusively. It's great for me as I can just change those out every day and keep it all clean more easily.