Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/19 19:00I'm going through the whole debate on whether to even bother with a litterbox when I bring my baby home in September. It seems like such a hassle and most hogs don't even pick up the habit. So, I've thought of different pros and cons to beddings and liners. I don't really like the idea of doing all that laundry, but I know it's safer for the hedgie in terms of parasites, so I've considered it.
I'm wondering about using pillowcases (the kind that are made like tee shirt material), with velcro at the ends to keep them closed. They could be stuffed with old towels or fleece scraps or even the stuffing for making quilts and comforters. Has anyone tried this? My cage is just about the right size for the pillowcases to fit nicely, and filling them with scraps of things makes them fit better because they are not just one stiff piece. Any concerns about trying this?
Also, I think I've heard of someone who had the Marchioro cages with grass growing in the pan. What do you all think about this? I'm assuming it is like the grass that you can buy in the butter bowls that you just water the seeds and grass comes up and you feed it to cats/guinea pigs/rabbits? If you could fill your cage with such grass, would you? Obviously, it would let the hog root around in it, but would the grass stay alive with all the pee and poo? Would the hh be okay in there? How would you clean it? Would you have to clean it? If anyone knows what I'm talking about, go ahead and comment. I heard this mentioned and thought it was more interesting than anything. Not sure I could be brave enough to give it a go. I just keep imagining moss and weeds growing all over my bedroom walls!!
So, I'll probably use pillowcases or aspen. Not sure. What do you all think?
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Leah
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/19 19:04Also, those of you who use liners and/or litterboxes: Could you PLEASE post pics of your cages when they need cleaning before you do anything to them. Nasty, I know, but I need to see if I'm prepared to work with liners. Thanks.
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saabgirl9000
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/19 20:37I would probably go with traditional bedding. I personally used carefresh all over my hedgies cage until she picked a spot that she did her business in. (Some may never do this). I then put a litter box filled with carefresh in her cage and used flece liners for the rest of her cage. This worked well for me. I have never heard of using grass, and I think that the grass would most likely die because of the waste and I'm not sure if it would be very healthy for you hedgie to always be wading around in grass.http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=106956777
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Leah
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/20 18:19Well, after thinking about it, to me, grass is a big NO. It finally occurred to me that although I wasn't going to be putting dirt in there, grass still would attract insects, and although insects are good eatin' for a hedgie.... YARD CAUGHT BUGS ARE BAD!!!!! So, I decided grass is a no go. BUT, I do think that idea will work. I'll just see if (s)he ever uses just one side of the cage, and if so, I will clean it out and place a litter box in that side and liners in the other. We'll see.
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HamorHollow
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/20 19:56I don't see how you could get grass to grow in a cage inside, and having the hedgehog caged outside is a big no no because of the temperatures. I also don't see how you could clean it.
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Peppersmama
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/21 01:49We tried a great many things before settling on a bedding that worked for us and for Pepper...and there are pros and cons to everything! Just DON'T use corncob...we made that mistake after the pet store recommended it and a whole lot of other bad stuff. After experimenting with lots of things we settled on Yesterday's News because it works for us. I doubt Grass is good though...plus how do you clean grass? For the litterbox thing...Pepper always uses his litter box...he has a pan under his wheel and rarely does he go anywhere else....usually not even when out of his cage even. Every hedgie is different though. We were worried about mites too....so we never tried wood shavings, but I'm sure the odds of mites is minimal and it has just as many pro's and con's as other beddings....Maybe carefresh? liners? Good luck!!! Annette
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clutterbuster
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Re:Pillow cases?? Grass?? - 2007/07/22 19:47Max came with a sterilite bin lined with something I think might have been yesterday's news, a fine fluffy stuff that is sticking to everything including poop on the wheel. I have switched him back to carefresh until I can get to JoAnn's and buy fleece to cut for his bin - hoping to make the trip before it gets humid later this week... nothing tells people you have a pet like the smell of warm urine.
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