pine bedding?

[sxvpigs18]

I'm currently using pine bedding but I have read that it can cause respiratory problems. (Premier Pet Natural Pine Bedding is the brand) Is this true? And what is the likelihood of this happening? I've only had them for a week and a half. If pine is bad then I will throw it away right now, but then I'd need to know what else to use. Thank you.

[papiggieluverz]

I use a mixture of pine and carefresh, carefresh mostly in the corners where their litter boxes are. I'm not sure what everyone else uses.

[Foggycreek]

Pine is fine. Most pine these days is kiln dried--if you are in doubt you can contact the manufacturer and see.

If your pine is rather pungent, leave the bag open for awhile and let it air out.

[WHEEK]

I also use pine and carefresh. Aspen is for sure okay, cedar is for sure NOT okay, pine, well, it's probably okay. Esp. kiln-dried.

[papiggieluverz]

Yes Cedar is not okay at all! With my first guinea pig way back when I used Cedar for like a week. I bought the bag from wal-mart which showed a guinea pig on the bag so I thought it was okay. I got a few books about Guinea Pigs and instantly took it out cleaned all the cages and when right to carefresh. But Carefresh mixed with pine is very nice with odor control and softness for the piggies feet

[coco&chloe]

I used pine for my Coco for the first year we had him, before I knew that it may cause a problem. He did absolutely fine with it. I have since changed over to Aspen, just for my peace of mind more than anything.

[papiggieluverz]

I used Aspen a few times too. It came along with piggies that I had adopted so I tried it. It reallys works great for bedding as well. BTW your piggies are sooo cute!! My mother would just love them, she loves the dark piggies

[jadedbutterflie]

I just bought some pine bedding last night, and I'm nervous about it. The package says dust free, but there are so many small particles, and it says that it contains baking soda as an odor absorber. Won't that create dust? Is it alright for my piggies, or should I take it back and trade it for aspen?

[WHEEK]

Okay, I don't actually know the answer on this, but that won't stop me from giving my opinion.

Try it and see what you think. Watch and see if they are kicking up little particles into the air, or not. If you decide it's not the best, then get something else next time. Keep in mind that it takes years of exposure to 100% cedar for gps to develop respiratory problems. ie, even if it's not the best, it's not like exposing them to some horrible toxin that will kill them outright, you know? In the same way, spinach isn't a great food because the nutrient balance is off, but feeding it once won't send your gp to the vet.

I just got new pine bedding too, with very small particles, almost like sawdust. I specifically asked at the feedstore for something different than what I had before, which was way too piney. The small particles are softer under foot, much nicer, very low odor, and no, the small particles do not become airborne. So far so good.

[mamaslittlepiggies]

I am currently using pine bedding that I have aired out. I mainly put it in their litter boxes because it is so messy. I am getting ready to try the fleece. Have any of you tried it? If so what were your experiences?