Really smelly guinea pigs

mary19

I don't know what is happening to my 2 guineas but hell the cage is smelling really bad.

I have quite a large cage, I could go bigger but the money is not there yet however their cage is big enough for 2 houses and a bit of a play area and a climbing area.

I line their cage with newspaper and stack it with loads of hay, I do this every 2nd day and on these days I wash it thoroughly with white vinegar and water and dry it out.

I spoke with my supplier of goods for them and she gave me this new stuff that is been used instead of chippings/saw dust it's called 'Cosy bed' I used it without the newspaper and just the hay but the wee soaked into it in no time and it was stuck to everything and the stench was awful, so I used it with newspaper and hay and still the smell is appalling.

I know the newspaper can give a bad smell once the urine soaked into it but I clean/scrub that cage every 2nd day.

Now today I did it and I am upstairs and I can smell it form here, it is dire, I am nearly vomiting, my husband went to bed early and said that they are to be moved to another room cos the smell is unbearable.

has anyone any tips on what I can do ? is this smell normal ? it's hard to describe it doesn't smell like real urine but a sort of gone off cream smell... all advice welcomed.

carwash_2006

I use Kosibed bedding with guinea pigs and rabbits, I find it smells a lot better than newspaper. I don't tend to get a smell until I am cleaning them out. I like the Kosibed because it is lovely and soft on their feet, but since it is dust extracted it is much better for their lungs. I always found newspaper very smelly.

If they are smelly on the day that you clean them then perhaps you should have them checked by a vet to make sure nothing is wrong? If that all checks out you could try giving the guinea pigs a wee bath using a small animal shampoo. I'm sure guineapigescue will have some suggestions.

NibNib

carwash_2006 wrote: »

I use Kosibed bedding with guinea pigs and rabbits

Would you mind telling me about this Kosibed bedding? Where do you buy it and how much does it cost? I have 2 rabbits and I use a lot of bedding.

Sigma Force

Are they male or female, if male they might need their anal glands emptied, an experience smallie vet can do this for you. More info on how to do this http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/analimpact.htm This link will also take you to info on cystitis.

Does the guineas fur and general body smell or is it just their poop or wee?

Even a guinea that needs a wash shouldn't smell that bad and your cleaning regime is pretty normal so probably more to do with something wrong with one or both of the guineas.

Have they had the runs at all?
Have you checked over both piggies to see if either of them having anything else wrong like an abcess or some sort of injury that hasn't healed and is infected. Just a stab in the dark really could be anything causing the smell.

Pigs can suffer from cystitis not sure if this would create a smell that bad though. You can check their areas to rule this out, if it's red or swollen or encrusted with dry pee that could be a sign of cystitis.

Could be that they just need a really good wash, be careful what you use there are some small animal shampoos on the market but with pigs it's best to use the most natural a product you can find check out this site http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/ they have some lovely smelling safe shampoos I use them all the time they deliver to Ireland as well.

If you find it's only their coat that is causing the smell and that they are just in need of a bath then while waiting for your shampoo to be delivered you can wash them with plain water ensure it's warm but obviously not hot, being small critters luke warm is best. Have towels to hand and keep their room warm.

If it's not their coat then best thing is to take them to the vets asap as they can go downhill very quickly.

mary19

The smell is the cage, the guineas are not smelling, they smell fine, I do wash them LOL twice a month, I do a bath the beginning of the month and the end of the month, they have their nails clipped and I rub oils into their feet and they have a trim once a month and they are brushed thoroughly every 2nd day, I have lice comb that they are combed with once a month and they are checked regularly for anything crawling, they have no scars, no cuts, bums are spotless and ears are spotless, they are both males, i wash their genital areas regularly, I use cotton wool dipped in tepid water and I wipe and clean around that area. I have lifted and smelt every bit of them but it's not them.

It's definitely coming form the cage, the minute I lift the old hay off to take out the newspaper and Kosibed (sorry I spelt it wrong in my 1st post) the smell knocks you back, I mean I have to use a asthma mask so i can't smell it, also when you are sitting there in the evening the smell starts to flow out into the room.

I was told before it was the newspaper hence why I moved to kosibed €10 for a massive bag of it, it'll do me for a few months. but using this on it's own was a nightmare, the cage was soaking and the smell was still there and it was stuck to everything, so I put the paper back in.

I'm wondering if they are weeing more and the paper is is just soaking it up and giving out this awful smell ? they seem in good health and good form.

carwash_2006

I find the Kosibed soaks up the wee. The only other thing I could suggest is that you could get the carefresh bedding, but that will cost you a small fortune. If you could find big bags of hemp bedding that would probably work for you, but I haven't been able to get them for years.

Just thinking there. You could try getting one of the wood pellet cat litters called Cat's Best, don't use any of the other brands as they are not treated so that they won't release phenols, so they wouldn't be good for your pigs lungs. Anyway, if you put some of the litter in the corners where they are weeing and then put the kosibed on the top to protect their feet from the hardness of the pellets it might help.

mary19

gosh never thought of using wood pellet I will look out for the name you suggested..

I am changing their hay in a couple of weeks, I still have loads of the old hay that I use but my supplier is getting a new one and is supposed to be dust free and much better value, that along with the kosibed I am hoping will make a difference and then if I can get the wood pellet it'd be even better.

thanks for you advice.

Sigma Force

Tbh they shouldn't stink like that with hay and newspaper are you sure they really smell I mean all guinea pigs give off a certain amount of smell but they certainly don't stink esp. if cleaned out every other day.
I have used lots of different types of bedding over the years and hay and newspaper still proves to be the cleanest and most practical.

Could it be the hay itself some hay can smell musty.

Are you sure there's not something up with the pigs themselves, no guineas smell so strong they need to be moved to another room just asking because I have two pigs and they are cleaned every second day and just smell of hay and general pet smell nothing strong at all certainly not enough to make me gag. Not trying nag just curious as to wether it could be something else seeing as the smell is so strong, if it turns out to be something else let us know, I learn summit new everyday about pigs always full of suprises.

Vinegar is great I haven't bought a cage cleaner in a long time, but we do get used to smells so for a change now and then there is a cage spray that comes in a few different fragrances it smells lovely. It's called Keep It Clean http://www.pet-bliss.com/acatalog/copy_of_Keep_It_Clean_Cage_Cleaner_500ml.html

The lemon is the nicest. HTH

hadook

If it smells that badly then it's time to take the cage apart, ignore the vinegar and really go to town on the cleaning with stronger cleaning products.

Trigene & Safe4 can be bought in small spray bottles - I'd douse it in something like that, leave it soak for a while, rinse & repeat. Air dry the cage, preferably outside if you can. If the smell has gotten into the plastic base of a cage then nothing short of a proper disinfectant will get it out I'm afraid. You could use bleach but that's best done outside if there's a pong problem. Again - soak, rinse, soak and wash well. Leave to air dry before setting the cage back up.

Then, I'd be putting down a layer of newspaper, something absorbent like shavings or pelleted cat litter (only a small layer for soaking purposes), another layer of newspaper and then plenty of Kosibed, hay etc.

ETA - you should be able to continue using the vinegar as a cleaner for most of the time but sometimes you just get a plastic cage base that's more porous and allows the wee to soak in. One of my chinchilla cages is prone to this where the others (same make & model) are fine. I've actually stopped using it unless it's an emergency, that's how quickly it starts to smell and how hard it is to keep clean.

Sigma Force

Good point about taking the cage apart, I do this about once a month, the area I find that gets gunked up is directly under the water bottle this can get mucky quickly even in the cleanest of cages.

I use the cheap vinegar or Sarsons as it has a wee sprinkler on the top and just sprinkle some on the floor of the cage, once you wipe it and it's dry the smell goes away.

Still don't understand how it can smell so bad though with regular cleaning unless, as said, the base is a bit porous. I do find that it's good to have a window open daily no matter what the weather, with central heating on wet hay can whiff a little having the room well ventilated helps keep it fresh.

Other piggy owners burn lavender oil in the same room, avoid anything like plug ins or incence and if burning lavender oil burn it on the other side of the room, with a window open it should waft through. Don't want to over whelm them with the scent either but you can also dilute some (as it's very strong) on some kitchen roll and wipe down the outside of the cage, let dry and return piggies.

Oo I love talking about cleaning

The Sweeper

Is the cage base plastic? Plastic absorbs smells... I don't keep guinea pigs but I know plastic kitty litter trays can be very smelly, even without kitty litter in them.

mary19

When I clean it with vinegar I always dry it out and then put the newspaper in so the newspaper is not soaking up any vinegar. The cage when I am cleaning it I take apart every 2nd day, I always take the wire part off, wash that down with fairy liquid and wash out the plastic base with hot water and washing up liquid, then I spray it with vinegar and wipe with a damp cloth and wipe dry with paper towels. I have smelt the plastic base but the smell is actually coming form the bedding.... all the newspaper, bedding and hay when I lift it and smell it that is where the smell is, as soon as it goes in the black bag the smell is gone.


I was speaking to my Dad earlier and mentioned it to him and he said that he too got the smell when he came into my house but he said it was an animal smell, he said they got that smell when they were training their dog and the wee would soak into the newspaper or when it went under the carpet, he described it a cream cheese smell ??? he said all animals have that smell but I think it stinks, I read all the sites recommended and I have gotten out my gloves and ear buds and cleaned out their bums and genital areas and they seem fine, it's driving me mad wondering what is causing this smell they never smelt like this before.

Is there some sort of drink that they can get to clear out their systems ??? or a snack think that will clear their bums just in case this is what it is ?

carwash_2006

I would take them on a trip to the vet in case it's maybe some sort of cystitis. They wouldn't tend to show that they are not well until they are really sick, at least if you bring them to the vet your mind will be put at rest and you will have ruled out another possible cause if there is nothing wrong. You never know the vet may have another suggestion too.

Sigma Force

If it's stronger than a regular animal smell then you need to take them to the vets today. Guineapigs should never be kept waiting if you suspect there is something wrong with them they go downhill rapidly.

Please take a trip to an experienced exotics vet to rule out any medical problems.

mary19

There's a vet in the next town I rang and asked if they took Credit cards but they don't so hopefully when hubby gets paid next week we can take them so far they are still eating and jumping around and look really healthy, the vet said a regular visit would cost me from €50.00 / €70.00 per guinea, this seems alot would it be the norm ???

Sigma Force

That's very expensive for just a consultation before any treatment unless the vet was taking into account the pigs would need medication but really if they did it would usually cost around 50 to 70 for both pigs not for each pig, sounds like a bit of a rip off.

What county are you in so mabey a good vet can be recommended.

Can't remember if you said already are they males or females?

If they are males do you find their grease gland (low down on their back nearly at their bum) is very greasy or smelly?

If they had cystitis or something else more serious they would probably be much sicker by now, do they still smell as strong at the mo?

If you need any guineapig shampoo have some spare little gorgeous guinea sample pots I could post you on one it's enough to wash 2 guineas twice.


I know these are birds but they are still exotics, I had 3 birds at the vets last week, one needed beak trim and both needed antibiotics, the tiel had 2 swabs taken for an ongoing eye condition and I bought a 9 euro bottle of doggy deoderant/lotion the total cost was 70 euro.
It depends on the vet but it's good to get registered with one and become familiar be sure though that the vet really knows their stuff when it comes to guineapigs.

Hope this helps, keep us posted

mary19

Cage is smelly today, I changed it yesterday, when I walk in I can smell it immediately, we had the two of them out playing on the floor (males) and they were fine, all smelling nice and playing happily, the cage stank though, lots of poo more than normal, the newspaper underneath was quite soaked on one side so maybe they are weeing more too. I checked the grease gland, it's a little sticky but nothing major, I clean there every day with cotton wool and shampoo, I have 2 bottles of guinea pig shampoo that I got a while back.

They seem in really good form, they are popcorning around and eating really well and drinking lots of water. It's all so strange, I'll check it all out next week with the vet, he's the only one near to me, I'm in the country the rest are in other towns, he seems to be recommended well, maybe when they quoted me the price they meant to say it was for 2 guineas and not each, I'll check again, have to go out tomorrow and buy a carrier, no way of getting them there LOL

I'll let everyone know how we get on.

Sigma Force

Just out of curiosity how old were they when you noticed the stronger smell, and what kind of foods are they given. Are they average sized piggies or a larger pig. Males can smell a bit stronger than females and sometimes their soft poops (can never spell it so I just call them soft poops lol) can pong a bit.
What's the footage of the cage with smaller cages they need to be cleaned daily they pretty much muck it up within a few hours, especially after eating a lot. More that goes in the more that comes out lol.

I changed from a C&C cage to a regular large cage a year or two ago and I find that with the larger cage I can get away with cleaning them every second day but if I have pigs staying over for a short time and they're in a small cage they mucky it up by the next morning everything has to be taken out.

Peoples sense of smell can differ a lot as well, so the smell might be normal just you and himself find it stronger.

Don't over do it on the shampoo every 4 to 6 weeks is enough so that it doesn't interfere too much with their natural oils.

Wish we had smelloputer so I could gauge how smelly they actually are.
Curiosity is getting the better of me lol.

mary19

smelloputer lol brilliant that would be handy lol

the cage is an ordinary cage it's not C&C, I wanted to change to one of these as they are larger but whoa so expensive to order in, I have one of the largest for rabbits, some people have told me that they need a lager cage which in my own head I know they do but this one (don't know measurements) holds 2 houses and they have some room for walking around and climbing but of course it could be bigger, I was thinking that maybe because they are 2 males of average size for their 11 months they do need more room.

Their food is dry food, I fill their bowls every morning and it does them throughout the day, someone once told me to take out the bowls after a certain amount of time during the day as they will just keep on eating and eating, to be honest they are quite good, they will only go to the bowls if hungry, they are not standing there all day stuffing their faces LOL LOL sometimes a bowl does for 2 whole days. I give them fresh veggies usually every 2nd day which consist of cucumber, carrots, cabbage, this is there 3 favourites and they love it.

The smell I was wondering if it was me finding it bit stronger than anyone else, it has only seemed stronger in the last 2 weeks.

lostinnappies

check for urine infections or an absess. Put plain white tissue under their cage and no straw for just this test. Once they wee have a look at the wee and give it a sniff.... yuk i know. If the wee is a pink/red colour or a dark orange/yellow then you maybe looking at infection. Have a sniff of them too and try determine if its coming from the g.pig or the cage. Rule these out before you blame the bedding.

Sigma Force

I got my C&C cages from Woodies, had to phone the Swords branch but they were dirt cheap compared to cages can't remember how much but the delivery charge was only about €7.50 from their store straight to my door.
I think it was something like €14.00 per pack or less than that.

B&Q do them too aparently and another girl got some but with solid panels in her local hardware shop. I didn't bother with the base I just used lino or the base of the pig cage in one section.

If you can get your hands on it though probably better to get the corroplast too which is pretty cheap anyway just for cleanliness sake. Dirt cheap though with the cubes and corroplast if you can get them in Ireland that is.

What is such a pain is that Argos in Ireland were doing them about 2 years ago don't know why they don't do them here anymore. The UK B&Q site has them so the Irish B&Q should have them too.

I pretty much do the same with the dry food, although they did get a bit too fat, even for pigs, so reduced it a little but they just potter over to it now and then graze on hay all the time and the usual veggies thrown in. They basically eat between them a bowl between them every day and a half.
Unless you find they are getting really fat and finding it hard to move around esp. on their back legs there's no need to take the dry food away.

animalcrazy

They are supposed to be in B&Q but I went to the one in Limerick and they didn't even know what they were let alone stock them, even though they are on the website. They might sell thm in other B&Q shops though.

mary19

thanks I'll try that tissue test, I just had to change their cage again just now, my friend called in and she was commenting on the smell so now I know it's not just me... I only did it yesterday morning...

I have sniffed every bit of them god love them they have been sniffed like crazy and there is nothing coming form them, I can't smell a thing from them.

The minute I lifted out the paper, bedding and hay and put it in the black bag the room was clear of a smell, I sniffed in the black bag and nearly fell over, the stench was worse from the paper. I wonder is the Sun newspaper worse than others LOL LOL

They are in such good form that if they were a bit down I would know then that they were not well, even being moved from one room to another they have adjusted quite quickly, their coats are gleaming and full and their eyes clear and the nose dry, they were out on the floor and chasing each other around on the blanket and then they both lay down and watched as I cleaned their cage, when I lifted out the bag of hay you'd want to hear the squeaks coming out of them it was hilarious, they were so delighted to be getting fresh hay.

I'll check out the C&C cages again and see if I can come up with a decent price, I know I trawled the Internet a few weeks ago looking and couldn't find anything reasonable but 2nd time lucky.