Just a Stink?

Article 1
Issue 1 Just a Stink?
July 6, 2009 Why cleaning your pet's cage is so important


Changing your guinea pig’s cage is a hard chore to fit into your schedule, but is essential. Not cleaning your animal’s cage and changing its bedding can result in giving your piggy a foot disease, and spending a lot of money for a vet visit and medicine. Why? Dirty cages cause a disease called fungus. Fungus can occur in your pet’s bedding, on your pet’s feet, or all over your pet. This can cause your guinea pig to loose fur and become very sick. Fungus mixed with other germs can cause severe sickness. You could end up spending unnecessary money on a new cage and medicine, when all you have to do is clean your guinea pig’s cage! A clean environment consists of the following steps once a week:
1.) Empty out old bedding
2.) Spray cage with water
3.) Use a mild detergent, such as Dawn, to clean out the cage.
4.) Rinse thoroughly.
5.) Put in a new layer of fresh bedding.
It is also a good idea to have a Ziploc bag of fresh bedding on hand during the week, so when a section of your pet’s cage gets really dirty, you can use a scooper to get out the mess and sprinkel in fresh bedding. You should also clean your pet’s water bottle out with water and a drop of dish detergent, rubbing it with a clean toothbrush (one that has not been used), once a month. You may think cleaning your pet’s cage is a waste of time, but it is keeping a door shut against future problems.
By: The Piggy Print Staff