Bedding for whelping box

[Ricky Ticky Shorthairs]

I was curious what everyone uses for bedding in their whelping boxes. In the past I have used a door mat and newspapers, but have seen that some people use some type of wood shavings. I was wondering if the shavings soak up the pee better, and if you have any problems with momma eating them as she cleans up after the babies.

Doug

[kninebirddog]

regular Newspapers is what i go back to when trying different stuff

at i just ahve heating pad with no paper as momma keeps them extra clean then when they move more i will place in a sheet or two of newspaper

i hated the wood shavings was extremely messy and the pee pads end up being more a pain also they always end up balled up and then if momma scratches at them have white fluff everywhere

[vzkennels]

I haven't found anything better or cheaper then just plain old newspaper.

[highcotton]

I use newspaper too. I like to use several layers of whole sheets. It's much easier to change out than the shredded stuff.

[ezzy333]

OPen up a newspaper and use the open sheets at least 3 thick.

Ezzy

[Ryan Baumann]

I use two blankets and wash one each day.





Kinda a pain but works great.

Ryan.

[phillipsgsp]

I have a stainless 4 ft x 4 ft pan that has sides that bungee cord on it. I have acess to carpet leftovers from the airplanes that I work on at my real job. So I just cut a 4x4 peice and place in the pan. I change it every 2 to 3 days when pups are small and end up changing it everyday when they get to be 3 1/2 weeks and older. When changing the carpet I wipe the pan down with clorox wipes and let dry before placing the new carpet inside the pen/pan.

Chad

[kninebirddog]

I have also use low profile stiff type carpeting...works fine also when you can change it

any thing that flat that the dam can't easily dig up and cause pups to wrapped up and have a potential to getting smothered ...

[CherrystoneWeims]

I use either polartech or sheepskin. Mine stays nice and flat because my whelping box is so heavy. The box is 4 x 4 and the polartech is 5 x 5. I stretch the edges of the fabric under the edges of the whelping box. My whelping box does not have a bottom to it. I built a platform (5 x 5) to put the box on so pups would not be on a cold floor in winter. The platform is covered with vinyl flooring for ease of cleaning.

I like the polartech because a quick wash in the washer and 10 min. in the dryer is all that is needed to clean it. The polartech also wicks away any wetness. I have 3 sets of it. I found that the newspapers were very messy and much more smelly. I also didn't like that the dam sometimes ate the newspapers in her attempts to keep the pups clean.

[rockllews]

We use 5-6 sheets of brown packaging paper that you can buy in huge rolls as the bottom layer. When the pups are really young, we top this off with normal carpet and faux wool material. As they get older, we put mult. layers of bed sheets (cut to size for the box) between the carpet and faux wool for more absorption, keeping the carpet cleaner. We switch out the top layer and sheets a couple times a day... have countless sheet squares, probably five wooly squares, and couple carpet squares; pretty much exchange all the bedding as needed or at least every other day to wipe out box. Carpet layer gets taken out when pups get real big and messy- easier to keep things sanitized. This has worked well for us because we keep a very good eye on the pups; with less supervision, it would probably be wise to have less loose layers or make sure everything can be secured in place, to prevent pups from getting underneath. There are some 'fancy' special whelping box fabrics from some catalogs like PetEdge, but they're pricey. Clean, safe, and comfortable... that's all that's important. (As far as heating pads go, I think ours is called LectroKennel... it wasn't too popular with our last litter, but it sure beat keeping the room at 86 degrees, much appreciated by momma dog....)

[bridget264]

Bedding Helps a puppys nature towards resting. Bedding with different shades can give more comfort to new born puppies. They are easily adjustable and can change easily while they are dirty. In a week just 7 different bedding are required which helps you to change Bedding in whelping box as per day.