Need opinions...Shavings VS Blankets?

[EvenLater]

I've noticed Cas seems itchy. He's been on shavings in his pen and I'm thinking maybe that's the problem. I gave him an oatmeal soak last night (which he LOVED btw) and that helped. I'm wondering if I should switch him to old blankets or towels instead of shavings. Is it healthier? How hard is it to keep clean and dry using blankets instead? And to remind anyone, he's (best guess) 13 days old, starting to get some little feathers, and we've been turning his light off for short periods during the day (it's usually 70-80 here now so he's comfortable without the light), and he is an indoor pet goose, not an outdoor goose (of course he gets outside daily to forage and swim!)

Thanks!

 

[Skyfire]

Shavings aren't an option for me due to allergies. The stuff makes me sneeze and I've been blowing my nose so much from Jupiter's dander from molting, I might have to glue it back on.


I've been using old towels. When she dumps on one spot, I will fold the towel over (or put a wash cloth) to cover the spot. Unless it was exceptionally nasty, I try to get as much use out of one towel before shaking it out and throwing it in the wash. I just bought a bag of used bath towels from a thrift store for $15. The washcloths are utility cloths sold in bulk 50 for $10. It's too much of a pain to wash and rewash the towels that get super nasty, so I am throwing those out. It's not the perfect solution (not sure there is one), as it's a lot of laundry to do.


Jupiter scratches like a dog sometimes. When she does, her fuzzy little baby feathers go flying everywhere. My nose doesn't like it, but so cute to watch.

 

[EvenLater]

I guess my basic thinking had been that a fast growing baby who eats CONSTANTLY (lol) is obviously then going to...uh...go more, so I had thought shavings would be the way to go. Now that he's bigger, I've begun to notice he can "hold it" a bit longer (sometimes), so my thinking was that as he ages, he will eat less, therefore "going" less, so maybe blankets or towels would be the way to go?

As of right now, I'm cleaning his pen daily because it, well, smells like a barn (lol), which I don't mind at all, but I do have allergies too. Plus, I just don't like the idea of him laying on his own mess.

I did notice a change last night too. I had him on my lap, on his towel for one hour. He didn't 'go' once! He then got a little antsy and ran over to his pen, dropped a huge bomb (lol) and ran back to me peeping his head off and telling me all about it! I know it's not really possible to "house train" a goose, but this "fluke?" gives me some hope LOL

I just ordered his diapers, a juvenile size and an adult open tail size, which will be here in about a week. Would have been faster, but with his fast growth and my finickiness (they MUST be khaki colored! He is Castiel after all! Super Natural fans will get that! LOL) I had to wait.

Maybe I'll try a mix of both and see what works? Like blankets over shavings for sleep (night) when he's less active and wants to snuggle more, and shavings during the day when he makes more mess? IDK, it's all about trial and error with a goose in the house really, isn't it? Lol

 

[Skyfire]

I guess my basic thinking had been that a fast growing baby who eats CONSTANTLY (lol) is obviously then going to...uh...go more, so I had thought shavings would be the way to go. Now that he's bigger, I've begun to notice he can "hold it" a bit longer (sometimes), so my thinking was that as he ages, he will eat less, therefore "going" less, so maybe blankets or towels would be the way to go?

As of right now, I'm cleaning his pen daily because it, well, smells like a barn (lol), which I don't mind at all, but I do have allergies too. Plus, I just don't like the idea of him laying on his own mess.

I did notice a change last night too. I had him on my lap, on his towel for one hour. He didn't 'go' once! He then got a little antsy and ran over to his pen, dropped a huge bomb (lol) and ran back to me peeping his head off and telling me all about it! I know it's not really possible to "house train" a goose, but this "fluke?" gives me some hope LOL

I just ordered his diapers, a juvenile size and an adult open tail size, which will be here in about a week. Would have been faster, but with his fast growth and my finickiness (they MUST be khaki colored! He is Castiel after all! Super Natural fans will get that! LOL) I had to wait.

Maybe I'll try a mix of both and see what works? Like blankets over shavings for sleep (night) when he's less active and wants to snuggle more, and shavings during the day when he makes more mess? IDK, it's all about trial and error with a goose in the house really, isn't it? Lol

Oh yeah, it's definitely a learning process. Research can only take you so far. I have her in a spare bath tub at night. It's pretty gross in the morning. The laundry chore can be daunting. It is a lot of work. I'm always looking for more efficient ways to do goose related chores. If you come across a better technique, do share!

Here is a video I did of her bathing today.

I will post some pics of her bedtime setup soon. I am also going to do a review of that adult open tail harness. I ordered another one yesterday. That product is far superior to the Grow With Me. I cannot say enough good things about that diaper harness.

 

[EvenLater]

I am thinking of trying those mats (like door mats?) you can get at home improvement stores that are rubber on the back and like corrugated soft fabric on the other side. If i had two of them i could just take one outside to hose off and put the other in while it's drying?

 

[Carrosaur]

I get the ultra low dust kind, and he's probably itchy because he's growing his feathers. Towels and shavings are healthy as long as they are not cedar shavings. Towels get disgusting really fast. How big is his pin? The smaller the messier. My four geese I have left after selling some boys are in an XL kiddie-pool, probably four feet across. I have an inch or two of shavings in and I only have to clean it every four days! You should try it. I'm sure a small kiddie-pool would work wonders.

 

[Carrosaur]

 

[EvenLater]

I was originally going to go with a kiddie pool but i wanted something that he couldn't hop out of down the road and would keep my kids curious cats out! His pen is a converted dog house that's 40"L x35"W and 33"H. For a single gosling it's quite big. In fact i don't think I'll need to get him a larger one once he's adult since he will really only be in it at night

 

[Carrosaur]

I was originally going to go with a kiddie pool but i wanted something that he couldn't hop out of down the road and would keep my kids curious cats out! His own is a converted dog house that's 40"L x35"W and 33"H. For a single gosling it's quite big. In fact i don't think I'll need to get him a larger one once he's adult

Do you have any pictures? Why are you having to clean it so often if it's so big?!??!?!

 

[Skyfire]

I am thinking of trying those mats (like door mats?) you can get at home improvement stores that are rubber on the back and like corrugated soft fabric on the other side. If i had two of them i could just take one outside to hose off and put the other in while it's drying?

I saw something similar at Fred Meyer designed for cats. It was a mat you put in front of their litter box. I think it could work!