Whelping box money saving?

you_wicked_gay

I'm planning to breed my dogs and am looking into buying all the items needed for whelping etc.

However when I've come to look for whelping boxes I've found that it's difficult to get hold of the plastic type - which are generally seriously overpriced.

The plastic moulded whelping boxes seem to have been overpowered by these disposable cardboard ones. But looking at the price of them, it seems a little silly to splash out on something that will be thrown away in the end:

http://www.whelping-boxes.co.uk/whelping.htm

Would I be able to use just a normal cardboard box that's a decent size? And put in some pigrails to stop the mum sitting on the pups.

My dogs are chihuahuas so they're only tiny and aren't going to need an incredibly huge whelping box. It just seems like a waste of money to splash out on a cardboard box that will be thrown away, when I could just use a normal cardboard box for free.

Any advice?

ka7e

I made my own whelping boxes when my lab had puppies (twice) and they were fine. Just make sure you construct it so it can be covered if your dog likes it dark and private - definitely for the first few days after whelping. Make a spare in case the first gets very mucky! Line with lots of layers of newspaper so you can remove soiled layers quickly and with minimal disruption. Also use squares of pet fleece, moisture soaks through to the paper beneath, but you still need to change it regularly.
When I sold my pups I gave the new owners a piece of the fleece to use in a first pet bed, and as a comforter, as it still smelt of Mum!

tiamai_d

I agree, the ones you buy are not really any good for small dogs.

Get a cardboard box, Maybe try your local Curries or Dixon's, they will have good quality ones that their TV's come in, and they should have a steady supply.

The dowel you can get from B$Q.

Best of luck with your puppies!

you_wicked_gay

ka7e wrote: »

I made my own whelping boxes when my lab had puppies (twice) and they were fine. Just make sure you construct it so it can be covered if your dog likes it dark and private - definitely for the first few days after whelping. Make a spare in case the first gets very mucky! Line with lots of layers of newspaper so you can remove soiled layers quickly and with minimal disruption. Also use squares of pet fleece, moisture soaks through to the paper beneath, but you still need to change it regularly.
When I sold my pups I gave the new owners a piece of the fleece to use in a first pet bed, and as a comforter, as it still smelt of Mum!

I was going to get my uncle to make one, but all the diy plans/instructions I could find were for wooden ones, and with the wooden boxes I'd be worried about contamination and cross-contamination 'cause they can't really be cleaned properly due to the blood and whatnot getting into all the nooks and crannies in the woodgrain.

I think I'll opt for making one out of a sturdy cardboard box, that way I can throw it away once whelping is over so there's no worry of germs and whatnot.

Cheers for your advice

you_wicked_gay

tiamai_d wrote: »

I agree, the ones you buy are not really any good for small dogs.

Get a cardboard box, Maybe try your local Curries or Dixon's, they will have good quality ones that their TV's come in, and they should have a steady supply.

The dowel you can get from B$Q.

Best of luck with your puppies!

Thanks for the advice - I never thought of asking at Curries or Dixons to see if they had boxes, I shall ask around

I have a box upstairs that my printer/scanner combi came in - that could possibly be big enough. Will have to get it out and have a look.

I'm going to have to start hoarding old towels and sheets and newspapers I think lol

My dog hasn't been bread yet but I want to be sure on everything before I do breed her to be sure things run smoothly.

mookiandco

Hi
We breed chihuahuas and have found that our girls prefer the security of having a roof. We use beds like this: http://www.ultimateanimals.co.uk/acatalog/dog_crates_folding_dog_crate_fabric_dog_kennel_indoor_kennels_travel_crate.html

As they have mesh on the side you can see in without disturbing the babies and you can zip it up at the front to keep them from escaping!

If you need any other advice when you breed your chihuahuas, feel free to PM me. First time round is really scary but so so worth it!

It is also hygienic because its plastic so easy to clean. We lined it with plastic sheeting followed by pet fleece (we got this from our vets) which we cut to size. We got the crate in a big size so as the pups got older they could run about a bit.

Silveralice

I had a litter of miniature poodles last autumn, and just used a series of ordinary cardboard boxes from Costco - shallow ones for fruit or something like that. As soon as one got too mucky I could just throw it out and replace it, but they were plenty big enough and easy for me to reach the puppies within. We whelped her in the cubbyhole under my desk - that gave her enough of a roof to feel secure and safe but meant we could still keep an eye on what was going on without disturbing her (though to be accurate, she actually had the puppies on the sofa, and had to be moved into the box afterwards - best laid plans and all that!)