fleece bedding

[chelsealynn1994]

so ive been hearing about a new way of lining the cages. Its fleece sewn together with something absorbent inside and you just wash the fleece once a week or as needed. I have a C & C cage and it seems to be what everyone is using but I thought I would ask on here. Im thinking of making my own though. Theirs on the website are very pricey. 

[Bean]

We've had some good discussions on this and how absorbant/ odour controlling the materials you can put underneath them are - I can't recall offhand where they are but there are some members more on the ball than me that might be able to link you to them for some extra ideas.

Towels worked fine for me (with litter trays to reduce the amount of wee on the bedding) but once it got to winter, drying them became a pain as I don't have a tumble dryer.

The uhaul blankets seem to be popular to use under fleece (although don't forget to wash them before you cut them down as they shrink, and also to sew any edges after you cut them down - thanks SiLamb for sticking that in my brain!). 3piggles uses a fly screen under the fleece and then has an absorbant disposable bedding under that which can be spot cleaned. That sounds like a great method too.

It does seem to be fairly straight forward to make your own though, even if you're not a top notch sewer. So good call planning to make your own!

[chelsealynn1994]

Thanks! I have a sewing machine and the skills so I figured why not! Plus if I find a great method I will post exactly what I did on here ?

[jolovespiggies]

Ours have fleeces love when they are in their home but most of the time they are in a run in our sitting room which is always warm anyway and they love their cuddle cups.

Hugs
JO xx

[3piggles]

Fleece presents two issues, absorbency and cleaning. For absorbency, attaching an absorbent pad is one step, but it really doesn't control odor. I find putting that pad over a layer of absorbent, loose bedding really controls odor. There are two absorbent, loose beddings. One is the cellulose bedding such as Carefresh. The other is a pine pellet horse bedding that breaks down into granules when wet. Newspaper and wood shavings are not absorbent. If you use a layer of fiberglass window screen, fully covered by the pad, so the pigs don't eat it, it keeps the loose bedding off the back of the absorbent pad, so the loose bedding doesn't fall off all over the house, and in the washer.

I think there are several types of cellulose bedding. I have no idea how they rate. Carefresh has been rated pretty highly, as dust free and absorbent, but that doesn't make it the only good one. Equine Pine and some other brands of pine bedding pellets, are sold at farm supply stores. They seem to vary a lot in quality, from bag to bag of the same brand. However, as long as the hay and poos don't get into the loose pellets or granules, it lasts for months without being changed.

Easy of cleaning is the other issue, as fleece catches and holds hair and hay. With towel backing, or the quilted Uhaul packing blankets I use, the fleece pad weighs enough to not get sucked into the wand of a regular home vacuum cleaner. No special vacuums needed. I vacuum mine daily, and before putting it in the washer, I use a stiff bristle brush on it, then vacuum. I haven't had any problems with the washer filter clogging.

Without a pad, you might need to brush it with a stiff bristle brush before shaking it off, just to dislodge anything that gets stuck. Even hand held vacs such up fleece without the pad attached.

VetBed and fleece are wicking mediums, that wick liquid down to an absorbent layer undernieth. Both are easily washable, fleece goes in the washer, but VetBed can be blasted off with a garden hose, if you live in a warm climate. That was done by a friend in San Diego I understand VetBed isn't too expensive in the UK, but it's very pricey in the US. Fleece is about $6.99 per yard, if you don't go for your favorite sports team

It takes some trial and error to find what works really will for you. I have two piggy condos that get cleaned daily. It takes me about 5 minutes to do both of them. It's also taken over 10 years to figure out what works really well for me

[chelsealynn1994]

Thanks for the great advice! I love the carefresh bedding but I would like to try something that doesnt get all over the floor when the piggies skid around. Im planning on making fleece pockets that fit in the cage and putting an absorbent pad and something hard so it keeps its shape and holds it tought so the piggies cant chew on it. I like the idea of just having to brush it off daily and most likely washing at least once a week.

Im definitely willlin to try all these great ideas tho! I've only been a piggy mom for 3 years so im still experimenting with different options!

[3piggles]

Definitely post pictures

[chelsealynn1994]

I will! I just got home from picking out some cute fabric! Now I'm in the process of washing it multiple times

[3piggles]

No fabric softener in the washer or dryer, and using plain white vinegar in the fabric softener cup helps cut the sizing in the fabric faster. Can't wait to see it

[chelsealynn1994]

I did 3 washes with no fabric softener then let them soak a few hours in the bathtub with nothing then dried. It seems to have worked!

[3piggles]

The longer you use them, more often you wash them, the better they wick

[anaira]

I don't suppose anyone could give me a rough estimate as to how much it would be to ship a Uhaul blanket, could they? I had a look around, and New Zealand doesn't have any similar moving blankets, and I'd rather stick to something tried and tested. UHaul don't appear to ship overseas, which is fair enough...

[3piggles]

I will check and let you know. Shipping is getting ridiculously expensive. I shipped $1.99 package of egg crate foam to a friend in Ohio, and it cost me almost $50? I'm not sure about overseas shipping rates, as I haven't shipped anything overseas for a while. I'll will find out!

I will also look into how the Uhaul pads are made. It may be that you can use a quilted fabric, as long as it has a certain filling. I'll let you know about that, too.

[anaira]

Thanks 3piggles! That is insane, $50 for that! I had a look on Amazon, they have moving blankets that would cost around $20 to ship here; but they don't have the UHaul ones, and they're polyester rather than the recycled demon UHaul blankets have. This is just an approximation, because I don't know the weight and size of a packaged UHaul. I read on guineapigcages that people tried polyester moving blankets, and they didn't absorb as well at all.


I kinda hope this works out, because they're really cheap, and people seem to find them great.

[3piggles]

I tried a cheaper quilted polyester blanket, and it fell spart in the wash. Not less expensive, if it doesn't last. Uhaul has two types, and the denim one skrinks with every wssh, and has to be stretched back out. It never stretches back to the original shape. The quilted moving blankets are the ones you want. Not sure what's in them, but they're too heavy to be polyester filled. If those are also denim, the covering and quilting keep it from shrinking. I will check for you.