Fleece Is fleece bedding the best bedding out there? - Page 2 - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Duffinvt** · #21 09-25-09, 01:08 pm

After cage cleaning today, I cut pieces of cotton material and put them under the hideys where the girls like to go. I see some poops on them already. I figure I can shake them off or just take them out and throw them in the wash or discard. Will help with poop detail ! And I feed the poops to my worm farm. I am not in the least squeamish about picking up the poop by hand, either. I just wash well after and use plenty of anti-bacterial soap.

**trump_cinnamon** · #22 09-25-09, 02:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MapleOwl18

Fleece is as low maintenance as you want to make it.

Cleaning it out 4 times a day is a little extreme.

I generally clean it out once in the morning with the hose attachment on my vacumn cleaner.

I love fleece, but if you make it as "low maintenance as you want", your pigs may be sitting in their own poos.

From personal experience with my own pigs, I know that fleece is actually a high maintenance bedding.

Four times a day seems extreme, but that's what works for me. It keeps the fleece clean, and actually, when I sweep out the poos, there are always a lot!

**Peggysu** · #23 09-25-09, 02:29 pm

It all has to do with personal preference.

I love fleece and on a tight budget it works great. The money I save not buying bedding goes towards other expenses, like vet bills.

I spot clean my cages no less then twice a day and sometimes more, especially if I just walk by the cage and it looks gross.

**asya1** · #24 09-25-09, 04:08 pm

Some people have mentioned making a fleece bedspread for there cage. Any advice about how to make it?

**Wodentoad** · #25 09-25-09, 04:22 pm

One word... BOARS!

Stinky, messy, stinky, aggressive, stinky, oh, and did I mention the STENCH?!? Ohmygod!

I LOVE my darling boars.

The fleece keeps the poos in check, washing it is FAR less gross than cleaning the loose bedding with a dustpan and broom. I've not had hives since I got rid of it.

I sweep with a hand broom and dust pan once or twice a day, depending on the poopie levels, and it's not bad. If 4x/day works for you, woo! If once works, woo! Either way, it's not a week's worth of poopies like it is on the disposable.

Stench? Bah! Poopies? Child's play! Towels? Don't even think about it!
Cost?

See me running through the streets crying tears of joy!

**Peggysu** · #26 09-25-09, 06:05 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by asya1

Some people have mentioned making a fleece bedspread for there cage. Any advice about how to make it?

Check out this recent thread: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ed-spread.html

**barbanderson** · #27 09-25-09, 06:19 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggysu

It all has to do with personal preference.

I love fleece and on a tight budget it works great. The money I save not buying bedding goes towards other expenses, like vet bills.

I spot clean my cages no less then twice a day and sometimes more, especially if I just walk by the cage and it looks gross.

Yep I plan on doing it as often as I can too (spot clean) and I think three is a good number

And I am on an extremely tight budget with a dozen piggers right now (soon to be six in three more weeks) and fleece is the way to go for those of us watching our pennies. Laundering it once or twice a week is still less $$$ than using litter and they LOVE fleece

**pigsmakemesmile** · #28 09-25-09, 06:20 pm

In response to Wodentoad: I have 5 boars and they really don't smell bad, actually they smell "earthy" to me...I love their smell. I can whiff them all day long...

, I love sticking my nose behind their soft ears and smelling the backs of their gentle furry heads...sorry...just had to add that.

**barbanderson** · #29 09-25-09, 06:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duffinvt

After cage cleaning today, I cut pieces of cotton material and put them under the hideys where the girls like to go. I see some poops on them already. I figure I can shake them off or just take them out and throw them in the wash or discard. Will help with poop detail ! And I feed the poops to my worm farm. I am not in the least squeamish about picking up the poop by hand, either. I just wash well after and use plenty of anti-bacterial soap.

And here I thought I was the ONLY one who picks up poop by HAND

Least til I get the new 3x6 C&C cage set up. Then I will need resort to broom and dustpan or risk falling IN on my poor piggers (course they will be IN the playpen when I do the most of the scoop the poop save for the spot cleaning while they are IN the cage) Glad to know someone else does the hand pooper scooper too LOL. But I will admit to being a tad squeamish when I run across the real squishy ones

**barbanderson** · #30 09-25-09, 06:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by pigsmakemesmile

In response to Wodentoad: I have 5 boars and they really don't smell bad, actually they smell "earthy" to me...I love their smell. I can whiff them all day long...

, I love sticking my nose behind their soft ears and smelling the backs of their gentle furry heads...sorry...just had to add that.

I do that with my girls (and four boy babies at the moment) Pigs don't smell bad and even the poop for the most part is not that bad but alot of urine CAN get abit nasty. (I have a dozen pigs at the moment-four adults and eight babies) They smell so nice so glad to hear I am NOT totally bonkers for doing that after all

**mylilchichi** · #31 09-25-09, 06:33 pm

Cant believe Im admitting this but I too pick up poos on occasion with my hands but most of the time a keep a stack of napkins around and pick them up with that.I am a bit obsessed with keeping the poos cleaned up

**horsiecutie** · #32 09-25-09, 07:04 pm

I'm trying to make the same descision and I am totally convinced to go with fleece. As soon as my aspen is done I'm getting fleece!!

**barbanderson** · #33 09-25-09, 08:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsiecutie

I'm trying to make the same descision and I am totally convinced to go with fleece. As soon as my aspen is done I'm getting fleece!!

I don't think you will regret it

**Tessa Bea** · #34 09-25-09, 09:11 pm

I did it! I got a HUGE cotton mattress pad at good will today and three sheets of fleece... I haven't actually opened my bedding yet, do you guys recommend that I just try to sell it off or donate it to someone and switch right over? :/ I hate to waste it... but you all have me so excited about fleece! ;P Are there any other good uses for bedding? Maybe just put it in their hiding spaces for burrowing and snuggling?

**lissie** · #35 09-26-09, 02:04 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsiecutie

I'm trying to make the same descision and I am totally convinced to go with fleece. As soon as my aspen is done I'm getting fleece!!

You can keep aspen for their litter box or kitchen area.

**rahunter** · #36 09-28-09, 09:20 am

I have had my two girls for 57 days. We started off w/ carefresh then started mixing aspen and carefresh to save a little money. I could not get rid the the "barn smell". I was cleaning it every 3 days to keep the smell tolerable. I switched to fleece this weekend and am thrilled. I can easily see the poop that needs to be removed and no barn smell AT ALL!!

**Wodentoad** · #37 09-28-09, 10:35 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by rahunter

I have had my two girls for 57 days. We started off w/ carefresh then started mixing aspen and carefresh to save a little money. I could not get rid the the "barn smell". I was cleaning it every 3 days to keep the smell tolerable. I switched to fleece this weekend and am thrilled. I can easily see the poop that needs to be removed and no barn smell AT ALL!!

Congrats! And welcome to the ranks of the converted. I have BOARS! and compared to them, our girl smelled like roses. InSANE. But with fleece, as long as I change it (and it's far less effort than disposable bedding, and CHEAPER!!!!!!!) then it's absolutely wonderful wonderful, I cannot stop singing the praises of it!

**asya1** · #38 10-01-09, 07:10 pm

I switched to fleece this week, and it stunk in 48 hours. Should I try more towels, or less towels? Any idea what the problem could be?

I would like to make this work. I did not like the way bedding seemed to migrate around the house. I also like seeing the piggies legs. My son said, "Look how she is sitting. She never did that before. It's so cute." I explained that she probally did sit like that before, we just couldn't see it under the bedding.

**rahunter** · #39 10-01-09, 07:28 pm

I'm a newbie to fleece and am hooked!! In the last month and a half that I have had my girls I have spent a fortune in bedding trying to deal w/ the smell. I had to clean every 3 or so days to manage it. I switched to fleece last weekend and only had to clean out the litter boxes once this week. I did do a full cleaning today, only because I bought some funky fleece and could not wait to get it in. Also, my son was not too pleased to have pastel pink and purple blankets in his room!!

I questioned everyone about my "barn smell".... everyone recommended fleece, now I see why!!!

**wymyczak66** · #40 10-01-09, 10:17 pm

I <3 fleece, I have 2 boars in a 2 x 4 C&C cage. I wash the fleece and towels once a week, and it doesn't smell AT ALL! Seriously. I sweep poops with a mini broom and dustpan twice a day (during feedings so they're distracted when I take their precious hidey houses away)

To keep the fleece down, if you have a lot of leftover coroplast or a large sheet of cardboard, you can make a sheet to fit just a tad smaller than the bottom of the coroplast. Lay the towels and fleece flat and secure them under the cardboard by tucking under the cardboard and then binder clipping it to the cardboard. Works like a charm, keeps the fleece nice and tight (which means easier scooping).

I'm in college, I can't afford to keep buying bedding. Once a month I buy a bag of yesterdays news for my kitchen area, and a bag of oxbow food and shabam!

go with the fleece ; )

"Thank you, Peggysu, for this useful post," says:
barbanderson (09-25-09)