Fleece: Is fleece bedding the best bedding out there?

[sdpiggylvr]

I'm making a C&C Cage for my two female guinea pigs, and I heard about this fleece bedding, where you have old towels covered by a layer of fleece. Is this the best bedding out there?
Doesn't it start to stink with all the urine it soaks up?
Isn't that kind of gross to wash a urine-soaked towel in your washing machine?
Doesn't it get annoying washing towels every few days?
Why should I get it? It doesn't sound that great to me.

[3piggymomma]

Fleece bedding is what is recommended. It is soft on the piggy's feet and easy to see and scoop poops. Since I started using towels under the fleece, I have not had a big problem with smell. I change the fleece and towels once a week. The only problem I find is that they step on the poops and sometimes get some stuck to their feet. Other than that, I think they like it; they seem comfortable. It's also much cheaper than using Carefresh or other bedding of that kind. I have two sets of towels and 5 pieces of fleece (but you don't need that many) and alternate them out (and color coordinate - but that's just me!). Carefresh bedding also produces alot of dust, and spills out onto the floor when the piggies run around and popcorn.

[mylilchichi]

I know my girls love it I wash mine twice a week and I have not had any trouble with smells.I couldnt imagine if I had to buy bedding to pour in there talk about pricey.One of the other neat things about fleece is all the patterns you have to choose from,my girls will never get tired of a pattern because Im constantly buying more

[Tessa Bea]

I'm also very interested in this type of bedding. I've seen the piggy bedspreads, but I don't want to go that far... If you lay down your own fleece and towels, how do you make sure that they don't get pulled up out of the box or pushed to a side? Is there a pig-proof way to tack them down, or fold them over the edges like a piggy bedspread?

I currently am using aspen and carefresh, but I would love to switch to something lower maintenance and more piggy friendly... I still have horrific memories of finding giant splintery woodchips in my pigs shavings as a kid.

[Wodentoad]

When you put piggies on fleece, if they're like my boys, it's a non-stop piggie romp. They run, popcorn, frolic. My boys snuggle, cuddle. relax. I don't think they liked wading hip-deep in carefresh and yesterdays news and poopie.

Worse yet, there's the COST! You'll spend $100 to keep a C&C in carefresh and coroplast. You'll spend that ONCE to lay down fleece. That includes towels ($3 at walmart, I use 5 per change, making 3 layers in my 2-story cage=$15 per change) and fleece which I get on sale or from the clearance section. At full cost it's like $8-9/yd, and I need two yards for my two story cage (2x4 lower floor fitted cover, 1x4 top run flat layer) = $20 per fleece. Some use the puppy pads/vet pads/mattress pads. I don't find it necessary, but if it works, YAY!

So with $35 per change, and you want at least two changes (*cough* I told my hubby three so I could get the fun fleece! *cough*) that's LESS than a month's worth of Carefresh and Yesterday's news. And this will last a year-ish.

[pigsmakemesmile]

As far as being the " best bedding," it more or less layes in the eyes of the beholder. I've used fleece bedding and shavings. I personally find the shavings much better..in the sense of odor control and dryness. Because my husband also uses the used shavings in his compost at work, gives me another reason to keep using it.

[trump_cinnamon]

Originally Posted by Tessa Bea

but I would love to switch to something lower maintenance

Fleece is definitely not a low maintenance bedding, you have to clean it up at least once a day. (I swear I have super-poo pigs..... I clean it 4 times a day, and still it gets dirty! I only have one piggy who faithfully uses the litterbox....) But I think that it is worth it, if you look at all of the pros and cons.

[princesspoppy]

Originally Posted by sdpiggylvr

I'm making a C&C Cage for my two female guinea pigs, and I heard about this fleece bedding, where you have old towels covered by a layer of fleece. Is this the best bedding out there?
Doesn't it start to stink with all the urine it soaks up?
Isn't that kind of gross to wash a urine-soaked towel in your washing machine?
Doesn't it get annoying washing towels every few days?
Why should I get it? It doesn't sound that great to me.

It's cheaper,it doesn't stink,it's not gross to put it in a washing machine.
"Washing machine" the word is self explanatory. My pigs like it as its soft and much better and cheaper and less mess than wood shavings for example.

[Kipsie]

Okay, here's my testimonial. I've tried everything from wood shavings, to newspaper, to carefresh. The newspaper gets soaked within a day and It's not good to have my pigs on a icky wet surface (plus, I cringed everytime I heard them tearing and eating it). The woodshavings (like cedar, also causing spliters as someone mentioned) have a strong odor that gives me a headache (and not good for pigs), plus, my vet told me to change it ASAP because he thought Twix was allergic to it. So, then I tried fleece. If you use it correctly, (1-2 layers of towels under the fleece), it doesn't smell at all until the next changing (which is once or twice a week, depending on cage size). The best part is that there's no mess to fly out of the cage when the piggies are popcorning and running like crazy. With woodshavings and carefresh, pieces fall out all the time. It's also really nice-looking and within 5 minutes of introducing Twix to her fleece bedding, she popcorned herself to sleep on the fabric.

The pee seeps through the fleece onto the towels and in a couple of minutes (or less), the water is virtually gone off of the top level.

You'd have to get one of those mini dustpan and broom sets (some use handheld vacs) to sweep up poos throughout the day, but not 24/7, so don't worry.

In regards to washing urine soaked towels in the washer and 'gross'ness, you must realize that many 'gross' things go into washers. People wash shoes that has ventured who knows where. Little children have accidents and parents wash those clothes in the washer. And public washers (like at LaundroMart and our apartment)... Well, you can imagine what goes in there. The soiled water is always discarded, and you never use the same water twice, unless you wash your own clothes with the piggy bedding, which is not reccomended.


By the way, you wash the fleece and towels with vinegar and water.


Ehh, I think I covered everything. Good luck with your piggers, everyone that asked!

[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 do know one person who "gasp" doesn't pick up the poos at all and just cleans it at the end of the week.

I think once in the morning is pretty good. The pigs love it when its clean and popcorn around the cage after I've swept it up. If I miss a few days I get sad piggy looks, but I don't worry if I go to my Mom's for a visit or something.

Paterned fleece makes the poos less noticable. Althogh I will note my one Halloween fleece that's ghosts on black, makes the poo's imposiable to to see to sweep up.

I love fleece. Wash it 3 times in your washer and dryer with a detergent that doesn't have any fabric softener to break down the water barier and then its ready to use. I buy it at Jo-Ann fabrics when theres a sale. I have dolphins, winnie the poo, pumpkins, stripes and many more. I just think it looks prettier.

[Tessa Bea]

You guys have convinced me, I'll be switching over to fleece as soon as my carefresh and aspen is gone. Still trying to figure out how to keep it on, though? The only way I've thought of so far is tucking it down over the edges of the coroplast so that it stays between the grids and the coroplast wall... I also noticed some people with floor level cages seem to just stick the grid on top of the fleece... any other suggestions?

[Duffinvt]

I just adopted two guinea pigs. They came in a cage with shavings. I set up a cube on fleece, using the directions on this site. I have not yet bought coroplast, but will next time I visit the "city" with my husband's truck. I just cleaned out the store bought cage to be put up for use only when I am cleaning the big cage. Oh my goodness ! I took the whole mess down to the composter and dumped it in. But in pouring rain or with two feet of snow that would not be pleasant. I have purchased fleece throws on Ebay for less than $6 including shipping. I am not so much about decorating as practicality (although I see some very pretty cages here !) so I got NASCAR and a holiday print throw. Follow the directions to wash/dry several times and you will be quite pleased. Friends gave me all their old towels and I am using my son-in-law's old polo shirts as well. One big load of laundry and you are set for another week !

[MapleOwl18]

I bought bricks for like 30 cents each at Home Depot from the garden section. I got 10 for 3 bucks. I put those in the corners which discourgages burrowing.

I also gave in and cut the fleece to internal dimensions of the cage so it wouldn't go up over the sides. That really stopped and burrowing and honestly nowadays the bricks are only used to keep the vacumn from pulling the fleece away from the towel when I'm cleaning. The piggies like to put their front paws on them and use them as pulpits to demand things (Like more veggies, removal of their cage mate, and their own TV.) I also used garden rocks at one point.

[angiekay]

I just wanted to put up my vote and agree with all the members who are all for the fleece/towel bedding option, as this is what I've been using the whole time I've had my pigs. They were in carefresh when I got them, and I said to my self, Nope! Not going to do that mess! Or expense.

I am so totally addicted to fleece/towels setup, I have three changes also, and it's no problem when it's time to do the cage change, as I have two sets on standby ready to go. And I'm also a fan of the "designs" and "patterns' to choose from! I love it, and my pigs concur!

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Tessa Bea

You guys have convinced me, I'll be switching over to fleece as soon as my carefresh and aspen is gone. Still trying to figure out how to keep it on, though? The only way I've thought of so far is tucking it down over the edges of the coroplast so that it stays between the grids and the coroplast wall... I also noticed some people with floor level cages seem to just stick the grid on top of the fleece... any other suggestions?

Until I got my mother-with-a-sewing-machine to make piggy bedspreads for her grandpigs, I used binder clips to attach the fleece to the coroplast. Worked like a charm.

My getting-the-poo-off-fleece cleaning method is a breeze. I roll the fleece up loosely like a burrito, fold up the bottom end, insert the non-folded end into the trash can, and gently shake the poos out twice a day. I have a three level cage and keeping it clean enough for rodent-fearing company doesn't take ten minutes a day.

I doubt you'll be sorry you made the switch!

One thing - I used to be more fanatical about scrubbing my coroplast out than I am now. Then what would happen would be my boars would get back in their cage and run around scent marking everything up. So it wasn't that the fleece smelled, it was that it was so clean they felt compelled to MAKE it smell like piggie boy. Now that I just change the fleece once every six days, and don't wipe down the coroplast every time I shake out the poos, it doesn't smell at all. Win-win!

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by MapleOwl18

The piggies like to put their front paws on them and use them as pulpits to demand things (Like more veggies, removal of their cage mate, and their own TV.)

Laughed out loud at that one! I also used bricks in some places before I got piggie bedspreads and liked them - I also thought they did keep their nails filed down to some degree.

[crazywiggy]

I love fleece - I really can't imagine going back to loose bedding now. I have two girls in a 2x5 cage, and cleaning is a breeze.

Does it stink?

Never - I poop scoop daily and do a full clean once a week. The most it has been left is 9 days and the surface of the fleece was still dry, and no smell whatsoever.

Gross to put it in the wash?

Sorry to be gross, but honestly, the washing machine in our household has washed clothes / bedding that have been sweaty, muddy, dusty, peed on, soiled, vomited on, and bled on - a bit of piggie pee is the least of my concerns!

Is it annoying to wash towells every few days?

Maybe - but I don't. I poop scoop once a day (before their breakfast) using a long handled dustpan and brush - this takes literally seconds. A full clean out (remove pigs and toys, sweep, vaccuum, remove bricks and clips, shake off fleece and mattress pad, throw in wash, lay down clean bedding, change the hay box, sort out pellets and chop veggies, return toys and pigs) takes me under 15 minutes.

By comparison, I used to have a rabbit in a pen on loose bedding - that took me about an hour to clean out each time.

Why should you get it?

It is comfy, safe and hygenic for your pigs.
It will save you a fortune, compared to the vast amounts of loose bedding you would need to buy.
It doesn't smell funny (I don't like the smell normal beddings have)
You don't get bedding all over your floor around the cage
It looks nice
In my opinion, it IS low maintenance

MapleOwl - I know how you feel. My fleece is halloween stuff too - black with skull print. Never looks messy, but can be a pain to spot poops!

As for keeping it in place - I lay the mattress pad down first (which fits inside the cage) then lay the fleece on top (fleece is longer and wider than the floor of the cage). I use a house brick in each corner to weigh it down. I also use bulldog clips in between the bricks. My pigs also use their bricks to demand food every time you go near the kitchen!

[Wodentoad]

With a little math and 10 mins with a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, it takes no time to make a flat sheet of fleece into a fitted coroplast cover. This is perfect for my corners where my boars love to make "poo sculptures."

So here's the math. Pay attention, because I'll only write this ONCE! (Just kidding, I'll post it and clarify for whoever needs it! )

Measure the inside dimensions of your coroplast, we will call this x and y, and the height of your coroplast, which we will call h. Your piece of fleece should then be equal to (2h+x) by (2h+y). This means that you will double the height of the walls. I like to add a little extra, like 1/2" but I'll get to that in a moment.

Lay out your fleece and measure a square from each corner equal to (2h - 1/2") and cut it out. Place the sides together and sew with a 1/2" seam allowance (that means 1/2" between the sewing line and the edge of the fabric for those, like me, who weren't born knowing the lingo). Make sure all the seams face the same way, finish if you're picky, I don't always. Cut any loose strings and place down your towels, and pop the cover up, then fold over the coroplast.

ALTERNATIVE! If you want a different colored border.

Measure the inside dimensions of your coroplast (x by y) plus 1", so you have x + 1" and y + 1". Now, take those same measurements (x by y) and double them 2(x by y) and this is the length of your second fabric (feel free to cheat and sew fabrics together). The width is determined by double the height of your coroplast plus 1". Now, place the long edge of the border fabric to the edge of your bottom fabric (with the two sides you want to look at pressed together, if necessary), Sew, sew, sew, sew. Now, as above, lay down your lower lvl, flip your border over the top of the coroplast and tuck the corners in.

If you need any more help, just let me know. I know math can be hard! But I'm here!

[JD In Van]

I find fleecee very low maintaince. I had old towels already as I recently bought a bunch of new ones, so all I needed to do was buy some fleece blankets, I got 4 at a thrift store for 3.99-4.99 each and all are large enough to cover the whole cage bottom.

I vacuum every morning while the piggies have their floor time. Do a complete change once every 4 days. Voila.

16 days worth of bedding = $20 one time cost. You can't beat that IMO.

[barbanderson]

Originally Posted by MapleOwl18

I bought bricks for like 30 cents each at Home Depot from the garden section. I got 10 for 3 bucks. I put those in the corners which discourgages burrowing.

I also gave in and cut the fleece to internal dimensions of the cage so it wouldn't go up over the sides. That really stopped and burrowing and honestly nowadays the bricks are only used to keep the vacumn from pulling the fleece away from the towel when I'm cleaning. The piggies like to put their front paws on them and use them as pulpits to demand things (Like more veggies, removal of their cage mate, and their own TV.) I also used garden rocks at one point.

Lordy that is so funny. PULPITS to demand things Yes my Bissy used to demand things all the time like hurry up with the veggies, I hear that frig door where is my treat (dandelion greens/corn husks etc) at the top of her voice. I never thought of trying bricks in my cage so I will give that a go and see if any of my other pigs will use the "pulpits" for their demands Thank you for that amusing picture of pigs and pulpits