Question about safety of loose fleece (and introduction) :)

[Annieland]

Hi there. This is my first post. I am a pretty new guinea pig owner, having adopted my first two from the MI Humane Society in October. Wilbur and Orville love their 2x4 Coroplast cage that I keep on the floor in my home office.

In the bottom of the cage I have 2 thick towels covered by a large piece of fleece that I tuck in and under all 4 sides of the cage. A couple of times after cleaning they have managed to pull up one of the shorter sides and run underneath. It was cute and they were having fun so I left it alone for a few days.

They seemed to love this set-up and started pooping under there and taking the occasional nap. It was pretty impossible to clean daily but totally didn't smell at all.

Is this safe? Does anyone else keep the fleece a little loose on one end and let them run under it as they please? I would like to get a soft cozy sleeve for them, as right now they only have an igloo and large log to hide in.

Thanks so much for all the great information here. It has been a huge help as I learn about the world of guinea pigs!

Annie

[pinky]

I have one digger. As long as I keep a pigloo in there, she doesn't get under there too often. I don't think it's healthy for them to be under the fleece with little ventilation. I'd try to find a way to discourage the habit.

[kittymalone]

You could use binder clips to attach the fleece to the coro so that they can't get under the fleece, that's what a lot of people do, and then make sure you give them other things to hide in. The whole purpose of the fleece is to wick the pee away from the pigs so letting them burrow under it kind of defeats the purpose. You could also try bricks in each corner.

Oh, yeah, welcome to the forum! Lots of good information and inspiration here!

[Catahoula]

My piggies like to curl up in the fleece, especially on chilly nights. I don't let them get under the liner but I put a scrap piece in the cage, about 2'x2' and let them burrow into that.

Just an idea...