Fleece Fleece.....FRUSTRATED!

[bpatters]

After wading through pages of Google responses about sugar cane stalks, I found that they're used in this country for biofuel and for manufacturing pulp and paper products. It's latest use is in biodegradable packing, replacing styrofoam. It's called bagasse.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

They grow sugar cane in Louisiana and Hawaii but it's not a very big crop in the states. I'm using pine wood shavings right now until I can figure this out. Ben and Eddy don't drink very much maybe a large rabbit water bottle every two days. =/

 

[CarpeCavia]

Yay! Vinegar!!! Awesome non-toxic cleaner... I like it to clean the litter pans too!

 

[bpatters]

@Inle_Rabbit, without reading back, are you using kiln-dried pine? If not, you need to put the pigs on something else, open that stuff up in the garage or someplace outside, and let it air dry for several months.

 

[NotAgain_piglys]

After wading through pages of Google responses about sugar cane stalks, I found that they're used in this country for biofuel and for manufacturing pulp and paper products. It's latest use is in biodegradable packing, replacing styrofoam. It's called bagasse.

Wow that interesting! I was looking myself but my google is set to .au and I couldnt figure out= how to turn it off LOL. I figured over there it would be probably used for somethng else, australia can be a bit slow behind the eight ball when it comes to things like that. Is it usuable do you think?

 

[NotAgain_piglys]

I know, I'm starting to think maybe my pigs just pee a lot. They both are big for guinea pigs. Ben is just over 3lbs and Eddy is 2.7. No we don't use fabric softener or drier sheets, my children are allergic to those. Just All Free and Clear. I'm going to try to wash it in some white vinegar and see if maybe there is some lingering something on it and try again next cage cleaning. Thanks for your help bpatters.

Vinegar is magic! When i started breeding birds I had to quickly change alot of my cleaning and smell eradication routines as there lungs are extremly sensitive. Vinegar diluted in water became my best friend for cleaning everything, also adding a small amount of bi carb (not baking soda!) can work wonders for smells and stains anywhere in the house. Vinegar actaully eats the bacteria causing the smell so it dosent cover the smelll it eradicates it, bi carb can help it absorb any remaining yukky smells. I also use F10 (a tiny few mL) in a wash every now and then with my fleece blankets as it kills not only bacteria but also mites and lice.

 

[bpatters]

I'd guess it has enough residual sugar in it to not be good for their digestive systems. But if it absorbs the urine, keeps their feet dry, doesn't give off any kind of gases, and isn't being eaten, I don't know why not. However, bear in mind that I know absolutely nothing about sugar cane mulch as bedding.

 

[NotAgain_piglys]

I'd guess it has enough residual sugar in it to not be good for their digestive systems. But if it absorbs the urine, keeps their feet dry, doesn't give off any kind of gases, and isn't being eaten, I don't know why not. However, bear in mind that I know absolutely nothing about sugar cane mulch as bedding.

Personally I found that none of my pigs actually eat it, the first time I put them donw on it naturally they gave it a try but since I havent seen them take any interest. As long as they have there unlimited supply of hay and they get enough foraging activity whether from grazing on the lawn, or you providing foraging games inside, there is no need for them to eat. The mulch I use is very dried out, I would compare it to wood shavings so if your pig eats that I spose they would eat the mulch.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

Nope, the wood chips I have are kiln dried

 

[voiletmay]

To get rid of the smell you can use baking soda sprinkled on the towel layer or the newspaper layer. This works brilliantly. Just put a single layer of fleece on the top.

I rarely do this as my guinea pig fleece is changed daily (I have 2 pigs in a 2x4). Their upstairs 1x2 kitchen gets the fleece, newspaper and towels changed daily and twice a day if they are inside all the time because of bad weather.

Where I live the weather is almost always lovely, so the piggies usually spend their days in their grazing hutch, but are brought inside to their C&C at night. If the pigs have to spend whole day in their cage I will use baking soda.

Anyway, try baking soda, it's brilliant. My pigs are in a bedroom, so having no smell at all is important.

 

[Onetwo]

@violetmay It is NOT recommended to use newspaper under fleece. It gets wet and stinks, breeds bacteria quickly, molds quickly, sticks to the fleece, sticks to the coroplast and is just a waste. Also it is NOT recommended to put baking soda in the cage because there is a remote chance that they could get to it and eat it. This can cause serious health issues as it can seriously harm their digestive track. Why take the risk? You need to sweep/vac/scoop poops 1-3 times a day to remove the smells. Changing the fleece out daily is not recommended either because its a lot of stress and then they have to rescent everything over again everyday. Plus its a lot of washing, work and expense. Its also NOT recommended to go longer than 10 days between washing the fleece. The bacteria from the poop and pee residue can build up and cause issues as well.

 

[Menanie77]

I am currently using the Aspen bedding found at Petco. It is super cheap and a LOT of it for the money. I have had no issues with the smell at all. I try to spot clean daily but sometimes go every 3 days and I can go almost a week or more between cleaning the entire cage. I have only changed the cage twice since using it and have not enough put a dent in the amount of bedding I have left. Because it is compressed in the bag, once I opened it up, I had to separate it in to a trash bag because it was over flowing. LOVING IT!

I do want to give fleece a try again but not yet. I am going to ride this out for a bit and then consider my fleece method again.

A friend of mine has a guinea pig and she uses fleece. Her method is much different then what I have read here but WORKS well for her! She just got some fleece blankets from big lots and folds them to fit in her cage. That is it! She spot cleans the poops out and replaces the fleece each day (cleaning out the bottom of the cage). She doesn't use anything additional for absorbancy and has no odor (even if she goes more then 1 day without changing it out). She just cleans up the pee spots left in the cage and puts in new fleece. Her little guy is NOT stressed out by it AT ALL! Just some food for thought because I have found the absorbant layer to be the odor causing layer!

 

[pinky]

You can make them really cheaply if you sew. Use a single layer of uhaul padding for the middle and fleece on both sides. Buy remnants from Jo-Ann Fabrics when it's on sale and you get it for 50% off the sale price. Uhaul pads cost $7.99 for an 82" x 68" piece so it's more than enough to make multiple pads and if you buy your fleece when it's on sale for $4.99/yard and buy a remnant you'll get them for $2.50 per yard.

(broken link removed)

Anyone use these? They are pricey but I can see the convenience if they work!

 

[Maj C Prado]

Yeah,I wouldnt fold it put towels or news paper under it!

 

[Menanie77]

So an adorable little 11 year old guinea pig momma has been doing fleece an unconventional way but it has worked perfectly. When I did the fleece with the towels underneath it was horrible so I went back to wood bedding. I decided to give her method a try and see how I like it. I LOVE IT!

I have a 2x3 cage and I just take one fleece blanket (easily found at most stores very cheap, come all rolled up) and fold it in half (it fits the cage length and width perfectly that way). So I basically have 2 layers of fleece...that is IT! I do use some old prefold cloth diapers for his favorite areas and change that out if needed but other then that I do not use anything at all under the fleece! I do change the blanket out daily and there is NO puddles of pee to clean up but I wipe the cage out anyway. Very little smell and laundry day is super easy! I know it seems weird to not use any absorbant layer (I thought that too at first) but sometimes keeping it simple is best. I just use an old spoon and cup and scoop out the poops when ever I have time and tada...perfect cage!