fleece

Glad it's working for you!

I'm glad that you like the fleece, but just remember that sometimes you have to try different combinations of things under the fleece before you find what you like best. So don't give up right away if something doesn't work. At first I had fleece with towels underneath and I found it stunk, so then I tried newspaper, but I found that I didn't have enough newspaper to keep up with them. Finally I now have homemade fleece blankets with cotton batting inside them and puppy training pads in the spots that they wet most and I love it. I hope it works good for you.

thanks for the advice

I was thinking of switching to fleece also, but I have a few questions. Does the batting get funky after you wash it? I've made things with fleece and batting and it got all bunched up and lumpy. Also how much are the wee-wee pads and how often do you change them? Does the cost add up quickly?

To make the batting not bunch up you have to sort of quilt the blanket by sewing lines all throughout it. You can also get a polyester batting that is more like a blanket itself and that will never bunch. I buy about 32 puppy pads for $10 canadian (so about $7 american). I use about 3 in my cage at one time and I only change them everyday 2 or 3 days depending on how much they were used. So my whole cage only cost me about $10 per month, this would be a little bit more if you have to pay for your laundry services. The initial cost is a bit more, but the fleece should last at least a couple of years, so I think that it is definetely worth it. Alot of people will actually get 2 layers of fleece and sew batting between them, but I just use old sheets for the back so this cost me absolutely nothing.

Okay that makes sense! Do you use velcro to hold the pads in place?

no they just kinda stick to the tablecloth that I have underneath and the fleece is almost like velcro against them. As mentionned before I have no bottom to my cage, so I buy my fleece so that it is about 2 inches bigger all around, then I set the cage directly on top of the fleece and the connectors hold it in place. My guineas have not yet been able to dig under it and I doubt they ever will.

Nice. I'm still debating whether I should sew polyester batting or terry cloth crib pads between my fleece and cotton sheet. Which one would absorb better do you think?

I hold down the fleece with velcro and have about 3 layers of newspaper underneath. So far, so good and absolutely no smell. I'm in heaven.

In my experience, terry cloth tends to smell very quickly and it stays very wet. It doesn't really smell like pee or anything, but it gets very musty (which I can't stand, because I lived in a basement for many years and I always hated that smell). I use a polyester batting, but I use the one that is tighly held together almost like a blanket and I find that it works great, but it really is a matter of trial and error. What works for me may not work for you.

Wow, isn't that funny suzy--I've had exactly the opposite experience! I find the crib pads to be a dream come true, and the batting to just "hold" the smell and moisture in...

It's so strange how different pigs can make or break the effectiveness of these combinations!

Has anyone ever tried vellux as a middle layer? Or maybe even a top layer? It's that weird fuzzy "foam" type blanket that are fairly inexpensive. When I used to have a hedgehog, I made liners out of vellux and they worked pretty nicely. Just trying to weigh all my options before I get started sewing!

I've never heard of it before, but it does sound like a really good idea! If it is "foam" like then it probably pulls the moisture away really well. You can always give it a go and see how it works (and then let me know after, haha).

I think I'm going to do a little experiment with all the different options and see which one soaks up the most moisture. Kind of like a paper towel commercial. I will keep you posted!