Bedding New Cav owner with bedding question

The fleece is so much cheaper and so easy to use. I made my fleece pads/cage liners by using a layer of fleece the same size as the bottom of the cage, a towel in the middle and flannel as the bottom. I put the two good sides together with the towel on one side, joined them on three sides, turned it inside out and sewed the open end. I do wash all the pieces before in case they shrink before sewing them. I have been lucky and none of my pigs have chewed the fleece, they do manage to crawl under it if given the chance and you would have to watch to see what they do. Once your pads/cage liners are made you should throw them in the wash again for at least two more washes with unscented detergent and no fabric softener. The advantage of the fleece is when the piggies pee the top layer stays dry which means they stay dry and the second layer absorbs the moisture so they work great. I change my cage about twice a week and it takes me literally minutes to replace the pads/cage liners. I do wash the cage down and put a layer of newspapers under the pads but it is pretty quick once that is done to just lay down the fleece. Fleece is really cheap and I have used fleece blankets that I have paid 4.00 for and managed to get two (top layers) out of one so it is great and because the towel color etc. doesn't matter, you can get towels fairly cheaply too. Good luck with your creations.

You could use newspaper, but the fleece is probably the cheapest option. I don't know if they chew it, but I think it depends on the piggy. What you do for the fleece is put wee wee pads under it and then change those and the fleece every few days, depending on how many pigs you have. I would litter box train them though. No matter what bedding you choose, it will save you a lot of money! Also, there are articles on the site about bedding.

How many pigs do you have? And congradulations on your new additions.

Thanks for the info! I only have one 4 year old female Absynnian rescue right now but will be looking for a companion for her - a female or neutered male, soon.

Wonder Piggy said:

You could use newspaper, but the fleece is probably the cheapest option.

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Newspaper isn't absorbant and will only end up a wet mess. Puppy pads or bath towels are better for the absorbant layer.

I made fleece pads out of fleece on the outsides with thin, but very absorbent, cotton batting in the middle. I place one towel underneath the pads. I sewed the fleece pads on three sides, turned it inside out and stitched the fourth side. I have two pads to the cage so I can shake out one while the pigs are on the other side. I experimented with polyester batting, cotton batting and towels in the middle of the pads and washed and dried all three. I took them apart to see if they dried completely. The cotton and polyester batting dried but the towels were still damp. I'm sure if I had kept them in longer, they probably would have dried. The problem was, the fleece felt dry on the outside even though the terry cloth towel in the middle turned out to be damp. The polyester wasn't absorbent and the moisture wicked to the towel underneath. I opted for the cotton batting because they are really lightweight, absorbent and dry quickly. Any of the three would work, though. I have a small kitchen area that I have Carefresh or Eco Bedding in.