Fleece bedding housing question

Vanessa Garcia · Nov 5, 2013

I have read that it is better to line the cages with fleece liner for the guinea pigs but how often should I change it? I experimented with it and it seems messier than regular bedding. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Please help!!!

Traysea · Nov 5, 2013

You do need to change fleece more often than a cage with shavings. It's a trade off. It's better in the way that because it's reusable so you save money, but the trade off is you need to clean it more often. It's better because you don't have nearly as much dust as you would from shavings and the piggies like it better. It's much faster to wash fleece than to change out a cage with shavings but you have to change it more frequently. Spot cleaning is more important with fleece. Also, fleece is better in larger C and C or Midwest guinea pig cages. If you have a smaller store bought cage and you attempt to use fleece you'll probably need to change it everyday.

How big is your cage and what are you putting under the fleece to absorb the pee?

MommaOfFour · Nov 5, 2013

I agree with Traysea on all of the above except those couple things:

I don't feel like fleece is more work than shavings/"regular bedding" though.
spot cleaning with fleece liners is MUCH easier for me because I just use a small broom/dust pan (you could also use a handheld vacuum) and even in my big cage it takes maybe 10min to do that (I spot clean 1-2 times a day). a part of my cage is a kitchen/litterbox extension utilizing the tray of a large store bought cage which has carefresh or wood pellets in it. spot cleaning there takes about as long as spot cleaning the rest of the cage which has fleece, and this area is only 1x2 grids big. it would be a nightmare for me personally if I had a whole cage full of regular bedding (even if the cage was smaller than it is, say 2 x 3).

sure you have to wash the fleece liners which can be a bit inconvenient if you don't have a washer and dryer in your house/apartment. I use the laundry facility in our apartment community so I know what that feels like but it's still way less of a hassle than dealing with other type bedding.

if you happen to have a store size cage though, I would personally stick with regular bedding. it's too small of an area to worrie about tucking in fleece and absorbant layer underneath and you don't need that much bedding so worst case scenario, you just toss it all if you don't feel like spot cleaning for a couple days.

Traysea · Nov 5, 2013

Momma… I have been washing my fleece in a portable washer i got refurbished on ebay for $75. It can hold a full cage liner for a 2x3 in one load but it's tight. Not sure how you do your fleece but it might save you some trips to the laundry facility. Ive been using it for a few months now and I LOVE it. It may only last a year or two but it was cheap enough I don't mind replacing it. If you are paying per load this could help you stretch out your laundry days around the apartment too. It won't do big stuff but it will definitely do flippers and 1/2 pads etc.

MommaOfFour said:
I agree with Traysea on all of the above except those couple things:

I don't feel like fleece is more work than shavings/"regular bedding" though.
spot cleaning with fleece liners is MUCH easier for me because I just use a small broom/dust pan (you could also use a handheld vacuum) and even in my big cage it takes maybe 10min to do that (I spot clean 1-2 times a day). a part of my cage is a kitchen/litterbox extension utilizing the tray of a large store bought cage which has carefresh or wood pellets in it. spot cleaning there takes about as long as spot cleaning the rest of the cage which has fleece, and this area is only 1x2 grids big. it would be a nightmare for me personally if I had a whole cage full of regular bedding (even if the cage was smaller than it is, say 2 x 3).

sure you have to wash the fleece liners which can be a bit inconvenient if you don't have a washer and dryer in your house/apartment. I use the laundry facility in our apartment community so I know what that feels like but it's still way less of a hassle than dealing with other type bedding.

if you happen to have a store size cage though, I would personally stick with regular bedding. it's too small of an area to worrie about tucking in fleece and absorbant layer underneath and you don't need that much bedding so worst case scenario, you just toss it all if you don't feel like spot cleaning for a couple days.

MommaOfFour · Nov 5, 2013

@Traysea : yea I do pay by the load.... :-/ I wish I could do something like that but I wouldn't know where to put it in a 1 bedroom apartment with the piggy cage taking up the whole dining room and the bathroom being small....

and my liners are fairly big, I don't think they would fit unfortunately. I have been able to save some money since expanding the cage because now I do piggy laundry ever 3 wks on average (for the base liners) instead of weekly. putting the base of a store bought cage in with wood pellets has been working amazing, I'm still surprised (but happy). and I air dry everything so that helps too.

Traysea · Nov 5, 2013

Yeah if you have piggy bedspreads or full cage liners it will only do up to a 2x3. It's fairly small at about 24" tall x 15" wide x 15" deep. A little smaller than a 1x2 grid. I just leave mine on the floor in my kitchen. I also have the spin dryer which is even smaller Both of them just sit in my kitchen until I need to use them. Then I just plop them on the counter next to my sink. I have seen some people use manual ones in the bathroom/bathtub. That one is even smaller though. I have seen larger units but they are much much more money. It's a moot point if your liners are super big but I figured Id mention it because it's so awesome! You can wash your regular clothes in there too and only have to wash your actual bedroom bedding in the laundry. I love my spin dryer, although it's more of a luxury it really speeds up drying time. It gets things about 90-95% of the way dry. Most of my stuff air dries in hours if I drape it over my kitchen chairs/table especially on a sunny day.

pinky · Nov 5, 2013

Fleece won't work in a small cage. I expanded one of my 2x4 c&cs into a 2x5 when I added a third guinea pig in that cage because I knew it would be messier. They've taken to jumping into the hay bin and peeing in there. I just empty and spray and wipe down twice a day and I've found my cage is staying a lot cleaner. I add shredded paper under the hay which soaks up a lot of the urine so it's easy to clean out.

MommaOfFour · Nov 5, 2013

oh no worries, I'm definitely glad you brought that to my attention!

it's just not doable right now unfortunately.

Epiphaneee · Nov 5, 2013

pinky said:
Fleece won't work in a small cage. I expanded one of my 2x4 c&cs into a 2x5 when I added a third guinea pig in that cage because I knew it would be messier. They've taken to jumping into the hay bin and peeing in there. I just empty and spray and wipe down twice a day and I've found my cage is staying a lot cleaner. I add shredded paper under the hay which soaks up a lot of the urine so it's easy to clean out.

Hey @pinky -- I have a quick question. You said your piggies started jumping into & peeling on the hay in their bin. I am wondering, specifically, when did they start peeing on it? What changes had you made that seemed to encourage them to pee in there?

The reason I ask, is that I just switched to fleece. When we were using CareFresh, there was a hay bag on the side of the cage & a pile of hay for them to play in on the floor. Over several months, they never peed in the pile of hay. When we switched to fleece, I didn't want to put the hay directly on the fleece because it's messy & sticks to it. So I put it in a box. And immediately, they peed on it. I changed it & within a few minutes, they peed on it again. Both of them! It was like they decided it was a litterbox. Once there was a box there, that pile of hay became "the" place to go pee! haha And so it has been for the last 10 days. Now, they go pee almost exclusively on that pile of hay -- like they were trained to. So I'm wondering if your piggies reaction was at all similar. You also mentioned that you've added paper to help absorb some of the piggy pee. Smart idea!

Traysea · Nov 5, 2013

Now that you are mentioning this… is it possible they like to just pee in boxes? I find that when I feed my piggies their veggies on a paper plate they almost always pee on the plate. Maybe it's the small paper area they like to make on?

Epiphaneee · Nov 5, 2013

Traysea said:
Now that you are mentioning this… is it possible they like to just pee in boxes? I find that when I feed my piggies their veggies on a paper plate they almost always pee on the plate. Maybe it's the small paper area they like to make on?

Exactly! That's part of what I'm trying to figure out.

I started with a Coroplast box. (That was how I determined piggy pee on Coro was a deal-breaker for me. haha) Right now, I'm using a retired metal baking tin, because it was a good size, it's easy to clean, it's not as disgusting to clean as some things & the hay doesn't stick to it. So it looks like the motivating thing is either:

1. A "pile" of hay -- The hay stays in a little heap because it is in a box. With the CareFresh, it got flattened out & trampled on pretty quickly.
2. A box -- Before there was a box, they didn't pee in it. I added a box, they added pee. haha
3. A box with a pile of hay -- It could be that both things are key. Like the piggies see a pile of hay in a box-like container as a big invitation to go pee.
4. Something else -- Something else got them going & I just missed it.
5. None of those -- My piggies are weird & just decided to go pee in that box.

I'm hoping that pinky can shed some light on the situation. And if there really is a pattern with it, maybe I'll get lucky and other people will have experiences & be willing to share, too.

Traysea · Nov 5, 2013

If your metal box starts to rust from the pee, maybe consider switching to a rubbermaid tub so it's easier to wash and disinfect. As for the pee on the coroplast, you could do a waterproof liner inside the coroplast. I discovered that Joanns sells this nice thick clear vinyl. It's not cheap but you can use a coupon on it to get 40% off. You could line the coroplast with it. It would be very sturdy. Stronger than a shower curtain and easy to wipe clean. You could even sew it into a piggy bedspread. Or just sew it up the sides so it turned into a box. Or use binder clips etc.

TwoMissPiggies · Nov 5, 2013

I have a 2x3 with fleece and towels underneath it. I spot clean once or twice a day, I change the fleece every few days (when I start smelling it).

Epiphaneee · Nov 5, 2013

You guys have great suggestions! Thanks so much.

You know, I'm thinking I should probably start a new thread & just ask for everybody's help. haha (I don't want to hijack this one.)

pinky · Nov 5, 2013

I'm not sure what it is about boxes and peeing but one of my females in my other female cage lays and pees in her hay, too. She backs up and pees in the corner of it. My males have never done that. They never even go in their hay bin.

mayonoreo · Nov 5, 2013

U should spot clean every day which is just cleaning up the poops and u should wash the fleece at least every 7-10 days

rsgymjam · Nov 5, 2013

Epiphaneee said:
Exactly! That's part of what I'm trying to figure out. I started with a Coroplast box. (That was how I determined piggy pee on Coro was a deal-breaker for me. haha) Right now, I'm using a retired metal baking tin, because it was a good size, it's easy to clean, it's not as disgusting to clean as some things & the hay doesn't stick to it. So it looks like the motivating thing is either:

1. A "pile" of hay -- The hay stays in a little heap because it is in a box. With the CareFresh, it got flattened out & trampled on pretty quickly.
2. A box -- Before there was a box, they didn't pee in it. I added a box, they added pee. haha
3. A box with a pile of hay -- It could be that both things are key. Like the piggies see a pile of hay in a box-like container as a big invitation to go pee.
4. Something else -- Something else got them going & I just missed it.
5. None of those -- My piggies are weird & just decided to go pee in that box.

I'm hoping that pinky can shed some light on the situation. And if there really is a pattern with it, maybe I'll get lucky and other people will have experiences & be willing to share, too.

Haha- look at it this way: you have them litter trained!! You could put bedding in a box/ rubbermaid bin and they would probably pee in there!

Maybe use 2 hay racks?!

Epiphaneee · Nov 5, 2013

rsgymjam said:
Haha- look at it this way: you have them litter trained!! You could put bedding in a box/ rubbermaid bin and they would probably pee in there!

Maybe use 2 hay racks?!

Oh yeah! I'm definitely taking credit for potty-training them if anyone ever asks! haha Seriously though, I feel way better hearing that other piggies do it, too.

I'm not sure what I would have done differently if I had known they might become such pee-mongers, but I feel like I should have done *something*! But yes, we now have both a hay rack *and* a hay box. Fortunately, they don't eat pee-pee hay, but since they started this, I felt like we needed some "guaranteed clean" hay in there for them. And since they have such a good time playing in the hay box, I haven't had the heart to take it away from them. So, I've opted to clean it & they get to "start fresh" twice a day. Aaaaaaaack! I know, I know, I'm a major buffoon. And the little wheekers totally work me. They actually *beg* & *cry* for the silly thing if I don't clean, refill & replace it fast enough. And, of course, they look majorly sad & pathetic when they're begging. It's SoSo awful. And yes, I'm quite sure that there's a big stamp on my forehead that says "idiot" in Guineapigese.

hmy: Unfortunately, I fear that it's true.

Epiphaneee · Nov 10, 2013

pinky said:
I'm not sure what it is about boxes and peeing but one of my females in my other female cage lays and pees in her hay, too. She backs up and pees in the corner of it. My males have never done that. They never even go in their hay bin.

Thanks for the 411 @pinky.

It's so interesting that your girls pee in their hay box, but your boys don't. And you're like the 4th person who has said that same thing. Any theories as to why girls but not boys? Someone else said girls actually keep their cage cleaner than boys, and that if you give them a box with *something* in it, they'll go pee there -- in an effort to keep the rest of their cage clean. Another woman said female piggies are more likely to play follow-the-leader, so if the alpha-female pees in a box, the other females likely will, too. I only have girl piggies, so I can't compare. But mine have been using the hay box since I first put it in two weeks ago. And now, they're almost exclusively using it for pee *and* doing just what you described -- backing up & using the corner! Hmmm. Piggy pee with a purpose. haha

rsgymjam · Nov 10, 2013

Epiphaneee said:
Oh yeah! I'm definitely taking credit for potty-training them if anyone ever asks! haha Seriously though, I feel way better hearing that other piggies do it, too. I'm not sure what I would have done differently if I had known they might become such pee-mongers, but I feel like I should have done *something*! But yes, we now have both a hay rack *and* a hay box. Fortunately, they don't eat pee-pee hay, but since they started this, I felt like we needed some "guaranteed clean" hay in there for them. And since they have such a good time playing in the hay box, I haven't had the heart to take it away from them. So, I've opted to clean it & they get to "start fresh" twice a day. Aaaaaaaack! I know, I know, I'm a major buffoon. And the little wheekers totally work me. They actually *beg* & *cry* for the silly thing if I don't clean, refill & replace it fast enough. And, of course, they look majorly sad & pathetic when they're begging. It's SoSo awful. And yes, I'm quite sure that there's a big stamp on my forehead that says "idiot" in Guineapigese. hmy: Unfortunately, I fear that it's true.

Maybe you could put carefresh in the box and have them romp around in that for a while before cleaning it up? Maybe they would enjoy that?

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Fleece bedding housing question

Vanessa Garcia

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