Fleece Fleece in a 2x3

snh101188 said:

I'm planning on getting a pair of pigs in the near future. I've had pigs before and also used C and C cage. I've just never used fleece before. I'm just wondering how large I should get the fleece cut to go in a 2x3. I want it to be just one piece of fleece. Would a yard do or does it need to be larger?

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One yard is about 2 1/2 grids so you would be short. I would order 1 1/2 yards.

Fleece doesnt work at all/well in small-ish cages, a 2x3 with two pigs in it will go really smelly really fast and you'd have to wash it every couple of days and do pooh sweeps more then twice a day to keep it nice and clean...with a 2x3 for two pigs I'd just stick with carefresh, aspen or wood pellets..

Thanks guys, and I might get a 2x4 if I can free up a little more space in my room.

Two of my pigs are in a 2x3 right now and their fleece doesn't get smelly quickly at all. They use their kitchen area pretty well though (it has disposable bedding in it), so maybe have a kitchen in your cage?

1 yard of fleece(as long as its around 45+ inches wide) will fit a 2x4 with a tight fit length wise(I have 58-60 inch fleece).

Yea ktatum I plan on having a kitchen area. I think I want to buy one from this site. If I get a 2x3 I thought about adding the kitchen part onto it to give them the full 2x3 area to run around in.

As long as you have a kitchen area their fleece shouldn't get that smelly very fast. You'll still have to poop scoop twice a day (I just poop scoop before feeding them their twice-daily veggies). I wash my fleece every weekend and after 3 months, the fleece has shrunk quite a bit (despite the fact that I washed/dried it 3 times before sewing and I wash/dry it on the coldest settings). So be sure to add an extra inch or two on all sides. I think it's better to be too big than too small.

Thanks, mama_ and I do plan on sweeping the cage daily. I'm still debating on if I want to buy a small hand held vacuum, since I've seen mixed reviews.

RodentCuddles said:

Fleece doesnt work at all/well in small-ish cages, a 2x3 with two pigs in it will go really smelly really fast and you'd have to wash it every couple of days and do pooh sweeps more then twice a day to keep it nice and clean...with a 2x3 for two pigs I'd just stick with carefresh, aspen or wood pellets..

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We used fleece in a cage this size and it didnt get smelly fast at all. I cleaned up the poop daily and changed it all once a week. My piggies are now in a cage 2x6 and again use fleece and its not bad.

Sorry @Tara1 It's just been my experience...when we first started the rescue we housed two sows in a 2x3 and even with me doing pooh sweeps twice daily it still went really smelly after 3 days and their favorite peeing spot under the hay bag when really wet after just 2 days..we have a male pair in a 2x4 right now and they stink up the place after a day or so because of their boar stink and marking their territory ....This has just been my experience, for us it can work with sows but with boars it just didn't work in small cages.

We currently have 6 c&c cages (with the smallest being the 2x4 for a male pair the other pairs are in 2x5, one trio of mine is in a 3x5 the other a 4x6) with fleece and the only one that stinks after a day or two is the boys in the 2x4, the others are all great with fleece.

I still stand by what I say, but it works with some sows but with (intact especially) males I just wouldn't bother trying. This is just from our experience with our own pigs and running our rescue with the piggies coming in and out and sometimes having to use a 2x3 for two pigs.

Xinaa said:

1 yard of fleece(as long as its around 45+ inches wide) will fit a 2x4 with a tight fit length wise(I have 58-60 inch fleece).

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I have a 2x6 and a 2x5 so I didn't even think about turning it sideways and it fitting a 2x4. I was just thinking a yard=36 inches. Ha! So yes, one yard will work.

Just a little FYI for those whom may not be addicted to sewing like I am :=)

2x4 grid = 28"x56" ------- 2x3 grid = 28"x42"

Most fleece is between 58"-60" wide. If you go with the 2x4, just make sure the fleece is not under 56" wide, than you could get away with 1 yard of fabric, which would be 36" x width of fleece. When ordering online you can't usually get anything other than whole yards, but at a fabric store they will cut fabric at 1/8" increments. 1/8 of a yard is 4 1/2". Can you tell I'm a sewer So, as long as the fabric is wide enough then you only need to get 28" of it which would be 7/8 of a yard (31 1/2"). Buying 7/8 of a yard vs 1 whole yard might sound stupid to some, but when you are buying a lot of fabric, which I do often, it can add up quickly!


Buying 1 yard vs 7/8 of a yard
$10 per yard fabric vs 7/8 yard $8.75
$8 per yard fabric vs 7/8 yard $7.00
It may not look like much of a saving but if you are buying multiples your savings could add up quickly!
Easy math equation I use when heading to the fabric store to figure out how many 8ths I need.

A = inches needed....lets say 43" as an example
A divided by 4.5 = ## round up
43 divided by 4.5 = 9.55555 which is 10/8 of a yard or 1 1/4 yard

Thanks for the replies everyone! I probably should have stated that I plan on getting 2 sows. I'm trying to free up as much floor space in my room as I can so I can at least get a 2x4.

I've used fleece in 2x3 with both males and females with great success. Having a kitchen helps keep the mess and small to a minimum. I think the stink factor is going to be affected most by what you put under the fleece as the absorbent layer.

Kristine, I was going to go with puppy pads first and see how that worked out. I know different things work for different people. Hopefully the 2 girls I get will like to mostly pee in the kitchen area!

I think it really depends on the pigs. With two females in a 2x5, I had to spot clean 3 times daily & do full cleanings every 5 days.
A 2x3 would never work for us with fleece. (Or the dominance issues for that matter.) Having a kitchen area with loose bedding will help any cage with fleece however & keeps hay & dripping water bottles away from the fleece. We can now go 8 days between full cleanings without any smell, and spot clean 1-2 daily after adding a 2x2 kitchen.

You'd probably want a 2x4 though, a 2x3 would be too small to put a tray into & I wouldn't want to take up much needed space with a ramp.