Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Fleece Is it really this much cheaper to make fleece bedding than to buy it?

emma_pig

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
14
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
14
I'm in the US, East Coast, Philadelphia to be exact. I've been using Carefresh for the past few years, but just recently built a new C&C for rescue foster piggies and the Coroplast for two cages is going to be too expensive. I've been wanting to try fleece for a while and this is pushing me to do it now.

I have a 2x4 and a 2x3 cage.

Now, since the flippers (and I think the liners as well, can someone confirm this?) are able to be used on both sides (essentially doubling the time between cleanings), I'm thinking I only need one set for each cage instead of the recommended two sets per cage. I'll just take the pigs out for floor time as their cage is cleaned, move the first pigs back to their now clean cage, and do the same with the next set of pigs. It sounds like cleaning less fleece liners at a time is better anyway, gets everything cleaner than if you filled the washer up, right? Please correct me if there is something wrong my logic here.

So assuming everything I've said so far is true, my next question is whether the Fleece Flippers or pre-made cage liners at guineapigmarket.com are really that much more expensive that making your own. I definitely have access to everything I need, but just not sure what the exact prices will be until I go to each store and compare prices. Before I do that, I just want to get an idea of how much money I could potentially be saving. I've done a bit of research and math from online prices, and here's what I've found.

First, the cost of buying pre-made fleece flippers or liners:

Fleece Flippers (need 7 for both cages, but have to buy them per cage due to how they cut them for perfect fit)
Set of 4 - $97.99
Set of 3 - $79.99
TOTAL: $177.98 + $16.30 shipping = $194.28

Liners
2x4 - $75.99
2x3 - $65.99
TOTAL: $141.98 + $11.30 shipping = $153.28

It doesn't look like the website charges tax, but shipping is pretty expensive. Either way, buying the pre-made liners would be almost $50 cheaper than buying flippers. Now, I'm pretty sure making my own liners would be WAY more affordable, but I'm hoping I'm not making some wild assumptions so I'm looking for another set of eyes (and experienced fleece users) to double check my work.

I do have a sewing machine, it's not fancy but it's a brand name (I forget which brand, Singer?), some sort of starter model. I know how to use it and can definitely sew straight lines like this would require. So the only costs I need to consider are the actual materials. I'll base this on the measurements from guineapigmarket.com

Fleece
2x3 cage: approx 31" x 45" pre-shrunk to fit 27" x 41" cage
(Two layers of fleece per liner, front/back) so total 62" x 45" OR 31" by 90" whichever I can find more easily
2x4 cage: approx 31" x 60" pre-shrunk to fit 27" x 56" cage
(Two layers of fleece per liner, front/back) so total 62" x 60" OR 31" by 120" whichever I can find more easily

Anti-pill fleece on the Joanne's Fabric website starts at $5.99/yrd for solid colors, $7.79/yrd for patterns, 59" wide. Let's assume I want patterns just to get the worst case scenario. And let's also assume I will not be rounding the 62" down to 59" (losing 1.5" of shrinking space on each side) so instead I'll be wasting a bunch of fabric (maybe make some cuddle cups) and using the 59" as the shorter sides, 45" and 60" (ok, I'll lose 1" of shrinkage here but I think it will be fine). 1 yard = 36 inches. I will need 62" x 2 = 124", or 3.5 yards. That would be Total: $27.26 for fleece.

*Note about fleece* Joanne's also sells Blizzard Fleece at $4.99/yrd patterns, "Extra Wide Premium Fleece" at $14.99/yrd patterns (over 84" wide), "Soft n' Comfy," "Soft n' Fluffy," and "Ultra Cuddle" but I have no idea what the difference is between any of those. The only things I've heard of are anti-pill and blizzard, and I've seen differing opinions on which is better on that one megathread on this forum about fleece. If Blizzard is better, it will also be cheaper, but I'm willing to spend the $7-8/yrd for anti-pill if it will be better than Blizzard. The others just seem like marketing gimmicks and probably will not be better for whicking, right?

U-Haul Pads
68" x 85" $7.95 each, pick up at local store
(Two layers of U-Haul pad per liner) so total 62" x 45" for 2x3 cage and 62" x 60" for 2x4 cage - 2 U-Haul pads will be enough, right? Total: $15.90 for pads.

Total cost for making my own liners: $43.16 (plus 8% Philly sales tax, still under $50)

That's it, right? In the scenario of me making my own, I would be making liners, not flippers, so no need for Coroplast in the middle. Just a fleece burrito with two layers of U-Haul pads in the middle, all sewn together in a big quilt, ready to lay in the cage and go in the wash as one piece. Is it going to be too stiff for that with two layers of U-Haul pads in the middle? I think this is exactly what guineapigmarket.com sells as the liner, so it should be good for a regular washer, right?

I'm very excited about this and hoping that my logic is sound. Please, PLEASE, experienced fleece users, if you have the time, read over my calculations in detail and let me know if I've made any big mistakes in terms of price of items, or the actual amount or type of items I will need. It will be very disheartening to go through all of this work and realize I don't have enough fleece, or the stuff I bought isn't the right kind, etc.

Also, I'm aware that I could probably save even more money buy hunting for fleece and mattress pads in thrift stores, etc. but if it's going to be under $50 to get everything brand new, I'm happy to pay for that convenience. I just spent like $43 at Petco buying 2 bags of Carefresh that will only last me about 2-3 weeks, so $50 for reusable bedding will be an absolute steal! ;)
 

80s_piggies

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Posts
182
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Messages
182
I am making my own liners this weekend :) Wanted to mention that Walmart has 50"x60" fleece blankets in cute prints for $2.88 each. I love them and they wick great for me. They also have solid colors for $1.97/yd and prints from $4.97-$6.97yd. I am using Uhaul pads too but only 1 layer. I'm doing that to get more out of them and because I'm also making potty pads for high pee areas and I do have a coroplast bottom. I got my coroplast at Home Depot. A 36x72 sheet was $15.00.

If you are planning to sew your own liners I would just make sure you know if your piggies are burrowers first. I tested with just towels and fleece first and realized that I will have to make my liners big enough to run up the sides of the coroplast where I can binder clip them. If you aren't using coroplast I would make sure there is something waterproof under the liner.

Definitely look through the archives here and google as well. I learned so much and I am glad I did before I bought my supplies and started sewing. Like I didn't know that I should wash and dry the uhaul pads on hot a few times to get most of the initial shrinking done. This way my liners don't bunch up after the first wash. There is so much great info here, read and bunch a you will do great!

Good luck to you! I love fleece and don't think I'll ever go back to my previous bedding, for me it works great :)
 

LifeAsItMayBe

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 14, 2012
Posts
545
Joined
May 14, 2012
Messages
545
Keep in mind, the sellers of these fleece bedding items are charging you for not only the materials but also the time and effort it takes to make the item. Making your own will always be much cheaper, buying online tends to just be more convenient.
 

pinky

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Posts
10,837
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Messages
10,837
I buy fleece remnants at Joann Fabrics when their fleece is on sale. The remnants are always 50% off the current price of the fabric so you get them really cheap. You could probably do a fleece pad with a single layer of uhaul pad for about $10 or maybe even less.
 

emma_pig

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
14
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
14
Thanks everyone!

80s_piggies, I was worried about buying the blankets from Walmart/Target/etc because I was worried they wouldn't be the right kind of fleece and wouldn't wick the urine up well. There are 2 Walmarts near me so I can definitely check them out first. Should I assume that any fleece blanket is going to be good or can you link to a specific one so I can see up close what to look for?

I do have coroplast, both of my cages are made from coroplast and I have some scraps left over as well. I thought about making my own fleece flippers but it would be a lot more work and I don't think I have enough coroplast to do it anyway. I buy my coroplast from a sign store that's literally 2 blocks from my new house, which is amazingly convenient because the huge sheets don't fit in my car, now I can just walk to pick them up! The first time they charged me about $20 for each 48x96 sheet (light blue and red), then this past month it was $25 for orange, maybe just varies per color, but either way I was happy to pay that for the huge piece they give me and for having a good relationship with a local sign business right down the street.

In terms of burrowing, I'm 90% sure that my pigs aren't burrowers, but either way I'm going to have foster pigs in the 2nd cage so they will always be different. I was thinking about sewing a line of velcro to the underside of the liner and using stick on velcro so the other side sticks to the coroplast, but I'm realizing now that I can't do that if I want reversible liners. I guess if the fleece is cheap enough, I can just not do reversible ones and just do a single layer of fleece on top, with a single layer of Uhaul pad underneath, with velcro on the bottom of that, and make 2 of them instead so I can switch them out. Velcro should be enough to keep the piggies from burrowing right?

Oh, and I definitely missed where they said to wash the Uhaul pads too! I knew you have to wash the fleece 2-4 times to make it wick, but I didn't see that about the uhaul pads. I read through the "fleece bedding study" thread, but there's a lot of info in there and I wasn't 100% focused on it so I'm sure I missed it. I'll go back and look again. Now that I have everyone in a fresh cage, I should be good for another 2 weeks so I'm not in a huge rush to get the fleece started.

LifeAsItMayBe, I know you are right. I just couldn't believe the price could be that drastically different. But I guess if that's your livelihood, you have to charge what your time is worth and clearly the customers are paying what they're asking! I was considering paying it too, until I did my own math and realized what a fun adventure I could have doing it myself, lol.

pinky, that's a great idea, I'm just worried about waiting for a sale because in the meantime I'll have to be buying Carefresh and that costs about $40 every 2-3 weeks so unless I'm going to be saving over $40 on the sale, it won't be worth it, and it doesn't sound like fleece is that expensive full price. Good tip for people who are willing to wait for a good sale though! I guess the single layer of uhaul pad is the norm then?
 

barbaramudge

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 24, 2013
Posts
1,237
Joined
Nov 24, 2013
Messages
1,237
Joanna's always has coupons for 40-50% off a regular price item so NEVER pay full per yard price on fleece there. Just a tip :)
 

emma_pig

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
14
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
14
Thanks barbaramudge! I found some coupons online. Problem is, I just realized the fleece is already on sale on their website so the coupons won't apply - they are for non-sale items only.
 

LoveMyPigs25

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Posts
213
Joined
Dec 2, 2014
Messages
213
Joanns has 20% off everything right now including sale items.
 

sierralj97

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Posts
142
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
142
Honestly, I'm so done with liners haha! If I were you, I'd just invest in a few 40lb bags of wood pellets. My 2x5 cages take one bag each. The pellets last for 6-8 weeks I've read. All you do is put a piece of fleece over the whole thing and shake it out daily...wash once a week. SO simple and SO cheap! At walmart I got different patterns. It takes around 3 yds to cover one cage. That's like $15 per cage depending on your pattern plus $5 per cage for the wood pellets. $20 startup per cage with $5 in maintenance every couple of months...Painless :)
 

CavieGuy

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 20, 2013
Posts
500
Joined
Jul 20, 2013
Messages
500
Joanns fleece is currently on 50% sale on top of using the 20% coupon.

I agree with the posting above about wood pellets. They are a life saver....no piggie urine smell anymore.
 

KimmieS

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Posts
30
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
30
I do the fleece bedding and I love it, I was spending about $20 a week on paper bedding at Petco (mostly because I couldn't wait a week to clean it out, it seemed disgusting after about 3 days), so I bought the materials and made my own.

My fleece liners are made up of four layers, fleece, absorbent fabric, waterproof fabric and a final layer of fleece. The absorbent fabric absorbs up to 10x it's weight and 20x gast than traditional knots, I did the waterproof liner to prevent any leakage (not sure if there would have been any but I decided better safe than sorry). I got my fleece at Walmart and the absorbent and waterproof lining from offline, a yard of each layer totaled out to be $21.25 all together. Here are some pics of what mine look like.

The top pic is what is inside the fleece liner, the absorbent and waterproof liner. The rest of the pics are the finished pieces.
 

Attachments

Collage 2015-03-31 21_11_39.jpg

pepperbelle

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Posts
234
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Messages
234
I bought one large piece of fleece for my 2x4 cage. It cost about $15 from Joanne and I did not sew it at all. I just tucked it over their coro and clipped it with binder clips.

I also use hard wood pellets and I LOVE them!
 

foggycreekcavy

Moderator
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Posts
5,899
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
5,899
You will still need two sets of whatever you use, even flippers, because when you are washing one set you'll need another to use in the cage.
 

sierralj97

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Posts
142
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
142
Or you can shove your fleece in the wash during floor time like I do haha :) Express wash and then a run through the dryer takes about an hour or so total. That's about how long I give my girls floor time so I just let them roam while I clean haha :)
 

miniver

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Posts
586
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Messages
586
Or you could do like I do - 4 regular liners, 3 holiday liners, 2 dozen matching pee pads, 4 fleece forests, 8 cuddle cups. All of this is co-ordinated with water bottles, hay bins, litter boxes, and food dishes. Then you can spend hours staring at the cage thinking "ya know, if I just had one more set....." Make the obsession stop!
 

bmt28

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Posts
64
Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Messages
64
Or you could do like I do - 4 regular liners, 3 holiday liners, 2 dozen matching pee pads, 4 fleece forests, 8 cuddle cups. All of this is co-ordinated with water bottles, hay bins, litter boxes, and food dishes. Then you can spend hours staring at the cage thinking "ya know, if I just had one more set....." Make the obsession stop!

Hahahahahaha that's so true! I have what I used to think was a lot if fleece. Now I think it's all uncoordinated and not as cute as what I see on this forum!
 

emma_pig

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
14
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
14
So I bought all my fleece & uhaul pads this past weekend, and I'm finishing up the pre-washing of the uhaul pads now. But I was just thinking, what is the purpose of putting fleece on both sides? Do you flip the liner once before washing it? I'm only putting one layer of uhaul pads in the liner, so it's not like a "fleece flipper" that has fleece, uhaul pad, coroplast, uhaul pad, fleece, essentially two liners. Once it's time to flip, won't it need to be washed anyway?
 

LifeAsItMayBe

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 14, 2012
Posts
545
Joined
May 14, 2012
Messages
545
I think putting fleece on both sides is mostly to allow you to get two different looks from one liner. You get bored with the flowers on one side, you use it on the side with zebra stripes next time.
 

emma_pig

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Posts
14
Joined
Jun 3, 2013
Messages
14
Huh, interesting. I actually went with a solid gray color for my first liners. It was cheaper than the patterns and I couldn't decide on any of the patterns anyway. I'll probably go with a pattern for the next one but I wanted to start with the cheaper, simpler one to get my feet wet.

If the uhaul pad will last longer encased in fleece, that's the reason for me. I'll definitely try out the Clean Cage spray, thank you for the advice! Is it by Kaytee? I think I found it on Amazon.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

H
Replies
2
Views
514
Helen.k
H
gpihgos
Replies
6
Views
662
SSLee
SSLee
Guinea_Pigs_Are_A_lifest
Replies
6
Views
662
gpihgos
gpihgos
rubberducky11
Replies
2
Views
712
rubberducky11
rubberducky11
Top