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Fleece Newbie Questions on Fleece liners

parkbr

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Hello,

When I had a guinea pig 10+ years ago, I didn't know about fleece liners.
So this idea is completely new to me and I am quite overwhelmed by Google searching and hoping if I can get some word of wisdom from forum members.

We went to get some Fleece from Fabricland, got uHaul furniture pads, doggy training pads, old towels as well as bathroom mat.

Now, I have several questions. (Our cage is 2*4 C&C, we are thinking of making it bigger to 3*4 and we also want to have a liner for their floor time. They are semi potty trained.)

1. For the cage liners, do I sew fleece & U-haul pads together or should I leave them separately? If I sew them so I do 'fleece (top) + u-haul pad + u - haul pad (2nd layer) + fleect (bottom)'? Do I need a mattress protector as well? Or can I just lay some doggy pads underneath, so the piggies cannot chew, but protect the floors?
If I have 2 cage liners, is that good?

2. I also read to wash 4-5 times with hot water with non-scent detergent before the first use - is that with u-haul pad inside?
I just washed u-haul pads separately before putting them together, because I heard it may shrink? Is that a good idea?
Should I dry u-haul pads with hot heat?

3. Regular use: After the first use, after that, I just need to wash it once a week or so, right? And machine dry hot as well?

4. Pee pads - should I make pee pads (the same idea as fleece liners) and leave them under the hide out and wash these more often?

5. Should I make their hammocks?

6. I see some people use IKEA bathroom mat for the hay - is that a good one? If yes, how many should we have?

So far, these are the questions on top of my head.
Please help!

Thank you!
 

ItsaZoo

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I’ve been using fleece for several years. I buy the anti-pill plush from Joann Fabric, it’s usually on sale. One yard will cover a 2x3 grid cage floor.

I use washable incontinence pads underneath. They are quilted and wick moisture, and they have a waterproof backing.

I don’t sew them together, they’re easier to wash and dry when separate.

I do sew wee pads for the corners of the cage, which is the preferred potty spot. Those are just a top layer of fleece, a liner of light-weight kitchen towel or microfiber cleaning cloth, and a bottom layer of plain cotton woven fabric like quilt fabric. I make them about a foot square. With the fleece side up they are nice under a hidey. With the woven side up they are great for a hay pile since the hay doesn’t stick.

I change out the pads daily and the fleece floor a couple times a week.
 

escapay

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I can't answer all of those, but after the cage liner has been wicked and using it in the cage, then it is just washing weekly or however frequent it is needed. I definitely recommend having pee pads for under the hides, near the hay bin, underneath the water bottle, and other spots your pigs like to go. Two of my girls usually are really good at going in the corners, so I've got the smaller 5x5 (I think that is the size) pee pads there.

I started feeling the pee pads and if they are wet or look dirty, then I'll change them out. Before I was doing daily changing of them.

I am also curious of the IKEA bathroom mats. I've seen them in a lot of videos but have not tried them personally.

My cage liners and pee pads were all purchased off of Etsy because I was too lazy to do them myself (I don't sew either). For the most part they have been pretty good. I've got one cage liner that is meant for a 2x4 cage, but it has a gap where it doesn't reach one side.

Anyways, I would also recommend having the 2 cage liners so you can swap between them. I have 4 at the moment since I've got two cages, though one is a 2x6 cage so I bought some 2x2 liners too for the other part of the cage.
 

ashlynm

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With washing, the reason you need to wash 4-5 times before use is so that the fleece wicks. You might know that, but basically you know it is wicked when you can pour a little bit of water on the fleece (representing their pee) and it does not sit on the fleece, it soaks through. You keep washing the fleece until it does that and then once it does you know it's wicked and can stop washing it. After that, I wash my fleece once a week and everything is good! You CAN wash it twice a week and that would be helpful with smell and stuff, but once a week is fine!
 

bpatters

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Just a point of clarification here, [MENTION=46777]Ashlyn[/MENTION]n and [MENTION=24329]escapay[/MENTION]. You don't wick the fleece. You strip the fleece of a covering so that it will wick when liquid is on it. Wicking is the process of pulling a liquid through a material to an absorbent surface beneath it.

Also, how often you have to wash the fleece will depend to a large degree on how large the cage is and how many pigs you've got in it. Fleece in a large cage will need to be washed less often then fleece in a smaller cage. Using changeable pee pads where the pigs eat and sleep will also extend the times between washing the large fleece.
 

escapay

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@bpatters Thanks for the clarification. I do know we have to wash them multiple times so it'll allow the urine to soak through to the absorbent layer. I phrased it wrong.
 
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