Fleece The Fleece Project: The Study

[Popcorn1975]

Thank you for a really good thread. I have 3 adourable little piggys whom I love tremendously. Sadly I have now begun experiencing allergy, and I think its because of the bedding which is pile. I have begun itching and swelling up. So now I want to try this, but one thing concerns me though. To kill bacterias one has to normally have temperatures over 60 degrees. Therefore I get concerned about wether this is enough to be washing the fleece on, since also guinea-pigs easily get sick if there is bacterias developing. Hope you can give som answer. Yours sincerely

 

[dj_paige]

I read the original instructions about fleece carefully, bought the right kind, washed it at least three times before using, got uhaul pads for underneath (also tried towels). After about three months of trying every trick I could find in the forums, I gave up on fleece. The cages smelled badly after two days, and I simply didn't want to be changing the fleece and underbedding every three days. I really wanted this to work, but it doesn't work for me.

 

[BrowniesMemory]

We have a Bissell stick vac that actually converts to a hand held. We removed the bottom end off and the handle and use it as a hand vac for the cage. Works perfectly! A normal house vac will suck the fleece out of your cage! A 'Dustbuster' type hand held vac is perfect. I am using the word 'Dustbuster' like we here in the States use the word Kleenex even if we are using Puffs or Scotties! I love the Bissell as it plugs in and I don't have to think about recharging it etc. It has a very long cord. Once a week I wash the filter because it smells.

I saw a Bissell 3-in-1 at walmart the last time I was in there for 14.84 and wondered if that would work once I switch to fleece, seeing as I have two stacked cages and being on the ladder itself is bad enough without having to man-handle a heavy regular vac. Our regular vac is a Bissell so I know there a good brand, but now I'm more confident in trying out the smaller (and lighter) variety.

To anyone else, how could I use coroplast to section of a 1x2 kitchen area in each of the 2x4 cages? Would just making a wall, with a couple lower 'doorways' for piggy access, be sufficient in keeping the aspen separated from the fleece?

 

[jamielk92]

I found this 'fabric' called "Diaper Cloth" online. Has anyone heard of or tried it? I have no idea what it's like, but I'm going to the store tomorrow so I'll check it out. (I'm talking about using it for underneath the fleece.)
Link here: (broken link removed)

 

[jamielk92]

If someone could answer this question quickly I would greatly appreciate it! I've got my fleece and towels and I would like to put them in the cage tonight. The fleece is on it's first wash cycle on the 'super' super setting. My question is about the washing and drying at least 4 times. I was planning on just putting it through 2 or 3 wash cycles without drying. Is there a reason you have to dry it every time also? As I said I would really like to clean their cage and get it in there tonight! Thank you!

 

[cibrown]

The dryer is the process that causes shrinking if there is going to be any. It is not the washing that causes the shrinking. The washing of the fleece without softener is how the fleece gets its wicking ability. Hope this helps.

 

[jamielk92]

I'm not sure whether anyone will see my post here, but I didn't know if I should make another one... I just switched to fleece this afternoon (around 1). I washed and dried it 3 times before using and I am using two layers and towels underneath. I thought everything was going great-they seem to like it, much neater, etc. The fleece doesn't seem wet so I'm assuming everything's working correctly. However, it's 11 now (so it's only been 10 hours!) and the cage smells as bad, if not worse than it did after a whole week with the carefresh and wood shavings! There's not much poop, as I've cleaned it up twice today.

Please help! Why does it smell so awful?!

 

[PeeweesPiggyPalace]

I'm not sure whether anyone will see my post here, but I didn't know if I should make another one... I just switched to fleece this afternoon (around 1). I washed and dried it 3 times before using and I am using two layers and towels underneath. I thought everything was going great-they seem to like it, much neater, etc. The fleece doesn't seem wet so I'm assuming everything's working correctly. However, it's 11 now (so it's only been 10 hours!) and the cage smells as bad, if not worse than it did after a whole week with the carefresh and wood shavings! There's not much poop, as I've cleaned it up twice today.

Please help! Why does it smell so awful?!

Do you have male piggies?? Some "mark" things..

 

[jamielk92]

No, they're both girls :/

 

[PeeweesPiggyPalace]

No, they're both girls :/

Humm.. And you say it's wicking properly..?

 

[jamielk92]

I believe it is, it doesn't seem wet and I did the pre-washing.

 

[PeeweesPiggyPalace]

Did you wash with vinegar..? Some say it helps.. And no fabric softener or dryer sheets.

 

[jamielk92]

I just washed with a basic detergent. No perfumes, dyes, etc. etc. And no fabric softener or dryer sheets.

 

[PeeweesPiggyPalace]

I just washed with a basic detergent. No perfumes, dyes, etc. etc. And no fabric softener or dryer sheets.

I'm sorry.. I have no idea.. Hope someone can help..

 

[monkeynthechimp]

I used towels before I tried uhaul
Pads... I found that they got stinky real quickly... Like ferral! I tried a couple of capfulls of tea tree oil in the wash and it seemed to take the odor out but just as quickly it got smelly Again... I couldn't fix it so I changed to uhaul... It's better... Takes a few days to smell now, i also put pads in high use areas and change them daily...
This is just my experience of course and others may have completely different ideas...

 

[jamielk92]

What are the uhaul pads everyone's talking about, and are they reusable?

 

[Zuidy]

I, too, suspect that the problem is the towels. I have sewn fleece liners and pads that consist of two layers of fleece with a uHaul pad sewn into the middle. I then have puppy pads under the fleece to catch any stray leaks or urine sprayed into the corners...nothing else. The puppy pads rarely display any evidence of urine except perhaps around the edges of the fleece.

With fleece, you absolutely MUST spot clean the cage 2-3 times a day to avoid your cavies wearing "poop shoes" and smearing the poop all over the fleece. A good hand vac is invaluable in this process. One of my cavies is fully litter box trained, the younger one only partially so.

Something else I find helpful is a product called Clean Cage (a Super Pet product). When the litter box is spot cleaned, I spray it with CC and then add a small amount of fresh litter. I also use Clean Cage directly on the fleece as a deodorizer. If you spray it on top, then keep the cavies out of the cage until it dries (fairly quickly). Otherwise, I spray it on the fleece and turn the sprayed side down. By using both sides of the fleece liners and pads, I only have to do a complete cage cleaning once a week. Often change the cozies and the small "area pads" twice a week.

I can easily say that the one MOST valuable aid for the piggy area is an air cleaner. What a difference it makes! I keep one running on low 24/7 almost year round. (doesn't seem to pull much electricity) Good cage hygiene plus the air purifier keeps the piggy palace--and my home office--odor free.

I would say 2-3 times is a bit much.

I have Fleece and spot clean once a day, and I have no problems.

The only time I get the Poo in their nails is usually when I miss a few stray poos on their ramp up to their loft.



Just an opinion, I get along just fine with spot cleaning once a day using Fleece liners with U-haul pad in 2 layers, and potty pads as well.

 

[guineapigs2468]

I didn't think I would need to start a new thread for this as it is a question based on fleece. Can you get uhaul pads in the UK ? Or anything similar... I have tried searching this but I think uhaul pads might just be America based. My cage is 6ft by 4ft so I think using towels they would get smelly fast, and I read that newspaper gets sticky fast so that would be no good on its own. Thanks, and I looked rough this thread but couldn't find anything about uhaul pads in the UK so sorry if I missed that post.

 

[monkeynthechimp]

I didn't think I would need to start a new thread for this as it is a question based on fleece. Can you get uhaul pads in the UK ? Or anything similar... I have tried searching this but I think uhaul pads might just be America based. My cage is 6ft by 4ft so I think using towels they would get smelly fast, and I read that newspaper gets sticky fast so that would be no good on its own. Thanks, and I looked rough this thread but couldn't find anything about uhaul pads in the UK so sorry if I missed that post.

Try looking for furniture blankets or moving blankets. Im in Australia and I found comparable items from packaging supplies companies and also self storage companies....

 

[guineapigs2468]

Try looking for furniture blankets or moving blankets. Im in Australia and I found comparable items from packaging supplies companies and also self storage companies....

Thanks I'm trying to find something similar now, I can find lots of fleece but not a lot of things like uhaul pads. Puppy pads are quite expensive.... I have lots of towels and newspaper but like I said above, I don't think that would work for me :/