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First-Time Fleecer

Noodles

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Ok, so I've finally decided to try a fleece bedding for several reasons: my old pine bedding was so dusty, it was getting expensive, it wasn't environmentally friendly, and I wanted my little girl to live a life of luxury in her old age. I just switched yesterday and although Juliet seems to be enjoying it very much, I'm starting to question everything I had thought switching to fleece would be. First, I had no idea one little piggy could poop so much! I've already cleaned up her poops 2X today and I must have swept up over 100 of those little buggers; in order to keep the cage clean, I'm going to have to clean up poopies at least 3X a day. Second, all the pictures I've seen of fleece has shown it tidy and immaculate. My fleece is bunchy and covered with poops, no matter how much I clean it. I'm still going to stick with it because (hopefully) the pros will start outweigh the cons, but as a first timer, I'm becoming discouraged, despite my extensive research on the subject. I'm open to any tips or pep talks in order to make the whole switch easier!
 

PrayerWarrior

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Why is your fleece bunched? How are you kepping it down? As for poops, I thought mine did a lot until I adopted my latest. She poops so much more than the other three. Maybe some just "go" more than others.
 

steve_and_pigs

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A typical throw fleece is the size of a 4x3 c&c cage. If you have a 2x3 cage, you might be able to cut the fleece in half (just with scissors) for a better fit.

Items in the corners like pellet bowls, and even rocks, can help keep it in place.

Darker colored fleece hide the poops more. Lighter fleece always looks terrible! Patterns can help too.

For a simple rectangular cage, just removing the fleece and dumping/shaking it out might be easier than sweeping.

A 2x3 cage is going to fill up with poop quick. I think a lot of fleecers go with a larger cage. Helps spread the love around.

Yes, you have to take your pictures right after you clean the cage. :)
 

sammy_kaye

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My fleece is sewed to the towels and matress protector I use. This means no bunching at all. It is easier to fit and to keep clean. Only down side is that it takes longer to dry. But as I have a couple of sets thats not a problem.

As for the poops. Do you have a kitchen area? I have one which I used kiln dried pine in. That is where all the hay, food etc is and they mainly go there. I have 2 boys and I would average cleaning up 20 a day. A few more some days. But to start with it was a lot of work as they didn't get the kitchen area but now they seem to prefur going there.
 

PixieStix

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I use heavy objects so my fleece won't bunch/pigs won't dig at it. Wooden hideys, pellets bowls, litter box, bricks, etc.
 

Drawingwords

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I leave my fleece with 12 inches extra on all sides so I can tuck it inbetween the cubes and coroplast. This discourages burrowing and such.
 

Nelli

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Don't be dicouraged. Piggies are pooper manufacturers. A kitchen area helps but they don't always go only in that area so yes be prepared to sweep up poops. Piggies poop wherever they want to. I felt the same way when I first started with fleece but it's not that bad. I do a sweep of the cage 2 to 3 times a day, in the morning before I leave, when I come home and sometimes again before I go to sleep. On weekends if I'm home the majority of the day sometimes I pick up poo when I pass by the cage. I also use paver stones in each corner of the cage to help keep the fleece from bunchin and to keep my piggies from burrowing under the fleece. I leave small piggie blanket size pieces of fleece in the cage which also eliminates the urge for the piggies to try to burrow (doesn't always work but it helps). It some times helps if you have soft pillows for them to lounge on or under. Over all I find that fleece is a better alternative to the other beddings. I hope I was able to be of assistance to you.
 

Haley0489

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Don't be discouraged because it's not spotless. Most people take their picture pre-hay, pre-pigs, or just after adding the two. Here's a picture of my cage RIGHT NOW and it's far from spotless. [do note Milo being an attention hog lol ]

I have three boars and I usually sweep poos morning and and night, I might do it in between if I'm bored or one corner is getting "full". Investing in a cheap hand vacuum would help cleaning time, if saving time would help your feelings about fleece.

I can tell you though, fleece is SO much cheaper and it's actually much faster for me to clean every week. I just fold everything up, take it out, *shake, shake, shake* and dump it into the wash.

https://imageshack.us
 

meesh

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I also just started using fleece this week and love it! how often do you wash it? once a week?
 

Noodles

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Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all your posts and encouraging words. I especially liked how Haley0489 posted a pic of her dirty fleece; it helped me realize that fleece is not immaculate and made me feel better for not having a spotless cage all the time like all the other photos. Right now I'm using two large towels, along with fleece thats cut with a few inches on each side so I can tuck it under. Nelli, your idea of using paver's stone to hold down the fleece is brilliant, even though Juliet doesn't dig, I'll keep it in mind just in case. Here's a pic of my fleece (just after a change).



Because I am a perfectionist and I can't stand a dirty cage, I've been cleaning up constantly, but it's getting more like a habit now and I don't mind it much. And having to constantly deal with icky pine shavings was getting old. Now all I have to do is shake it off, pop it in the wash, and hang it out to dry. Also, I wanted to ask if anyone's fleece has spotting where their piggies have peed. There are small yellowish spots that look almost like a residue. The spots are dry, but I wasn't sure if this was something to be alarmed about. Anyway, that you so much for all your support and I'm definately going to stick with it!
 

gooberific

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This is from two of my boys overnight:



One guy overnight:




And here he is with his burrowing:




I still have to find a heavier food bowl for him, because he picks up these ceramic bowls and throws them... Feisty bugger! Also, all of my piggies chomp down the orchard grass (extra hay racks you might see hanging around) and then settle for timothy. :D
 

crazywiggy

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I would definately recommend securing the fleece in some way. My pigs don't dig up the fleece - but my vaccum is way too powerful - my fleece is held in place with 5 bricks and 5 binder clips!

You could also try a different colour of fleece if you don't like the cage looking messy. My fleece is black and white (skull print!) so poops don't stand out so much. Obviously you still need to sweep poops regularly, but at least it doesn't look so bad in between times!
 

Noodles

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I've also been changing out the fleece and towels every three days. It hasn't really started to smell yet, but I don't like the look of all the pee stains. Plus, it's so easy to change out that I don't mind it at all, especially since I have two sets, I can easily pull out the soiled set, throw it in the wash, and replace it with a fresh one. Juliet just loves it!
Now that you mention it, it has been a pain to clean since the fleece comes up every time I brush it. But I'm weary about putting bricks or weights around the border, since I do have only a 2x3 cage, it would make it rather cramped. And believe me, I'd love to make my cage bigger, so that I can add more toys and give Juliet even more space, but my apartment is so small that I can't expand. I looked at a few pictures of using clips in order to secure the fleece, but I'm not sure I like the idea of it creating a bowl shape; Juliet might pull it out if she steps near it. If only I could make the cage bigger, create a kitchen area, use something to keep down the edges, and use clips on the sides, then this whole fleece thing would be absolutely perfect! Hmmm. Well, I have all day off today, I think I'm going to ponder how I can resolve these problems. Perhaps my boyfriend will come home to a larger cage and a rearrangement of furniture! Haha, my guinea pig always comes first! Thank you all so much for the comments and I love all your pictures; they let me know that immaculate fleece and guinea pigs just don't go together.
 
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Noodles

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So right after my last post, I decided to finally give in and make her cage bigger. Let me know what you think!

 

AnimalHouse36

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wow! that cage is really nice! I'm sure the piggies appreciate it! My guinea pigs are mainly pottty traained except for the occasional pile of poo. However I did have a problem with bunching, I just tucked the fleece under the grids and used binder clips to secure it!
 
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