Frustrated Cavies are pulling up and burrowing under fleece!

[Ithilgil]

In the past few days, for some unknown reason, Robin has started the habit of pulling up fleece and Rhode has started the habit of burrowing under the fleece.

I tried to place ceramic objects (don't have enough tiles, and definitely don't have any bricks or large rocks) at the corner areas, but they just pull on the fleece were the objects aren't at.

I really want to buy a piggy bedspread, but I don't have the money for it yet.

Also, as you know, caives like to make a mess with their hay. I thought of putting a tray under the hay rack to make hay cleaning more easy, but then they would just pee and poo in the tray.

Now I have to choose between cleaning the tray every few hours or shaking the hay out of the fleece for around ten minutes or so to get rid of it.

So, could someone please give me some suggestions as to how to solve my problems?

 

[bpatters]

Binder clips or plastic report spines from an office supply store.

 

[RodentsRus]

What about just put an extra smaller fleece so she can borrow under it.

 

[Ithilgil]

Binder clips or plastic report spines from an office supply store

I've thought of that before. But unfortunately, the fleece isn't large enough to reach the top of the walls.

What about just put an extra smaller fleece so she can borrow under it

I think that might be what started it. Some threads in their homemade cozy got loose a week or so ago, and Rhode decided to go into it. Now, she likes burrowing underneath the fleece, even though she has never done that during the 2 months after I've gotten her.

Also, the store I bought the fleece from isn't selling any fleece anymore (I just checked yesterday). And the nearest arts store is way too far away. I'd have to take 3-5 buses just to get there.

 

[shhhmandy]

Also, the store I bought the fleece from isn't selling any fleece anymore (I just checked yesterday). And the nearest arts store is way too far away. I'd have to take 3-5 buses just to get there.

If you are just using it to let them burrow under did you look at a big box store (walmart, target type stores) where you can get a fleece throw and you can normally get these for pretty cheap.
*Edit* I just noticed you are in Ontario...if you have a Zellers close try them, or if you have a Zellers in liquidation you can get a better deal.

I got my guy a few of them becuase they were on sale for $5 and if was easier then going store to store looking for stuff.

not sure if that will workfor you but might be worth a try.

 

[Ithilgil]

Unfortunately, the Zellers nearby is already gone. And the nearest Walmart is located in downtown, which means I'd have to take 3-5 buses to get there. The bus routes in this town isn't that convenient anymore when it comes to going from downtown to uptown and vice versa after the bus route renovation.

*sigh* It's times like this that I wished I had chosen to live in downtown instead, but the rent there is more expensive and there is typically less room, especially for my two girls.

 

[skittyginny]

Yeah, my piggie was doing that up until a week ago, it annoyed me so much. I got some office clips and clipped it ALL around her coroplast to secure the fleece, now she isn't doing that anymore. :mischievo

 

[skittyginny]

Have you considered buying online? I know shipping and everything, but I'm sure the shipping would cost less than the transportation fees and your time. I know some people who live in NYC who order most of their supplies online because shipping is cheaper than a taxi fare.

 

[Ithilgil]

Have you considered buying online?

That's what I'm saving money for, to buy a coroplast tray and two piggy bedspreads. At the moment, the overall cost is around $250-260 including shipping. And I want to get a litter box and two litter liners from that seller too, to solve that messy hay problem. But that would be $300 including shipping.


I would like to buy just one piggy bedspread and one litter liner, but the drying machine here is coin operated, unlike the washing machine. So, I have to air-dry them, which takes time. Hence, it's better for me to buy two of each, which of course increases my expense.

Unless, I use my current fleece and towels as a temporary measure as the piggy bedspread dries. That might work. I'd check the pricing again.

 

[Ithilgil]

Overall cost is $200, possibly more if you include the Ontario 13% HST tax. (I'm not sure if the shipping calculations included that or not).

So, I'm still going to have to save up some more money. After all, I need enough money left over for rent, my grocery, piggy grocery, and etc.

But if I get rid of the litter box idea, it's be $160 including shipping. That's affordable, as long as I get rid of the idea of getting an air purifier any time this year.

What do you guys think? Should I get the piggy bedspread? Or should I get an air purifier?

 

[Ithilgil]

(Deleted this post)

 

[Supa187]

I ran into this problem recently and bought clips. It worked....kinda... I had to go out and by more and clip the whole fleece fairly close together and leave no real openings. It's impossible now for them to get between the fleece and the towels and I'm glad that ordeal is done.

 

[Ithilgil]

I've clipped the fleece onto the grids, and Rhode still manages to climb into the spaces not clipped. What should I do? I want to buy a piggy bedspread, but the overall cost plus shipping is over $200, not including taxes. That's really expensive.

 

[Pigaletto]

In your photos, it looks like you have a piece of fabric running around as a "wall", then the "floor" piece. Are they attached? If it's the floor they're pulling up, could you sew it to the "wall" piece? Then it would be impossible to burrow underneath.

 

[WheekingPiggies]

For your hay problem, I would just put a small towel or mat underneath their hay rack. I shake the towel out into the garbage can once a day when I spot clean the cage. Also, I use large ceramic bowls instead of a hay rack and I find this works much better at keeping the hay off the fleece.

 

[TracyHaden]

My girl honey use to do the same thing. got binder clips a fixed that problem. One thing you could do is add non fleece side walls to the fleece/ like a piggie spread but with cotton sides and a fleece bottom. here is a pic on the one i made.

 

[MrWhistles]

Just put clips over every inch. That is really going to be the only thing that solves your problem.

And who knows, maybe after a few weeks they'll forget about all the burrowing and you can remove most of the clips.

 

[coconutty78]

I just went through this with my 2 new GP's Rango & Beans and no matter how i clipped the fleece they both were finding ways in under it and the mashed poop and extra mess of pee had come to a point of making a decision to not continue with fleece for them any longer. So now what has happened is my 2 boys Rusty & Munchie still live on fleece and Rango and beans now once again live on aspen and actually seem to prefer it this way. So I guess in some cases no two piggies are alike.
I personally feel that unless you have an absorbent amount off time to spend laundering, cleaning, picking up poops 2-3x a day fleece is certainly not for everyone.
Hope you find a solution that works best for you until you can get yourself a piggie bedspread.

 

[Ithilgil]

In your photos, it looks like you have a piece of fabric running around as a "wall", then the "floor" piece. Are they attached? If it's the floor they're pulling up, could you sew it to the "wall" piece? Then it would be impossible to burrow underneath.

Whoops. I've forgotten to mention, but those pictures are a bit outdated now. In those pictures, I've blind clipped the fleece to the towels. This actually worked. They weren't able to pull it up far enough to get underneath due to the added weight. The only problem was that the binder clips got wet and rusty.

So, I've decided to actually clip the fleece to the cage wall - by 3 grid holes on some walls and 6 on others.

For your hay problem, I would just put a small towel or mat underneath their hay rack. I shake the towel out into the garbage can once a day when I spot clean the cage. Also, I use large ceramic bowls instead of a hay rack and I find this works much better at keeping the hay off the fleece.

I don't really have this problem as much anymore. I've gotten rid of the black hay tray I placed on the bottom (as seen in my pictures) since in the long run, it didn't really make much of a difference.

My girl honey use to do the same thing. got binder clips a fixed that problem. One thing you could do is add non fleece side walls to the fleece/ like a piggie spread but with cotton sides and a fleece bottom. here is a pic on the one i made.

I'm guessing that you've sewn the fleece together. I'd love to to that, but I don't have a sewing machine. And hand stitching just isn't as effective. I've tried hand stitching a cozy for them, but in a few weeks, I've noticed that they've chewed through the threads.

(I don't have coroplast, so I simply bind clipped the fleece to the grid walls.)

At the moment, I'm trying to find a way to get larger pieces of fleece. (The nearest fabric store is three long bus rides away. I don't mind the rides as much, it's waiting for the bus to arrive that sucks. I'd have to wait for 6 buses in total. And bus fares aren't that cheap, considering how many buses I'd have to take.) I've covered the line between the two pieces of fleece with a kitchen tile and two ceramic plates.

Rhode actually burrowed under the fleece from the hay rack. Don't know how she managed to do it. Now, they typically go through the "wall" area where the two pieces of fleece meet, bypassing the dishes and tile. I've already bind clipped that area.

When one finds a way, the other quickly follows. Now both of them are doing that. They've burrowed under five to six times in the pass three hours. The headache.

 

[Pigaletto]

I'm having a hard time visualizing your setup, but is your fleece just long enough to pull up from underneath and clip on the outside of your grids? If not, hand sewing is the only other thing I can think of until you can get bigger fleece. Sorry. I don't have a machine, either. I know it's not fun.