How Much Fleece?

[dial919]

for those that use fleece, how many yards do you use in your cage? i have a 2x4 c&c cage. I don't mind the aspen but my sick piggie seems so much more active during floor time when i have fleece down than she is in her cage with the aspen. I will probably put newspaper down underneath to start and see how that goes. If we do not see an improvement in the next day or so, we will probably make a 4th trip to the vets

JoAnn Fabrics has fleece 1/2 off this week!

thanks.

 

[Eventrocker33]

I think 2 yards of fleece would work. Then you could have left over to make beds. Remember to get two sets of fleece for then the other one if getting washed.

 

[pookczek]

I don't know yards (I'm one of those Canadian-types), but my 2x4 takes 0.80 metres on the main floor. This leaves enough for it to "fold up" on the coroplast walls.

 

[pennick]

Well, if one yard is 3 feet long, and your cage is 4.67 feet long, lets say 5 feet, it looks to me that 4 yards is your best bet for 2 changes of fleece with some left over.

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[suzy_99]

I buy fleece throws that are 50" by 60" and they just cover the 2x4 section of my cage, however, I do not have to worry about coroplast because I do not have any. The 50 inches wide is way more than I need, but the 60 inches long is exactly enough and usually has to be streched, so I would say about 66 inches long just to be sure. This tends to be a pain because all off the fabric that is sold around here is only 60 "wide.

 

[Eventrocker33]

Yeah, I also bought fleece throws and they were only $3 at Walmart.

 

[PumpkinPunk]

Are you guys talking about just regular fleece blankets? (that type of material) Does it really absorb everything, and does it stay wet long or does it dry relatively quickly? How often does it need to be changed? I'm going to be making a new cage for my pigs when I move back home this summer and I'm trying to decide if I want to continue using aspen for bedding, or change to fleece, or maybe use aspen on one level and fleece on the other...decisions, decisions!

 

[Peaches]

hmmm Hope I can find some blankeies at Walmart tomorrow. I got my cage done (haven't taken pics yet). bottom level is 4x2 and top level is 1x2. Still trying to figure out the bedding vs flooring vs litter.......

 

[suzy_99]

fleece does not absorb anything and that is why it is so good. Everything passes right through that fleece to whatever you have underneath it, which can be newspaper, puppy pads, batting, or even shavings or carefresh. The fleece dries soon after it gets wet.
I have to wash my fleece about every 2 days, but this is because we just got a new piggy that is not the least bit litter trained. When I just had my other 3 piggies, I only had to wash it every 3 or 4 days.

 

[Peaches]

so I could layer newspaper all over the bottom and top, then cover in fleece and then set up a littler box in a corner (with a hay rack next to it???). Would that work? Would you recommend food (other that hay) on the top or bottom? I was thining on bottom and set the top for "cozy sleeping"

 

[PumpkinPunk]

If everything passes through the fleece and you need to have shavings or something of the sort on the bottom anyways, why bother with fleece at all? I'm just trying to get all the pros and cons of fleece. Would it minimize the amount of shavings you go through, since it seems you would only have to take out the wet shavings and not worry about losing a lot of good dry shavings when taking out all the poops too?

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

The reason I switched to fleece was because it cut down on my use of loose bedding 100%. I use a layer of newspaper, a layer of crib pads, and a layer of fleece and so initially there was an investment of about $30, but now I pay nothing at all to maintain their bedding. I imagine that those who choose to use aspen or carefresh underneath choose fleece because it minimizes the amount of bedding necessary, makes it much easier to spot clean the piggy poops, and also reduces or eliminates the amount of bedding that is kicked out of the cage. Either way, it does cut down partially, or in many cases completely, on the cost of bedding each month, plus it makes for a neater cage and area surrounding th cage.

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

Oh, and Peaches, at first, I used my top level for a cozy area, but because there was no food up there, the pigs really had no motivation to go up there much. They did explore, but it didn't seem to pique their interest until I converted it to a hay/food loft. I have one water bottle on each level, one bowl of pellets on each level, a hay rack on the bottom and a pile of hay upstairs. This way, each pig has their own food area at any time. It has cut down on their bickering, and they love sleeping in the hay upstairs. If your pigs use it as a "bedroom" then that's great, and I would stick with what works best for you and your pigs; finding it out just may take a bit of experimentation!

 

[PumpkinPunk]

Miko, what are crib pads and where can I get them? It sounds like a worthwhile switch to cut down on mess and costs.

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

Crib pads can be found in the baby section of any store, I got mine from WalMart. They measure about 18" by 24" and are made out of a terry cloth/cotton mix. Basically, they are pads used in a baby's crib to catch "accidents". As such, they are very absorbant and resist smelling, despite the fact that they are made out of terry cloth.

If you are unable to find them, you could probably just make your own. Sew one layer of cotton batting between one layer of cotton fabric (you can use an old thick bedsheet for this, buy one used from a thrift shop, etc.), and one layer of flanette or thin terry cloth material (not a towel, but more like a kitchen dish towel). Quilt the pad you just made so that the batting does not shift when washed, and there you go: a home-made crib pad made to the dimensions you need! The only downfall of the store bought ones is that they are slightly too short for a cage, and so you end up using about 6 per cage change BUT they are very inexpensive ($2-3 dollars per pad) so it's not so bad. I'm looking at making my own once my bank account recovers from my fleece purchase

 

[PumpkinPunk]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Moxie]

Crib pads can be found in the baby section of any store, I got mine from WalMart. They measure about 18" by 24" and are made out of a terry cloth/cotton mix. Basically, they are pads used in a baby's crib to catch "accidents". As such, they are very absorbant and resist smelling, despite the fact that they are made out of terry cloth.

If you are unable to find them, you could probably just make your own. Sew one layer of cotton batting between one layer of cotton fabric (you can use an old thick bedsheet for this, buy one used from a thrift shop, etc.), and one layer of flanette or thin terry cloth material (not a towel, but more like a kitchen dish towel). Quilt the pad you just made so that the batting does not shift when washed, and there you go: a home-made crib pad made to the dimensions you need! The only downfall of the store bought ones is that they are slightly too short for a cage, and so you end up using about 6 per cage change BUT they are very inexpensive ($2-3 dollars per pad) so it's not so bad. I'm looking at making my own once my bank account recovers from my fleece purchase

So do you reuse the crib pad or do you have you have to use new ones every time? Also with the crib pad how often do you have to change the fleece?

 

[Peaches]

Sounds like a plan. I'll probably set it up that way too. Maybe if I put them in the top they'll remember its up there too sometimes.

Kelly
GAWD I love this site

Oh, and Peaches, at first, I used my top level for a cozy area, but because there was no food up there, the pigs really had no motivation to go up there much. They did explore, but it didn't seem to pique their interest until I converted it to a hay/food loft. I have one water bottle on each level, one bowl of pellets on each level, a hay rack on the bottom and a pile of hay upstairs. This way, each pig has their own food area at any time. It has cut down on their bickering, and they love sleeping in the hay upstairs. If your pigs use it as a "bedroom" then that's great, and I would stick with what works best for you and your pigs; finding it out just may take a bit of experimentation!

 

[TheAlmightyMiko]

So do you reuse the crib pad or do you have you have to use new ones every time? Also with the crib pad how often do you have to change the fleece?

Nope, they are completely re-usable since they are fabric. I just throw them in the wash along with their fleece and they hold up wonderfully They do of course need to be rotated with each fleece change as these are what primarily absorb the urine.
I still have to change the fleece about every 3-4 days, but it seems that that is pretty standard for most fleece users. I have 4 changes of fleece total, so I just end up doing one big load every two changes to save on hydro bills.

Peaches, good luck with your setup! I'm sure your pigs will love the loft, it's a big hit with mine (they 'fight' over being the "king of the loft" all the time, it's really cute!).

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Fleece doesn't absorb, it wicks the moisture through to whatever is underneath. I have found that the fleece blankets that are either 48"x60" or 50"x60" are the perfect size for a 3x4. I have about 8 of them now.