Fleece I've decided to give fleece a try

[porkchophamster]

I am SUPER excited and I hope it turns out ok. Money has been really tight lately and shavings are a lot more expensive with a bigger cage but I have a few questions for you experienced "fleecers" lol

So here is the plan:
I have a flower-patterned fleece blanket that I was given a while back that I am going to use. It is not the plush kind. I am ordering a u-haul blanket and am going to cut it in half since my cage is only a 2x3. I am going to make the loft area the hay/pellet area with Aspen shavings since I know hay sticks to the fleece pretty bad and I am going to give veggies on the bottom floor. I will put hand towels under the igloo, water bottle, and the area where they potty the most. My hope is that they will pretty much use the top as a potty anyway. I am going to wash the fleece 3 times in warm water with no fabric softener or dryer sheets before I use it. The poops will be swept at least once per day and if I will change the cage completely once a week if it lasts that long. Otherwise, I will do it as needed. And if the fleece thing is a complete failure, I will go back to Aspen shavings lol

Questions:
1. I want to do this tonight or tomorrow but I doubt my u-haul pads will be here til sometime next week. Should I just use 2 layers of towels til then? I CAN wait but I would prefer not to since tomorrow is cage cleaning day anyway.
2. Do I need to put hand towels anywhere else? And do I put them between the u-haul pad and fleece?
3. Should I expect the fleece to retain a small amount of wetness?
4. When my u-haul pads arrive, can I stick with 1 layer and have a towel underneath? I will still have the hand-towels in high-traffic areas.
5. Is there anything else I should know before I do it? Lol I am a little nervous that I'm going to do it wrong!

 

[MrWhistles]

Since using a hay rack I've never had an issue with hay sticking to fleece. When doing bedding changes I give the fleece a good shake and 98% of hay on the fleece is in the grass.

1) You can use the towels. I have read reports of users having more stink when using towels vs uhual pads. But to the same token, some users when larger cages report no smells with towels. So I think cage size has a play on smells as well. Just be sure to prep wash your fleece 1st
2) I'd wait out the full week with your new bedding to see exactly WHERE you should put down extra pieces to soak up urine.
3) My fleece is completely dry. Unless someone has weed very recently(within 10 seconds) or it is under the water bottle, your fleece should be completely dry.
4)I use 2 uhual pads and no towels
5)I'd also wash your uhual pads a coupla times to make sure they shrink before you cut them. Mine lost a coupla inches and it bugs me a bit.

 

[madelineelaine]

Make sure you wash the fleece and dry it on high 3 times before cutting it at all. Make sure it wicks moisture. If you put some water on it, it should feel dry after a few moments and not 'pool' on top. NO FABRIC SOFTENER OR DRIER SHEETS! I've used all three types of bedding, and fleece is my favorite. I've never used uhaul pads, but for me, towels work amazing. I would go ahead and try it out, assuming the fleece is well prepared.

1. Go ahead and use the towels
2. I use hand towels in pee spots etc. I also do up to 5 layers of towels in pee spots. I can go a while without changing the cage (like, 14 days)
3. If your towels are full of liquid, then your fleece may feel damp. That's a good indicator it's time to change the cage asap! But no, your fleece should stay dry.
4. I think a combo of u-haul and towel would work well As I said, I've never used u-haul pads but I'm having good luck with towels!
5. Measure twice, cut once! And I would strongly recommend you have it clip up over the sides. Like seriously, don't just lay it in there. My pigs burrowed and got poop under the fleece and drove me bonkers.

 

[OllieandFriends]

When I used fleece I found that aspen and fleece is not a good combination. Where ever it got on the fleece it stuck and didn't want to come off without a hassle. You might want to try a not wood bedding in the loft, like care-fresh.

 

[porkchophamster]

Ok thanks for the tips.
I think I will try the towels for a few days until my u-haul pads arrive. I will order another set of u-haul pads when I get paid tomorrow so I can have an extra set ready to go when I change their cage. I'm pretty sure I know where they pee/poo most.....where their hay goes and under their loft area which also happens to be where their igloo is so I will put some hand towels in those spots and keep an eye out for extra areas. I REALLY hope they will just go up top lol I don't mind changing it every few days since it's small.

 

[porkchophamster]

Ok....welll I will finish the bag of Aspen and then use carefresh. I have almost a full giant bag of the Aspen shavings. Can't let them go to waste lol

 

[porkchophamster]

Also, after I prep wash the fleece and test it, should I wash it again if it doesn't dry within a few seconds??

 

[Earausch]

You can use two layers of towels for the time being, I know many people do that as alternative to Uhaul pads,

The extra hand towels are totally up to you where you think you need them, I don't use extra "pee-pads" or hand towels yet(planning on it as I get things with the peegs settled(have to have my boy neutered so he and his sister can be together)) but where ever there is high traffic or like under water bottles seems to be common places for that extra absorbtion

I personally have not noticed my fleece being wet except under the water bottles, but I have only had the peegs and been using fleece a little over a month and a half, in theory all the urine should wick through the fleece to be absorbed by the towels or Uhaul pads. If you don't prep your fleece correctly then some wetness may and probably will occur

I have my fleece setup as a sewn together liner going fleece/uhaul/fleece, so I only have one layer of Uhaul, I am sure it wouldn't hurt to have an extra towel under the Uhaul, but I don't know if I would say it is a necessity, if you think you need it, go for it.

I think it sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you are going to do, I say go for it, figure out a system that works for you, cause what works for some might not work for others. And I think it sounds like your on the right track, good luck and I am positive your piggies will love their new bedding

 

[porkchophamster]

Well, I just put down the fleece and stuff
I have 2 layers of u-haul pads, a fleece corner forest with 2 extra u-haul pads under the fleece, a new tunnel with 2 extra u-haul pads under it as well and extra under the water bottle and the loft is the kitchen. I am so concerned about it smelling.....my fiance is too so I'm sure he won't be too happy when he gets home. He didn't want me to do it but I will try it for 2 weeks and if it doesn't work, I'm going back to Aspen. Wish me luck!

 

[ZenMama]

Good luck! I am about to try fleece myself, as I am so tired of shavings everywhere. How much do the uhaul blankets cost? I'm considering whether I want to try those, or the re-usable pads like they use in hospitals.

 

[PiggyDaddy25]

Good luck! I am about to try fleece myself, as I am so tired of shavings everywhere. How much do the uhaul blankets cost? I'm considering whether I want to try those, or the re-usable pads like they use in hospitals.

U-Haul pads are $7.95 a piece and are about 60"w*85"l. The location nearest me had only the quilted padding($14.95) in stock on my visit, not sure if I'm a fan or not. Leaning towards not, so make sure you get the correct pad. If you can place an order online and orders of $25 get free shipping, most locations take less than a week to ship.