Liners ? Mattress Pads? Huh?

[Zuidy]

Thanks @kittmalone

This is probably going to turn into a hot topic.

More or less, this will turn into a helpful thread for people who need a crash course on liners. I hope!

 

[kittymalone]

No problem! It can be a little overwhelming at first but once you get it down, it's a breeze. We got our first pig in December and I have finally commited to a cage design and got the fleece down to a science. Changing out the cage now is actually kinda nice

 

[kananaka]

Yeah, but if you think about it you're actually saving loads of money each year because you aren't buying bags of disposable bedding, which can cost over $30 each month alone, as opposed to a once-a-year purchase of a $40 cage liner. This place has lower prices on cage liners: (broken link removed).

True, also way more environmentally friendly, but when looking at the cost of fleece and pads/ towels it just seems way expensive to have one premade. I am going to switch to fleece in the coming month. Just getting a C&C cage this week (yay). I ordered a kit (lol) so that was a huge expense already and we still have a huge bag of bedding. Eventually I guess I will learn to sew or ask my neighbor to do it , maybe trade a bottle of wine or something for her time and effort hehe.

 

[kittymalone]

Yes, the initial investment can be pricey (if you buy the premade ones) and I haven't been able to justify the cost. To be completly honest, layering works just fine for me. I purchased old towels from a thrift shop and, when the cage was smaller, fleece blankets from the thrift store worked very well too. Since my cage got bigger, I did end up buying 8 yards of fleece on sale at the fabric store (cost about $40 and I need 4 yards for my cage, so I have enough to have one in the cage and one in the wash). This is a much cheaper way to go! One day I will sew my own liners but I have been too lazy so far.

 

[kananaka]

kittymalone, I think that's close to what I will do. I will head out this week and look around for fleece and padding/towels and begin to collect what we will need =). I would like to switch over with in a month so that's my goal. After I get the C&C kit and fleece in I'll post a pic and see if you folks can give me some advice on how to improve their home .

 

[SeeSpotSit]

I use fleece and U-haul pads. I was going to buy a sewing machine and create liners until someone on this site mentioned they safety pin their 3 pieces (1 fleece & 2 u-haul) together. This makes them easier (thorough cleaning and faster to dry) to wash, because the pieces are separated for the laundry. After they are removed from the dryer, safety pin, fold and you have a "liner" for your next cage change. Also, if the u-haul starts to thin (as they do eventually) your entire liner isn't trashed, just that one piece.

 

[Skippie]

I was asking the same questions. The UHaul pads are less than ten dollars. I bought a mattress cover that I believe is a queen size at target for about the same price. I lay it down in the cage and fold the ends around the coroplast walls. Then I put two layers of fleece on top of it and fold them over the walls as well. The mattress cover allows the cage to stay cleaner longer because the fleece stays fresh. I actually wait a day or two and then take off the first layer of fleece..giving the boys a clean layer. The mattress cover is also nice though because I can fold the ends over the coroplast so it stays in place and actually keeps the fleece pulled nice and tight, keeping it in place. Plus, the mattress cover is just a bit too big which gives my pigs these really nice soft lumps here and there and overall makes the cage bottom much softer for them. I tried towels in the past for under fleece but the towels just got really yucky very fast. They just absorbed the urine and had a musky smell that seemed to stay in the towels after a while even after they were washed. Finally, when I do clean the mattress cover and fleece, they dry in the dryer in 20 to 30 minutes. Towels take way longer. Everyone has their own preference though in what they like and why.

 

[KD006]

I am using u-haul and fleece I cut the u-haul to size and stiched two layers together to keep it from bunching up. I then made a fleece pilowcase and stiched the edges to the u-haul pads and tucked and stitched the open end. Reason I did this is my new washer is a front load washer dryer that evaporates the moisture and then condenses and pumps off the water (no dryer vent) so I didn't want to be draining and cleaning the lint trap every load. Bright light that built this house put the laundry smack in the middle of the house and previously had a 30 foot run of vent pipe. Next cover will probably be fleece one side only and covered in $1.50 poly/cotton fabric just to contain any lint.