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MIRACLE! Polyester utility/moving pads

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DeniseKris

Guest
MIRACLE! Polyester utility/moving pads

Calling all piggie lovers...

We've just started lining the floortime playpen with a moving pad. It's INCREDIBLE.

This thing is 100% poly, and so far, the boys haven't shown the slightest interest in eating it. Assuming that they continue to walk on this thing and not treat it as a snack, it's a PERFECT bedding material.

The pads are manufactured by Kimberly-Clark (yes, ladies, the same company that manufactures your favorite sanitary napkins, which is essentially what these are--just huge ones. They're 72" x 80").

They wick away piddles in about 5 seconds to the insulated center, just like the aforementioned feminine products or disposable diapers. It's like those old commercials--you can put your hand on top of the spot they just piddled on and it feels 95% dry a minute later.

"Pellets" don't stick, so you can put your piggies elsewhere for literally three minutes while you hand-vac their daily deposit away, and presto! A clean new cage every day. They do NOT leak through. Moisture stays inside and disperses.

The pads are washable (but not heat-dryable; you have to hang them out to dry or use air). They're absorbent, they're reusable, and best of all, they're CHEAP. We paid $10 apiece for them, and they could easily be cut in half to make two liners for a 5X2 C&C cage. I plan to do this with two of them, giving us 4 rotatable liners--probably enough for a whole month.

We bought four. Assuming we manage to get, oh, say, 10 washes out of them, that's cheaper than any bedding material we've found yet. It's also far less messy. Certainly beats $20 every two weeks for Carefresh.

We got ours at a local moving supply store that only sells to walk-ins, but I did some research. Here's a URL that sells them online:

(broken link removed)

If anybody uses these already, let me know whether there's something I'm missing. Otherwise, I can't imagine why piggies everywhere aren't padding around (no pun intended) on these things and ending the pine/aspen/carefresh/newspaper debates this minute!

Denise
 

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Re: MIRACLE! Polyester utility/moving pads

We're in the process of building our boys a 2x6 cage which at 84x27 is slightly longer than the 72x80 pad. Though it might work to cut a portion of it off of the width and sew it on to the length to be able to use the pad in a 2x6 cage.

When using the pads in a cage I wonder how often they will need to be changed. Once you start using yours in your C&C cage, please post here again and let us know! This could be the ideal bedding!!! Thanks for the info and link!
 
Pads

Just the regular moving pad like on the link?
 
Re: Pads

Well, I think I just may try it. Although, I'm not a towel fan. Too much laundry, too messy, too stinky too fast. But hey, it's worth a try, especially for pigs suspectible to uri's due to dust or those recovering from surgery.

Will let you know. Will try to find a local source at a moving supply store.

Thanks.
 
UPDATE

Great news...after having the first pad down on the "daytime playpen" for 9 days straight, with the boys in their pen at least 6 hours a day (and up to 10), we took it up this afternoon.

There was no smell at all. If one stuck one's nose directly ON the pad and inhaled deeply, you could detect your little dears had been there, but it was NOT by any means detectable.

There was the TINIEST bit of leakthrough in their favorite piddle corner, but the dispersal of all that liquid for over a week was very impressive indeed.

We've given the boys their first C&C cage liner made of a triple-folded pad today. Will keep all apprised, but so far, no nibbles, and outstanding moisture control.

With a daily 2 minute hand-vacuuming, they get a fresh bed literally every day.

Denise
 
Almost forgot...

Yes, Two and Two, just the K-C Utility Pad/moving pad from that link. I think they're selling them for $11.

All I can say is, the boys seem very, very happy to be dry and fresh-smelling after their baths. Will post photos soon.

Denise
 
Moving Pad

I think this is a great ingenious idea! I am just wondering if it is still working just as great for you now? I am in the process of building a cage myself and love the idea. Thanks Robin
 
KC moving pads

I've just ordered one to try out. Would like to hear if these are still working well for the original poster of this note?
 
moving pads

how are they working out ??? I posted a seperate thread but nobody replied..:eek:
 
Repeating answer from other thread...

Sorry about the reply delay. Haven't checked back in months, but here are "lessons learned."

1.) These pads are absolutely fabulous on our hard tile floor. We use them for a week at a stretch, with a "playpen" made of 15 cubes cable-tied together. Most days, the little guys spend 12 hours a day out on the floor, in the living room, with us (we've made them a Coroplast house to give them some security)

2) In the actual C&C cage, the triple-thickness folded pad gives them a wonderful surface to pad around on. All piddles are immediately absorbed, and they stay "inside." However, the triple thickness means we can start to smell the bedding after about day 5--so we returned to pine & carefresh there.

3) HOWEVER, with our piggers outside with us most of every day, we go through only one carefresh bag per month.

4) The utility pads are easy to wash at our local laundromat--$5 in the Huge Industrial Washer takes care of them.

5) NEVER, EVER put them in even a cool dryer. Ugliness and melting of the nonwoven cover results.

6) We love the pads so much we just went back for a couple more to replace our laundry casualties--and were upset that our local supplier can't get them anymore!

I did just see them for sale @ $10/apiece on Ebay. Search for "Kimberly Clark" pads.

Best to all. We really love these things and can't imagine why K-C isn't repackaging them to sell them at pet stores for 3x the price as "puppy training pads."
 
pads

That sounds like a great alternative .. Can the pads be cut and if you do will the filling come out or do you sew them ?
 
I wouldn't try to cut them...

Good question. Actually, the way they're constructed is pretty ingenius and part of why they stay piddle-tight is the binding. So I wouldn't cut them. But they're eminently foldable in double or triple layers.

Kris talked to the manufacturer today (that's the same folks linked to up there, Sandhill Quilting). They're a small place in Kentucky.

At the moment, they've got a sale on--a DOZEN of the blankets for $65, plus about $30 shipping.

By my reckoning, that's the equivalent of 5 bags of carefresh and would last practically an eternity with washing.

We're going to order them.

Sandhill's in Kentucky, but they also told us that they sell the blankets to UHaul, so you may be able to get them in smaller quantities there.

Hope that helps!

(The Sandhill guy also apparently said that they have "folks come from all over" who raise kittens and puppies and use them for...er...potty purposes. So it's not an original idea.)
 
pads

Thanks for the answer. I will check out my local Uhaul since 12 pads would be too much right now.
 
Moving pads

Hi,
I used the moving pad for a couple of months. I agree it's very absorbant. I cut mine into two, so each could fit inside a 2x5 cages. I found that they frayed, and the stitching come unraveled, so I bought some binding fabric from walmart and ironed it on the edges.

However, in the cage, I found the problem is that the poops just sit on top of the pad, and the guineas will quickly get dirty toes from running through them. With other bedding, at least the poops are mixed in. Even if I cleaned the pad everyday it was a problem. I used a thin layer of carefresh on top of the pad. Not convinced that I could leave the cage longer to clean, using the pad versus other bedding.

I think, however, it would be a great solution for an excercise area - as described.
 
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