New idea for bedding

[GuineasGalore]

I was thinking about a new bedding idea as Pearl the GP has a tendency to toss shavings and who know's what else in a 2ft diameter around her cage

This was my idea, take a waterproof foamy (for comfort) and then top it with a desposible and absorbing material - either that or find some way to attach it so that pigster doesn't go burrowing

Tell me what you think and please give me ideas for the absorbing 'material' - i like the idea of disposable because it would cut down on the mess and i wouldn't have to get crud in the washing machine

 

[amfeider]

you could use puppy pads, cage diapers, or fleece

 

[Ly&Pigs]

What I have found that works very well for me lately (and I am always trying new combinations of things with fleece) are puppy pads on the bottom next to the coroplast, then a few layers of newspaper, an old mattress pad (look for them in thrift stores for cheap) and then one layer of fleece. The mattress pad and the newspaper catch most all of the pee and most of the puppy pads have been staying dry and I don't have to keep changing them, only any that are icky. But they are there if needed. I also have a litter pan in one corner that the girls use pretty well.

 

[GuineasGalore]

hmmm...i suppose fleece has merits, i'm just afraid of it stinking up (that and it gets thiner and looses its softness with every wash) But i was thinking of something disposable and cheap. Do you think there are other types of cloth that would absorb well (i don't think towles would work, they're alwfully bulky and i would think that they would be dangerous if a pig gets the nibbles) I also had the idea of paper towles. do you think they would be absorbant enough with two layers or will they just get torn and pushed to the side of the cage?

 

[_Anja_]

Does the fleece really absorb urine?? Curious...

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Anja - Fleece pulls the urine through to whatever is underneath it. Which is why Ly uses so much absorbant stuff under her fleece, to catch any pee which gets through the fleece

GuineasGalore - I don't think paper towels would be much good. It wouldn't take too long for it to get kicked to the edges! I personally think towel/fleece is the best option (for me), but it's a case of trialling (sp?) the different bedding ideas to see which works best for you and your pigs.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

It would be more dangerous for a pig to eat paper towels than a pig taking an occasional nibble off of a regular towel.

that and it gets thiner and looses its softness with every wash

Not necessarily true. I have used the same fleece for about 8 months and it still comes out of the wash soft and as thick as it was when I bought it.

 

[Susan9608]

When I tried fleece, it was soaking wet and covered with feces in about 8 hours. I had both newspapers and puppy pads underneath it ... so where did I screw up? Why did it get so wet? I'd love to use fleece, but not if I'm having to wash it every single day.

How did you guys get your pigs to use a litter box?

 

[_Anja_]

Anja - Fleece pulls the urine through to whatever is underneath it. Which is why Ly uses so much absorbant stuff under her fleece, to catch any pee which gets through the fleece

Yes, I know, what I really meant was, du the urine really flow through the fleece? And how fast does the fleece dry after the pigs pee on it?

I'd really like to try fleece if it works well.

 

[cavy-cool-crazy]

Yes, I think it must do. It dries pretty quickly; I know my pigs pee on it a lot and after about 15 minutes or so, it's dried up.

It works well for me; I borrowed Ly's idea of puppy pads, then newspaper, then fleece, and it seems to be working better than just newspaper and fleece.

The easieist thing would be to try fleece for a few days and see how well it works for you and your pigs

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Susan, what type of fleece are you using and how many layers?

With my fleece, it takes usually no longer than 5-10 minutes before the fleece wicks the moisture down.

 

[Susan9608]

I used some micro-fleece and some regular fleece - are there different brands? What kind is best?

I only used one layer of fleece. How many do you all use?

When you said you used an old mattress pad, were you talking about those egg shell foam things?

 

[Ly&Pigs]

You are fine with the one layer, that's all you're supposed to use anyway. The best fleece to use is the polar fleece or fleece that you make blankets out of.

As for mattress pads, no I don't use the egg shell foam things. I use an actual mattress pad that you would use to protect your mattress. They really absorb well. I got several at a thrift store for $1 each. They are white and quilted, made from cotton usually and don't use waterproof ones as that will defeat the purpose. Here is a picture of a folded one.

 

[SandyF]

When I tried fleece, it was soaking wet and covered with feces in about 8 hours. I had both newspapers and puppy pads underneath it ... so where did I screw up? Why did it get so wet? I'd love to use fleece, but not if I'm having to wash it every single day.

I use fleece and really like it. You have to launder it 2-3 times before you use it the first time; I've found that this helps prevent moisture from beading on the surface. I use a towel beneath the single layer of fleece, and then a cotton crib liner on the bottom. I change towels every 2-3 days, change the fleece every 3-4 days, and change the bottom liner every week and wipe down the coroplast.

I sweep off the poos twice a day to help cut down on odor.

I've found that regular, inexpensive fleece works best. I discovered 50" x 60" baby blankets at Big Lots for only $2.99 each, and they have held up very well.

 

[ILovePiggies]

I tried cotton T-shirt material with news papers underneath... has anyone else used cotton? Do you think cotton is dangerous? I used cotton because the fleece kept the moisture up top instead of absorbing it. Hey do you think putting a normal layer of shavings down on the bottom, and then covering it with a layer of (non static) material, would work??? Because then you can just shake off the poos and the shavings wouldn't be flicked out of the cage. Orrrrr how about making a large pillowcase of shavings? Just an idea...

 

[Ly&Pigs]

There are different types of fleece. I like the fleece blankets and fleece blanket kits. They work well for me.

Hey do you think putting a normal layer of shavings down on the bottom, and then covering it with a layer of (non static) material, would work???

Personally, I think you'd end up with a huge mess because most materials won't wick moisture down, instead it would just absorb into the material, so you would have pigs laying on wet material and the shavings underneath would get nasty pretty fast.

 

[Sabriel]

I like the 50" X 60" solid colour fleece blankets from Walmart. I bought 2 for a little under $10 CAD last weekend and they work well. Two cover my 3X6 with a little bit to spare on the egdes.

 

[Percy's Mom]

I found a couple of sellers on ebay and got a TON (5 yrds long X 60" wide)of fleece really cheap as well as a box of about 200 puppy pads for a really good price. I'm thinking of cutting several changes of fleece to the size I need and finding some mattress pads as well.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Percy's mom-do you have any thrift stores near you. They are great places to find mattress pads. Since trying them under my fleece, they are my favorite.

 

[Funnygpigs]

I was using fleece, but it got to be TOO big of a mess. G-pigs poo and pee allot, and in a few hours, the whole cage would be coated in mashed poo. I get the idea behind using fleece, it just did not work for me. I keep a 2x2 area of their cage w/fleece (just for a different texture for them to sit on), but have switched back to shavings. If you make your Coroplast sides on your cage 6-8 inches high, you should not have too much problem w/shavings going every where. :0)