Dam you messy pigs!...not sure the fleece is working out?

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fayejones

fayejones

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I have just changed the pigs to fleece instead of carefresh, but they just get so messy after one day and i'm having to clean it out nearly every other day. Its mostly the poo thats making it messy, but its also not drying very fast.

I'm moving them to a c&c cage soon and everyone seems to use the fleece for it. Any tips? Ive bought a handheld hoover to try and clean it a bit but still waiting for it to arrive! I was thinking of trying megazorb, but think it might be to much myther and mess for a c&c when cleaning them out?

HEEEEEELP ME :)
 
I will follow this post with great interest as I am considering switching to fleece cos of hayfever but I dont have the time to clean out EVERY day! And I dont want them to be sittingo n wet fleece xx
 
Do you put anything underneath the fleece? The hoover will def help when it arrives, you'll need to do about 2 poop patrols a day with it but it takes less than 5 minutes.

Also are you using fabric conditioner when you wash the fleece? if so you need to stop as it stops the urine wicking away.
 
Mine seem to be just pooping an peeing everywhere! There out of control! Hehe :)) x
 
We have a little handlheld hoover and it is a godsend.
 
I had a pet waterproof mat underneath first time, and now i have like a puppy pad but its not actually one. Puppy pads are so expensive i find and there small so you'd have to use a few at a time. Also how often do you change the puppy pad if thats what you use?
x
 
i put newspaper, then towels, then the fleece and profleece. i clean the whole cage out every other day, and the fleece with the hay area on daily. if i left it any longer it would be soaking underneath the profleece and that can't be good can it. i still had to clean that regularly with megazorb aswell. ches didn't make that much of a mess, but maisie wee's so much! rolleyes:)) but i have the time so it's ok! :))
 
biscandmatt said:
i put newspaper, then towels, then the fleece and profleece. i clean the whole cage out every other day, and the fleece with the hay area on daily. if i left it any longer it would be soaking underneath the profleece and that can't be good can it. i still had to clean that regularly with megazorb aswell. ches didn't make that much of a mess, but maisie wee's so much! rolleyes:)) but i have the time so it's ok! :))
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What is profleece? x
 
fayejones said:
What is profleece? x
Click to expand...

it's a cheaper version of vetbed. i found the pups profleece better at absorbing, but not good trying to brush hay off! i get the profleece off ebay, use the same seller everytime.. the prices are good and it always keeps the top dry, and i find it really easy to brush the bits off and it washes well. i think the seller is fireinvestigatindog or something like that... i'll have to check.. :))

http://www.profleece.com/

here;s the pupps profleece one... off to find the ebay one...

it's fireinvestigationdog -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VET-BED-76cm-...1?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item5ad437b797
 
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biscandmatt said:
i put newspaper, then towels, then the fleece and profleece. i clean the whole cage out every other day, and the fleece with the hay area on daily. if i left it any longer it would be soaking underneath the profleece and that can't be good can it. i still had to clean that regularly with megazorb aswell. ches didn't make that much of a mess, but maisie wee's so much! rolleyes:)) but i have the time so it's ok! :))
Click to expand...

hmm, i deffo dont have the time and cleanliness patience to do this daily, think i may have to stick to newpaper and hay :{ x
 
Fleece isn't for everyone and honestly it's quite labour intensive but it helps once you've established a routine.

I have a 3 x 4 c & c with a 1 x 3 second level. I have 3 pigs and use washable incontinence pads under fleece with a towel on the ramp. They have a cat litter tray with megazorb and hay, and a hay rack.

This is my routine:
Every day- twice a day I do a poop scoop. I shake out the beds onto the fleece, then use a cat litter scoop- turning it over to use the flat edge as a rake- to gather the poop and odd bits of hay in a pile to be cleared away. Once a day I change the hay in the hay rack and litter tray.

Every 2-3 days (3 days if the girls have had lots of floor time so the fleece is holding up ok, or 2 days if it's feeling damp or a bit grotty) I change the inco pads and fleece. The first change I will just replace the ones in the main section as the loft is used less (so the fleece lasts longer) and the beds. The second change (so after 4-6 days) I change all the fleeces, pads, towels, beds and spray the correx with Virkon and wipe down.

I shake the fleece outside then give it a good brush down before washing (or you can put it straight into wash if you put it in a wash bag to protect your machine). I have to brush the fleece in the kitchen so the floor needs a sweep and wipe down afterwards.

I can do a full cage clean and brush fleeces, etc in about 20-30 minutes. Then 1 or 2 loads of washing depending on how much I have.

Some people seem to be able to only change the inco pads once a week and the fleece twice a week but I find they are wet and grubby after 2-3 days, which is why I follow this routine. It could just be that I have very grubby pigs. :(|) It doesn't seem to take very long once you're in the swing of things.

You can use other bedding in a c & c but you would need to look at cost and how often you need to change it. I would estimate that my cage would take a whole bag of megazorb and because it's in my living room I would want to do a complete change at least once a week and I just can't afford that. It would be more manageable in a 2 x 4 I would imagine.

:)
 
PiggiePal said:
hmm, i deffo dont have the time and cleanliness patience to do this daily, think i may have to stick to newpaper and hay :{ x
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i'm making a hay area when i build the new cage, then i think with extra towels under the profleece, and poop hoovering once/twice daily, it might be a couple of days extra between cleans. i am over paranoid about the underneath being wet though. rolleyes i used to clean out everyday. maisie wee's for england! rolleyes:))
 
biscandmatt said:
it's a cheaper version of vetbed. i found the pups profleece better at absorbing, but not good trying to brush hay off! i get the profleece off ebay, use the same seller everytime.. the prices are good and it always keeps the top dry, and i find it really easy to brush the bits off and it washes well. i think the seller is fireinvestigatindog or something like that... i'll have to check.. :))

http://www.profleece.com/

here;s the pupps profleece one... off to find the ebay one...

it's fireinvestigationdog -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VET-BED-76cm-...1?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item5ad437b797
Click to expand...

Thank you great help! :) i want to keep them on the fleece ideally cause it is so much more cheaper than having to keep buying bedding and my pigs are allergic to shavings and i hate them anyway! I will try newspaper and some vet bed stuff too! Its the vetbed on top of the fleece did you say? And also i will have my lil handheld hoover to hand :D x
 
I use fleece an dhave come to terms with the fact that you can see the poo (as opposed to it being hidden in hay/wood chippings. I change my lot every 2-3 days, depending on work commitments. I put fleece on top of newspaper+ vertbed or newspaper + shredded paper + newspaper and it works OK.
 
MrsM said:
I use fleece an dhave come to terms with the fact that you can see the poo (as opposed to it being hidden in hay/wood chippings.
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That's so true. Poop is just part of the furnishings here. I found one on the mantelpiece recently. I really don't know how it got there. :{
 
Thanks flips thats a great help, I think i have just only began starting using the fleece and giving up to soon! I think once i get into a routine i should be ok, where did * get your washable incon pads from by the way?x
 
I did find fleece a huge chore at first and thought I'd done the wrong thing but I'm happy with it now.
My inco pads are from a company called Coastal linen supplies. I bought them through Amazon and they were £8.50 each. I would post a link but I can never get them to work for Amazon. I needed 2 full pads for my cage then cut another pad to make smaller ones to fit the gap that was left, then hemmed the edge with some bias binding (by hand). They make life a lot easier than towels. They absorb the wee better and don't smell at all. They also lie flatter which makes poop scooping much easier. The other big plus point for me is that they dry in 1-2 days on an indoor airer (I don't have a tumble dryer and towels can take 4-5 days to dry in my flat in the winter) so I can have just 2 sets of everything I need for the cage. It was a big investment at the start but well worth it. :)
 
I really like the fleece because it brighten's the cage and it takes about 1-2 hrs to dry! I only ever get mine when it's dead cheap at tescos... so I don't feel it's too expensive and it's also easier to store/wash than vertbed which is really quite bulky.
 
Yeah i like the fleece its so much nicer...if only * could litter train a piggie :( it would be so much easier then haha! I'm going to have a go of vetbeds, 2 poop cleans a day and newspaper i think :) x
 
flips said:
That's so true. Poop is just part of the furnishings here. I found one on the mantelpiece recently. I really don't know how it got there. :{
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haha your piggies must been fly kicking when you not watching
 
you can litter train some pigs, up to a point.
 
Hmmm i might have a go then, i just thought they couldnt for some reason hehe x
 
fayejones said:
Thank you great help! :) i want to keep them on the fleece ideally cause it is so much more cheaper than having to keep buying bedding and my pigs are allergic to shavings and i hate them anyway! I will try newspaper and some vet bed stuff too! Its the vetbed on top of the fleece did you say? And also i will have my lil handheld hoover to hand :D x
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you can put both, but i tend to put just a normal fleece in one quarter of the cage and then their hay on top of that for burrowing. then the rest of the cage has the profleece. :)
 
I am a recent newbie to fleece myself I was using wood shavings and hay before. Once I found the right routine for myself I can honestly say I am so much happier with it now.

I use puppy pads underneath mine which I buy from ebay and works out pretty cheap. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190445764442&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I know it seems like a big expense to buy in bulk but it works out sooo much cheaper. I change the pads in the downstairs area of my c&c once a week. I also use one in my hayloft underneath all the hay which I change every other day.

When your handheld hoover arrives you will notice the difference as its sooo easy to clean the cage with one and literally takes like 2 minutes out of my day which really isn't a lot. You will also find if you have a hay loft in your new c&c that less hay will get on the fleece and it will look a lot neater. My 3 are quite neat with the poos and tend to poo in corners which is good of them
 
hi

I have just gone over from sawdust to fleece,using towels and newspapers,still learning I am not to sure at present,I dont miss the sawdust

:...
 
I am also new to fleece, I used shavings for 2 changes and then I put in the fleece.

Up until I read this thread I was seriously considering going back to shavings, it just looks so much better but I find it all over the house.

I just think that the fleece looks so messy with poops, food & hay. Should I just accept that my piggies are just like teenagers with messy bedrooms?
 
I use fleece and love it, so do the boys.

I have a 4x2 c&c cage with a hayloft. Down the bottom i use washable inco pads and fleece, i sweep the poop off the fleece twice a day (morning and night), i then change the inco pads once a week and the fleece when needed normally after 4 days. The inco pads work really well and wick away the wee and there is never a smell. Up in the hayloft i use newspaper and hay, i have cheap bedding hay and then oxbow hay. I also have two hay racks downstairs and they never seem to be messy or carry the hay about which is good.

When i change the fleece i give it a good shake and then sweep it with a outdoor sweeping brush, much easier than the hair remover clothes brushes and quicker, then i pop it into the washing machine in an old duvet and wash it. Fleece dont take long to dry and NO fabric softener.

I think that megazorb would be messy in a big cage as they can flick it out easily. Once you get a routine going cleaning will be easy!

Here are the inco pads i use and i bought them from amazon like Flips.

[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Absorbent-Bed-Pad-90cms/dp/B000MES1W8/ref=pd_sim_kh_1[/ame]

They last for years as they can be washed many times and i bought 4 so i always have 2 spare and one in the cage or in the wash.

:)
 
I put newspaper first,then the vetbed,then the fleece.I have a poop clean daily,and change the fleece every other day if needed.I have a corner litter tray which i put hay in.My piggies seem to be using that for wees now, so fleece is not getting vey wet.Thanks to ClaireLove,who suggested the tray,as mine used to wee in their beds and everywhere.They are much better now,so I may have toilet trained them to an extent.
 
flips said:
That's so true. Poop is just part of the furnishings here. I found one on the mantelpiece recently. I really don't know how it got there. :{
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This really made me laugh. I keep finding them in odd places too,so glad I am not the only one. My long deceased mother in law would have had a fit,God bless her!
 
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