Do pigs stay cleaner on fleece?

Freela

Freela

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I have always used paper bedding, but am considering changing to fleece both as a cost-saving mechanism and because my 6+ pig, Leela, will sometimes sit in pee and end up with a wet bottom. She also has a cyst on her bottom area that sits lower and is prone to getting wet/dirty. At her age, we really don't want to do surgery for her cyst and the vet agrees, so keeping it clean/comfortable is a priority. I am wondering if her undercarriage would stay cleaner on the fleece. Anyone have any experience in this regard? I don't want to switch over if she will be getting wetter sitting on fleece, but I'm thinking it may be better for the skin on her underside as well as saving me some money.
 
I find the oldies stay drier and cleaner with a small piece of vet bed in the places they sit the most. I fold a newspaper underneath it to absorb the urine, I do use a fleece/bath mat combination in the cages though rather than disposable bedding. I think loose bedding would stick to vet bed and could be a bit of a nightmare to remove. When I only had 2 piggies I used all vet bed but it's time consuming getting hay off it to wash and heavy in the machine. You could try a fleece blanket over old towels or puppy pads and see how you get on with it before paying out for liners. I've tried all sorts of bedding in the past and always go back to my fleece liners, I like them best.
Sorry I hope that makes sense, I really should go to sleep!
 
Depends on the pig and the situation. It definitely seems like if you have an elderly pig that doesn't move much and tends to sit in a puddle, fleece should prevent that, as long as there is enough absorbent material underneath it.
 
We use puppy pads under Vet Bed, which covers the entire bottom of Bobtail's cage. He's 8 years old and he's starting to remain in the one area for longer periods too.

Fleece is very good at wicking moisture away if you make sure you have something absorbent underneath it. The best I've found is puppy pads or Blueys as they are called here in Australia, they are much better than newspaper.

I find that Vet Bed is even better than fleece for keeping him dry, as after you've 'primed' it (which just means washing it a few times, which also goes for fleece, so that it wicks properly) because it is much thicker and allows far more air through. Also, it's a lot softer for old joints.

Granted it is more expensive (by a lot), but I've used Vet bed for 8 years now, and still have the originals in use (although I have built up quite a stash of funky colours). You won't need more than two mats of it unless you want more, so as to wash and dry one while the other is in use.

Good luck!
 
Jenny is on fleece and moves very little now 😔 I am really struggling with keeping her clean and dry. She has a pad to lay on in her favourite spot. Difficulty is she has always been a burrower and so she lies UNDER it rather than on it 🤦‍♀️and it’s super cosy so moves even less 😂 At the moment I am tummy and bum bathing her regularly but it will feature in our ongoing quality of life discussions for her.
 
Freela said:
I have always used paper bedding, but am considering changing to fleece both as a cost-saving mechanism and because my 6+ pig, Leela, will sometimes sit in pee and end up with a wet bottom. She also has a cyst on her bottom area that sits lower and is prone to getting wet/dirty. At her age, we really don't want to do surgery for her cyst and the vet agrees, so keeping it clean/comfortable is a priority. I am wondering if her undercarriage would stay cleaner on the fleece. Anyone have any experience in this regard? I don't want to switch over if she will be getting wetter sitting on fleece, but I'm thinking it may be better for the skin on her underside as well as saving me some money.
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Hi

Highly absorbent, regularly changed vetbed pieces for the sleeping area are best for oldies with limited mobility although fleece will also do but you will still need to change the sleeping area daily or twice daily as urine particles can build up on the surface of fleece (hence all the red patches on the feet we are seeing).
What you get with fleece bedding is more water use from regular laundering so it depends on what you have to pay for your domestic water meter.
Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

Vetbed bedding has been developed for vet use; it is kind of a super-fleece in terms of how to deal with it and is very soft. You can cut it to suitably sized pads for changing 2-3 daily, depending on the situation and how much time your oldies spend in their favourite place. Please keep in mind that arthritic piggies can often no longer clean themselves well at the back and that you need to step in with bum and under-foot care irrespective of the bedding; especially with long or rough-haired piggies which need to be kept cut very short.

You may find these care guides helpful for looking after older guinea pigs:
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection
 
I've used vet bed for several oldies. Sometimes as a complete cage and sometimes as a small pad in the sleeping areas. I have found some arthritic piggies find it difficult to walk with the long thick tufts and are better on fleece with just vet bed in their beds. The way it locks the wet underneath is great it really keeps the piggie dry.
 
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