Fleece Anyone?

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amxry

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Is fleece really a good bedding for piggies? I know it doesn't cost as much as normal bedding but doesn't it start to smell? Also how often do you have to change it out and what do you put underneath it?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm a piggy mummy to be!

www.thehoneyinmytea.co.uk
 
Hi there. I used towels under two layers of fleece. If you change it every three days then it does not smell.
 
I make fleece liners so, my fleece comprises of, Fleece, quilted mattress protector (this is the main piece that does all the soaking up), then fleece again, so they're fully reversible and made to fit my cage, making cleaning out even quicker.
I aim to clean out my cage every 4 days, you don't really want to leave it much longer than that, as the fleece will be damp and can cause health problems such as urine scalding on piggy feet and UTI's.
I don't find they smell, and i have them in my bedroom, it's a very nice way to keep pigs and looks nicer than other beddings too, plus is customisable to loads of different patterns.
 
what i do is make a base layer. this is usually newspapers, absorbent washable bedpads and/or disposable bedpads. i change this whole underneath base layer twice a week.

on top of the base, i use baby fleece blankets to cover the area, and then padded fleece blankets and/or profleece in certain areas aswell. this means i can change these as and when needed, without changing the whole lot. i sometimes have to do some of these daily if they get too wet. sometimes every other day. it depends really how much they've wet them.

our cage has a main cage area, and a run area infront. the run area needs changing everyday as they use it so much. :))

then of course, poop scoops throughout the day as needed. x

eta: i never notice they smell with this routine.
 
biscandmatt said:
what i do is make a base layer. this is usually newspapers, absorbent washable bedpads and/or disposable bedpads. i change this whole underneath base layer twice a week.

on top of the base, i use baby fleece blankets to cover the area, and then padded fleece blankets and/or profleece in certain areas aswell. this means i can change these as and when needed, without changing the whole lot. i sometimes have to do some of these daily if they get too wet. sometimes every other day. it depends really how much they've wet them.

our cage has a main cage area, and a run area infront. the run area needs changing everyday as they use it so much. :))

then of course, poop scoops throughout the day as needed. x

eta: i never notice they smell with this routine.
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Thanks for your help. I think I will put a couple of layers of newspaper under two layers of fleece, just to be safe. I might try and find a really thick fleece to put in certain areas, as you said. Can anyone recommend any good fleece blankets? Thanks x
 
twiams said:
I make fleece liners so, my fleece comprises of, Fleece, quilted mattress protector (this is the main piece that does all the soaking up), then fleece again, so they're fully reversible and made to fit my cage, making cleaning out even quicker.
I aim to clean out my cage every 4 days, you don't really want to leave it much longer than that, as the fleece will be damp and can cause health problems such as urine scalding on piggy feet and UTI's.
I don't find they smell, and i have them in my bedroom, it's a very nice way to keep pigs and looks nicer than other beddings too, plus is customisable to loads of different patterns.
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Wow! That sounds really practical and useful! I might try and buy something along those lines! I will be keeping my piggies in my bedroom as well because that way I will be able to see them more and we can bond better. Thanks for your help x
 
amxry said:
Thanks for your help. I think I will put a couple of layers of newspaper under two layers of fleece, just to be safe. I might try and find a really thick fleece to put in certain areas, as you said. Can anyone recommend any good fleece blankets? Thanks x
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towels or bedpads will create cushioning aswell so these might be a good option. lots of people sell padded fleece blankets. you can buy fleece off ebay, or in shops like primark etc.

i get the baby blankets off ebay, they're only cheap but absorb and wash and dry really well. plus they are cheap to replace if needed. you can buy metre long pieces of fabric off ebay aswell for bigger pieces of fleece. profleece i also buy off ebay, and padded blankets, i get from certain shops that make and sell them. i got the absorbent washable bedpads off amazon, and disposable ones i get also off good old ebay :)) obviously towels you can get at alot of places.

let me know if you want a link to any of the above :)
 
be careful of liners where the absorbent layer is in the middle. these apparently aren't good for piggies. you want the absorbent layer at the very bottom for urine to be wicked away from the surface and middle layer. some people won't make and sell these as they say they're bad and unhealthy. others do sell them. so i don't know if it's a debatable thing. sounds like it is. x
 
biscandmatt said:
be careful of liners where the absorbent layer is in the middle. these apparently aren't good for piggies. you want the absorbent layer at the very bottom for urine to be wicked away from the surface and middle layer. some people won't make and sell these as they say they're bad and unhealthy. others do sell them. so i don't know if it's a debatable thing. sounds like it is. x
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I wouldn't really agree with this at all, i've tried a couple of different ways of liners and having the absorbent area in the middle is by far the best, as long as you use good quality fleece and quilted mattress protectors. It holds the urine in the centre perfectly and i'd happily press my hand on area of my fleece liner top or bottom and know it would stay dry :)
 
twiams said:
I wouldn't really agree with this at all, i've tried a couple of different ways of liners and having the absorbent area in the middle is by far the best, as long as you use good quality fleece and quilted mattress protectors. It holds the urine in the centre perfectly and i'd happily press my hand on area of my fleece liner top or bottom and know it would stay dry :)
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fair enough :) i just noticed when looking on snoozies cozies facebook page, that she states that she won't make them as they are bad for the piggies. i have seen other people making them though so thought it might be one of those things people disagree on. there is always something :)) x
 
biscandmatt said:
fair enough :) i just noticed when looking on snoozies cozies facebook page, that she states that she won't make them as they are bad for the piggies. i have seen other people making them though so thought it might be one of those things people disagree on. there is always something :)) x
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:mal: I think some people just like to seem as if they're different and would make a health hazard out of anything if they could. :)) I'll say no more :btt: haha.


***Just to add. On second thoughts i'd just read through what she's written that having a waterproof layer between is hazardous but towels/mattress protectors aren't waterproof layers they're absorbent layers. So unless she means like the water proof protectors with the thin plastic layer? Anyways, back to my point, quilted mattress protectors are safe as houses. Well built houses may i add.
 
twiams said:
:mal: I think some people just like to seem as if they're different and would make a health hazard out of anything if they could. :)) I'll say no more :btt: haha.


***Just to add. On second thoughts i'd just read through what she's written that having a waterproof layer between is hazardous but towels/mattress protectors aren't waterproof layers they're absorbent layers. So unless she means like the water proof protectors with the thin plastic layer? Anyways, back to my point, quilted mattress protectors are safe as houses. Well built houses may i add.
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possibly. i don't know :)) well we can add it to the woodshaving, and metacam doses debates :)) x
 
amxry said:
Thanks for your help. I think I will put a couple of layers of newspaper under two layers of fleece, just to be safe. I might try and find a really thick fleece to put in certain areas, as you said. Can anyone recommend any good fleece blankets? Thanks x
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you need an absorbant layer other than newspaper as it doesn't absorb very well and will smell.I have incontinence pads then fleece then the places they have the odd wee has towel then fleece.The smaller bits of towel and fleece gets changed when wet and the main fleece once a week.Puppy pads gets changed once a week if wet
 
madguinealady said:
you need an absorbant layer other than newspaper as it doesn't absorb very well and will smell.I have incontinence pads then fleece then the places they have the odd wee has towel then fleece.The smaller bits of towel and fleece gets changed when wet and the main fleece once a week.Puppy pads gets changed once a week if wet
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Thank you!
 
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