Fleece bedding as apposed to hay

[FrostyFlakesNz]

All the guinea pigs and rabbits etc we've had since i was a kid have always had a hay bed in there hutch and live outside.

Now that we've got two piggies living inside with us (due to lawn space and one is fully blind and deaf) the hay and newspaper underlay seems to stink alot, even with a weekly full clean.

We have been looking into the fleece option and was wondering if anyone has had any problem regarding smell or cleaning?

Also what they would recommend for an underlay that is absorbent and also how to keep the odor under control as the blind one doesn't tend to move around her cage alot and her toilet is almost exclusively in one spot.

Thanks and appreciate any advice!

 

[DM030819]

Some people really like fleece and don't think it smells and others don't and think it smells really bad so you'd need to give it a try to find out if it works for you @FrostyFlakesNz

I do use fleece and think it smells fine for a while. But if there are any areas that gets wet with urine it does get stinky fast so you need to spot clean daily and change and wet areas.

You can use puppy pads underneath, and in the U.S they have U-haul pads which can be put underneath. Or you can buy/make cage liners which are a fleece top with an absorbant layer sewn into the middle. That cuts down on having to throw alot away but it means your washing increases.

You can add extra bits of fleece or VetBed or whatever works for you in the areas where your blind piggy stays.

I have a lethal boy who tends to sleep in the same area so I've put a nice piece of VetBad down for him to sleep on.

 

[HeatherW]

I use fleece bedding after changing to it from shavings. Overall, I much prefer it and it seems so do the pigs! Jasmine doesn't sneeze as much, they have a firmer floor to run around on and it's much easier and quicker to clean than shavings.

Cons include changing the fleece every two days and having to run the washing machine nearly every day just for the guinea pig bedding. There isn't any problem with the smell if it's changed frequently. I recommend you get three sets so you don't have to prioritise washing and drying the fleece in a day or two.

As for absorbent layer, I've found I don't need one; the fleece I got from Ziggy's Piggies has a middle absorbent layer built in, so there's no need for anything else.

 

[YvonneBlue]

I use half fleece liner (with absorbent inner) and half Fitch paper bedding with newspaper underneath and they also have a tray lined with newspaper and filled with lots of hay (i use seed trays from The Range). My piggies tend to dirty the area with the Fitch and the hay trays the most. I empty and clean the hay trays daily and spot clean everything else, picking up all the poo and removing (and replacing) any Fitch that is very wet. I have not had any problems with them getting smelly.

My skinny pigs sleep in fleece bags (i wash these twice a week) and my two haired girls have a wooden den and a fleece pigloo (this has a removable pee pad which can be washed). I buy my fleece liners from minnietheminxxxx (Ebay) and my fleece pigloos from Ada Art Guinea Pig Beds (Facebook). All the things i have purchased have washed really well.

 

[*kate*]

I use puppy pads and pieces of vetbed which I change daily.

 

[Seven7]

I put pee-pads all around their cages, which goes on top of the fleece bed, and I double the pee-pads in front of their hay racks because this is the high-traffic area.
Pee-pads are washed every 2 to 3 days and their cage is cleaned every 5 to 7 days with hot water and vinegar. I make vinegar water and soak their pee-pads and fleece lining in the vinegar water for a bit. I feel this kills the bacteria in their fleece linings.
I have multiple fleece lining and many pee-pads for frequent changes.

This minimize odor BUT, odor is never completely gone to be honest.