Fleece - is it supposed to up and over the sides of cage or just on bottom?

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sharonk

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Title says it all really! I ordered a sheet of fleece from eBay with the intention of cutting it in half to make two sheets to alternate for cleaning but think I've only ordered enough to just cover the floor argh! Think I might have to buy another sheet!
And those who make/own cage liners how expensive are they for ferplast 120s wondering if I should get two of those or maybe even vetbed (how much vetbed would I need to make two cage bottoms for a 120 cage, does vetbed go up the sides of the cage?! Am confused can you tell lol!)
Thanks :)
 
Sharon, I have the vetbed flat (it's pretty thick!) with the fleece of the top of it. I find that's handy, as when I'm brushing it, as opposed to changing it, I can lift up the corners and the jobbies run into the middle for easy sweeping. Others will do it differently...
 
I have an arrangement that sounds like PennyV's but with fleece and towels, I don't bother tucking it under the cage wire as mine aren't burrowers :) I have a 2 sets of fleece big enough to fold twice to cover then 2 towels on the floor of a 120 cage.
 
Think I'm definitely going to need more fleece then! Think I'm wavering because I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing or whether I should just go for cage liners or vet bed straight off. But would rather try cheaper options first I think.
Thanks for replies so far :)
 
my fleece just goes to the edges, not over them. Both in the hutch and the indoor pen, I found it easier to lift the edges and flick the poops closer to me in the far corners. They dont burrow or move the fleece so have left it flat with no problems as I have with vetbed.
 
The vet bed is great for staying nice and dry, but the fleece on top is soft to walk on and very easy to brush clean.
 
I cut the vet bed around 4" wider and longer than the pens so it just sits a couple of inches up all around the sides - get paranoid about draughts etc. even though the piggies are snug indoors mallethead
On deep cleaning days, I just lift the corners, the poops roll into the middle, hoover them and hay off and stuff into the washer :))
 
Thanks for all the replies. Think I'm going to go for two layers of fleece to start with as my mum has given me an older fleece blanket so will that and the new one I bought I can do two layers of fleece, two layers of towel and some newspaper... Hoping that'll be ok?!
 
Sounds alright, remember to wash any new fleece about 3 times without using fabric softener to make it more absorbent (sorry if you've heard that before).
 
Thanks yes it's just had its second wash so plenty of time for a third wash before I clean and set up the cage by Friday :)
 
You only want 1 layer of fleece, then the towels/vetbed underneath. The reason being that the fleece wicks urine through to the underneath layer leaving the fleece dry on top, which it won't be able to do when there are 2 layers of it.

Before putting the fleece into the cage though, be sure to prepare it properly. It needs to be washed a few times or so with just bog standard washing powder, with NO softener at all. This will enable it to wick the urine through, but using softener/fabric conditioner will stop it from doing this.

Personally, I use 2 layers of towels under my fleece, and have my fleece so it just tucks under the edge of the towels to stop it from being shifted. It works well with my lot, but might not work for everyone.
 
Ok thanks so definitely just one layer of fleece then. I could've sworn some people have said they had two layers somewhere on here, maybe I misread it? Am going to give the cage a good scrub and set it up in the next couple of days. The fleece is just drying from its third wash. We never use softener here so should be ok I hope! Thanks for the info :)
 
I use the layer of fleece and two towel layers currently. However, I have recently ordered two cage liners from a lovely lady who makes the most wonderful items for Guinea pigs. It is purely for the ease of just swapping them over, and less faff with the towels and fleeces. It is what your happy doing at the end of the day.

Here is a link to the website. I also got my Snuggle Sacs from her.

http://www.cosycavies.co.uk/
 
You could always test it when it's dry to see if it's wicking yet. Just get a towel, fold it in half and lay part of the fleece overa bit of it, then pour a bit of water onto it; it should take a few seconds for the water to completely wick through to the towel. If it just sits there then it may need some more washes. What kind of fleece do you have? Not all fleece is capable of wicking. It needs to be 100% polyester, as a cotton blend will likely absorb urine instead of wicking it away.
 
It's polar fleece bought by the metre off eBay and it says it polyester. Have washed it three times but haven't checked it's wicking abilities yet.
 
I used to tuck mine under, but my three decided to wriggle their bottoms between the edge of the fleece and the side of the cage to do their poos! I suppose in their minds it kept their cage cleaner, but was a nightmare for spot cleaning so I have it tucked over the sides now.
 
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