Fleece Questions?

[Swissgreys]

I am seriously considering getting the pigs an indoor C&C (now I have found someone who will ship to Switzerland).
We have 3 pigs, and would go for a 2 x 5 with a loft (probably 2 x 2 but open to suggestions).
I am also tempted to give fleece a proper try, and plan to order cage liners.

So how many cage liners do I need?

For a 2 x 5 C&C am I better to get several liners designed for a smaller cage, so I don't need to wash the entire liner all the time, and can just freshen the liner from the dirtier half of the cage? Or will the hooligans just burrow underneath the liners if there is an overlap in the middle?

Should I also use a liner in the loft, which I am hoping to have as their hay area? Or if I carry on using Auboise in the loft (because the thought of picking endless hay out of fleece is already stressing me), will I just end up with Auboise everywhere?

Several people on here have mentioned a hand held vacuum for poop patrols. I would love to hear what specific models people have tried and love (or hate).

Thanks for any advice you can offer. It seems like quite a big investment, so I want to try and get it right.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

As for the vacuums, I will warn you that the Argos' vacuum is awful! It broke and didn't pick up hay. These days I use a dustpan & brush or my hands to pick up poo

 

[Beans&Toast]

I have a 6x3 c and c cage for my two.
I use fleeces over towels, (to absorb the pee) I thought about using cage liners but A) I found them to be very expensive and B) my two would wriggle under the gaps.

I absolutely love using fleece, I find it so easy to just use a dust pan and brush to sweep up poos and rogue hay, then 2-3 times a week I'll fully change the fleeces (I put extra fleece in the bits they pee the most).
I use Correx/Coroplast under everything to act as a waterproof layer, I use this on the bottom for their hay loft also, then a layer of towel and fleece then lots and lots of hay

 

[AmyAnn]

Hello!
I'm in my first week of using fleece are these are my tips:
- Definitely don't use fleece in the loft you're planning to use for hay - it will be a nightmare. I have a 2x1 loft and just use newspaper on top of the correx, then a nice layer of hay. I have been changing this daily with no issues. A little bit of hay gets walked down the ramp, but I made a fleece liner for the ramp (for extra grip rather than cleanliness) and so it mainly sticks to that and I can brush it off easily. I have hay trays downstairs too so I'm not precious about any hay travelling downstairs!
- One cage liner for the whole 5 x 2 area would be fine, but as @Beans&Toast mentions, it's a good idea to get some extra bits of fleece liner to put underneath pee-prone areas like houses etc. I didn't do this at first, but I am planning to make some 40cmx40cm fleece liners to put underneath the hidey houses in my cage so I can change these daily. This will probably prolong the time I can leave the main liner in place, at the moment I have changed it once and that was only due to the soiling under the house areas, everywhere else was dry and clean. So without the extra fleece, I'd need to change the whole liner on every third day, but with the extra fleece, maybe only once a week? We'll see...
- I don't intend to get a hand held vacuum for poo picking, it's quickest to use your hands! I do have a dustpan and brush, but only use this when cleaning out the hay loft. I have a stiffer bristly brush which I use for getting the worst of hair/hay off the fleece before putting in the laundry. And for that I bought a petcare washing bag!

(you're 100% right, going C&C and going fleece is quite the investment.... but so far I think it's worth it to see my happy piggies popcorning about!)

Also just a personal opinion on 2x1 lofts versus 2x2, I decided to get a 2x1 loft for ease of cleaning. I think having to reach underneath a 2x2 would be a bit annoying, given twice daily poo-picks etc. If I had space for a 5x2 run (at the moment mine is a 4x2), I would probably install a 2x1 loft at each end rather than a 2x2 loft at one end.

Make sure you post photos once your set up is complete!

 

[Beans&Toast]

Totally agree with @AmyAnn about the 2x1 instead of 2x2 loft. It's an absolute nightmare trying to clean under there as it's quite far to try and bend your arm under...

Or what you could do is make the loft the length of the cage instead of the width. What I'm planning on doing when I get my loft back in (its out temporarily ) is making the loft area the length of my full cage.. so I've got a 6x3 cage and I'll do the loft area 6x1 so they've got the space in the loft but it's still only one grid deep..

 

[Danielle Smith]

I swapped from the Ferplast 120 cage to a 3x4 C&C and an offset 2x2 loft (so I can easily get under the loft to clean and catch the pigs; I recommend an offset loft if you have the space as it prevents the issues outlined by @AmyAnn ). My pigs are a lot happier and so am I, though I do acknowledge it can be a little more expensive at first... I started off using puppy pads with fleece blankets on top, but recently switched to cage liners (2 3x2 size, with 3 1x1 size for the areas that get most soiled... corners, under hideys, etc). They were quite expensive and have shrunk more than I'd like, but are definitely worth it. It's so quick and easy to clean and change the cage now (I do this every third day). They are quite easy to make yourself, so it might be worth looking in to that. I recommend two smaller liners as opposed to one big one, as it means you can change your cage layout a bit as well if you feel like it!

Re: hayloft, I'd stick with litter, as it's hopefully where they will do most of their poo-ing and wee-ing. I have fleece in my loft but use a huge potting tray filled with Back-2-Nature and hay and they seem to enjoy that. I've heard of other people using a microfibre-type material in the hayloft as hay apparently doesn't stick to that kind of material? A little litter might track down the ramp, but it'll be hardly any so don't let that deter you.

Initially I hand-picked poos, but it took quite a while. I bought a VAX Gator Pet on sale (£25) and again, it's been totally worth it. It's a lot faster and easier to clean up, though it does tend to suck up fleece blanket. I've had no issues with my liners though.

Here's my cage:

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks so much everyone.
This is really helpful.
I hadn't even thought about the difficulties of cleaning under a 2 x 2 loft, but looking at the dimensions I can see what a nightmare that would be (particularly as I can't kneel!). I could always send one of the kids under there I guess - the modern day equivalent to sending them up a chimney That off set loft is a fantastic idea, but I need to check if we will have space. I think I am just trying to ensure that they have the maximum possible amount of floor space, as they are so lively and wild.

I do sew, so I am hoping to keep cost down by sewing at least some of the liners and pads myself.

So thanks again for the input - I shall keep investigating.

 

[Swissgreys]

Totally agree with @AmyAnn about the 2x1 instead of 2x2 loft. It's an absolute nightmare trying to clean under there as it's quite far to try and bend your arm under...

Or what you could do is make the loft the length of the cage instead of the width. What I'm planning on doing when I get my loft back in (its out temporarily ) is making the loft area the length of my full cage.. so I've got a 6x3 cage and I'll do the loft area 6x1 so they've got the space in the loft but it's still only one grid deep..

Now that's an interesting idea
Mine are currently in a 2 level wooden hutch, and they spend a lot of time zooming up and down the stairs and chasing each other, so I am keen that they will still have space to do this if we switch to a C&C. I know it won't last forever (they are just babies right now) but it is such fun to watch them as they play (and flick bedding, hay and poops out across the floor of our living room ).