Inco pads questions

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skrikopanik

skrikopanik

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I was thinking about Zorb, yes, but the price of delivery and customs was just getting too high, so now I've turned my gaze towards inco pads instead...

I'm building a cage myself so I'm making it a size that matches the pads. I've found a seller that has pads that are 95x95 cm, so it would be enough for a cage with a 95x190 interior, which is smaller still than what they have today but I think will work. I will also consider some kind of second level...

Questions:

Is one layer inco pad enough?
Do they shrink?
Do you think they would last a week in a cage that size with three piggies?
 
From my knowledge of reading...

I hope so.
No
I hope so, I get mine on Thursday they are the size of a single bed.
 
Hey!

One layer of washable inco pads is plenty. They are designed for people so hold oodles more wee than a guinea pig could ever dream of doing. I had a water bottle leak overnight :red last week and they dealt with that well as well

I have found them to be totally whiff free - it is the fleece that starts to whiff not the pads. They stay very dry - have yet to find a damp patch on them.

Mine last a week with 4 girls, in a cage 280 x 70cm and would certainly last longer

I haven't found them to shrink, and I tumble dry them!

Hope that helps! Go for it, I don't think you will regret it. It is the best move I have made, and only wish I had known about them years ago
 
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have you found pads that are 2x1 m then? I didn't find any that long... I guess two pieces are still gonna be a lot easier than the load of towels I spread out each time now!
 
I've not used inco pads for pigs yet but I used to work in a care home. One layer is fine as they'll hold between 2-3 litres of liquid each depending on the make. They shouldn't shrink although you may find the fabric feels tighter over time.
Other people have said they'll last a week for pigs but I guess it depends if you notice a smell, they should last that long in terms of containing the quantity of fluids a pig passes. Obviously I never left a person on one for that long!
 
Excellent, Redfrock! That certainly helped!

I like the no shrinking... then I will be able to make the interior measurements the same size as the pads and not lose a single cm of space :)! I was thinking about sewing fleece to the pads, but will probably refrain from that because it gives me the option of changing just the fleece.
 
skrikopanik said:
have you found pads that are 2x1 m then? I didn't find any that long... I guess two pieces are still gonna be a lot easier than the load of towels I spread out each time now!
Click to expand...

I actually have two cages connected by a piece of pipe. Initially I bought the ones that were 75 x 90 and use 2 in each cage. There is an overlap but only because I don't know if you can cut them and I am useless at sowing! Now that I have 2 lots of cages set up like this, I bought some more which are 85 x 135, and they are about 1cm too short (if that) for the internal dimensions of the cage. I simply put the hay tray over that end!

I didn't want the grief of towels, and they sounded like they got heavy and smelly. These remain light and I can wash a good few together in the washing machine. They water spins out of them easily as well.

PS can you tell I am off work today - I'm spending far to much time on this forum LOL!
 
skrikopanik said:
Thanks, I found that one but I thought 95x155 was too small for the cage I want and double the size 190x310 would be WAAAAY too big ! :))

Though I guess with a hayloft like yours that size would be perfect for the bottom. I so wish we could get cubes and coroplast here... Sigh.
Click to expand...

Mine is literally going to be 8cm short on one side, but I am attaching fleece to it... and will be using just wadding and fleece to cover the 8cm thankfully the pigs don't pee on that side :).
 
redfrock said:
I actually have two cages connected by a piece of pipe. Initially I bought the ones that were 75 x 90 and use 2 in each cage. There is an overlap but only because I don't know if you can cut them and I am useless at sowing! Now that I have 2 lots of cages set up like this, I bought some more which are 85 x 135, and they are about 1cm too short (if that) for the internal dimensions of the cage. I simply put the hay tray over that end!

I didn't want the grief of towels, and they sounded like they got heavy and smelly. These remain light and I can wash a good few together in the washing machine. They water spins out of them easily as well.

PS can you tell I am off work today - I'm spending far to much time on this forum LOL!
Click to expand...

Right, you're the one with the tube connected cages! I use towels now and don't find them smelly at all, just bulky and heavy... The light and quick drying sounds like music to my ears!

PS Can you tell I'm at work today? :))
 
skrikopanik said:
I was thinking about sewing fleece to the pads, but will probably refrain from that because it gives me the option of changing just the fleece.
Click to expand...

Apart from the obvious problem that I can't sew, I didn't do this because of that exact reason. Also the inco pads have a huge lifespan - it works out to be years - and I would imaginge the fleece will need renewing far more frequently. Also I have my fleece up the sides of the cage mainly to catch any poos from straying underneath the inco pads

I bought these

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Absorbent-Bed-135cms-Wings/dp/B001LEEOCO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1268735834&sr=8-3"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Absorbent-Bed-135cms-Wings/dp/B001LEEOCO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1268735834&sr=8-3[/ame]

and these

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Absorbent-Bed-90cms-Wings/dp/B000MES1W8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1268736368&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Absorbent-Bed-90cms-Wings/dp/B000MES1W8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1268736368&sr=8-1[/ame]

Apparently they are the same seller, just two different trading names :{. I know these links are no use to you (shame!) but maybe to other more local forum members LOL!
 
I can buy form Amzon UK (One of the perks of EC!). Unfortunalely the shipping was really expensive, but one seller has slightly marked seconds she is willing to sell me for the UK price, which is nice.

I've found inco pads in Sweden but they seem to be really expensive here!

Now I just wish the seller would eneble international delivery so I can order!
 
thats what I thought - that the shipping would be rather expensive! Its years since I have been to Sweden, otherwise I would have packed a suitcase full of them for you LOL!
 
I never considered using these, i'm quite excited now! Just hope nobody notices what I'm ordering!
 
Like redfrock, I got mine from amazon and they are 75cmx90cm. I use two per cage and have two as a spare set (all then x2 for both my cages! So 8 in total). I have to overlap them and fold them a bit to make them fit, but then the fleece is tucked under them, so they are all nice and neat (much neater, more square corners than with towels.

They are brilliant. They don't smell. The do cost quite a lot. BUT! My piggies pulled the fleece off of the towels and nibbled the towels - they have yet to do this with the pads. I had to change a few times a week with towels, only once a week with the pads. I had to tumble dry the towels, I don't with the pads (although this is because I have a spare set so have time to let them dry, I could have just bought 1 set per cage and tumble dried them whilst the piggies were in their run which would have saved me money upfront, but cost me in electric). They last for approx. 200 washes (almost 4 years at once a week!) I would feel the need to get new towels much more often than that. And towels can be expensive if you have a big cage to fill!

I would recommend them to anyone with piggies, if you don't mind the initial cost.

Hope you can find some! The P&P from Coastal Linen (via Amazon) was just £5 regardless of the number ordered, perhaps you could email them for a quote for P&P to Sweden? [email protected]

With regards to cutting, I'm reluctant to cut mine. I think if you sewed them well, it should be ok. I'm just a bit worried that I'll ruin the 'seal' so I've just folded mine over.
 
I'm so glad I found this thread!

I kept hearing about about inco pads. Thankfully I'm not old enough to know any different and thought they were just like big disposable nappies, like giant puppy pads! Now that I know I can wash them, I'll simply have to get some! Now I can see what all the fuss is about!

Thanks :)
 
missy said:
I'm so glad I found this thread!

I kept hearing about about inco pads. Thankfully I'm not old enough to know any different and thought they were just like big disposable nappies, like giant puppy pads! Now that I know I can wash them, I'll simply have to get some! Now I can see what all the fuss is about!

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Hehe :)) You can get disposable ones in multi packs, like giant puppy pads as you say, but yes, washable ones are brilliant! :(|)
 
I've just ordered four more of the 75x90 ones from Amazon. I actually plan on cutting one of them into four to make four little individual pads to go under their hidey house (it's cheaper to do this than to order the smaller seat pads). Beryl drinks and wees A LOT in one area so this pad would probably need to be changed daily I'll let you all know how well they work after cutting and hemming in a week or two.
 
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