New To Fleece? Questions!

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Piggies4us

Piggies4us

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Hello everyone first post here!

We are about to adopt two piggies that will be living as indoor piggies! We aren't new to piggies but we are to fleece! We have only ever had outdoor piggies before now but these will be living in our living room!

I am ordering fleece liners and matching stuff from ziggys because I like the idea of no messy bedding in the house (and umm it looks so cute!).

Questions...
1) We have two dogs and i wash their fleece blankets weekly. Could I put the piggy washing in with that? I use a non bio and no softener.

2) I have ordered two fleece cage liners (each with matching tunnels, snugglybag thingies, houses etc). Is 2 enough to be starting with?

3) Should I use a separate little box/tray for a litter area?

4) do I need a little DustBuster type thing to help clean the fleece before washing?

Our cage will most likely be a ferplast 120 with an attached run and probably with 2 sows in (we are meeting a potential rescue pair on Monday!)

Thanks in advance
 
Hi and welcome.

I can't help with question 1, but will do my best with the other questions.
2) 2 fleece liners is enough. However you might want a few more "pee pads" for their dirtier areas. For example I have a pad under each of their houses, and another under their pellet bowls. Those 3 pads I change out every 2-3 days. The actual cage liners I only change once a week.
3) I always think a cat litter box works well. I put all their hay in that and as a result they do most of their poops and tons of wees in there. They poo the most in their houses and in the litter tray. The litter tray then needs to be cleaned out daily (or at the very least every second day).
4) I've never used a dustbuster on my liners. I tend to just shake them out well and then put them in the wash. I do know some other people like to vacuum theirs or brush the hair etc off. I think it's personal preference.
 
GPcrazy said:
Hi and welcome.

I can't help with question 1, but will do my best with the other questions.
2) 2 fleece liners is enough. However you might want a few more "pee pads" for their dirtier areas. For example I have a pad under each of their houses, and another under their pellet bowls. Those 3 pads I change out every 2-3 days. The actual cage liners I only change once a week.
3) I always think a cat litter box works well. I put all their hay in that and as a result they do most of their poops and tons of wees in there. They poo the most in their houses and in the litter tray. The litter tray then needs to be cleaned out daily (or at the very least every second day).
4) I've never used a dustbuster on my liners. I tend to just shake them out well and then put them in the wash. I do know some other people like to vacuum theirs or brush the hair etc off. I think it's personal preference.
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:agr:
 
I am hoping to get two guinea pigs soon and will be housing them in an insulated shed inside and indoor cage (plastic base, wire bars). I am going to be using vet bed.I like the idea of pads and tunnels and littler trays. Useful thread.
 
I'd love to use fleece but I don't think that my washing machine would agree!

I just had a cage clean and three quarters of a black bag of substrate I'm throwing out (not to mention urine soaked puppy pads!

Fleece would make changing the pads easier mid week.
 
I would recommend getting a pet bedding wash bad to save your washing machine. Mine is years old and is this one Petwear Wash Bag Large 58x75cm on Sale | Free UK Delivery I just sweep the liner with a dustpan and brush to remove the worst of the hay etc and then shake the liner in the garden before placing in the washbag and washing at 60°.

I also agree that the main liner only usually needs to be washed once a week but you will need piddle pads in the high use areas. I change those every 1-2 days, depending on how grotty they are. I bought some fleece and Zorb and made my own as it was cheaper than buying loads in.
 
I second the recommendation of a Petwear wash bag - I love mine.

We use fleece and have a large hay tray area (2 big plastic boxes from the DIY store) with homemade hay bags hanging above them.

IMG_4334.webp

We do a rough sweep of the fleece with a basic dustpan and brush once a day, and wash the main liner once a week.
I also have a lot of smaller pads which go in corners and underneath houses and food bowls, and these get changed every couple of days.
All guinea pig laundry goes in the Petwear wash bag and I do one load of dedicated pet washing a week.
 
I do not have a tumble drier, only a spin drier and two clothes horses. I have an outside line in the garden, but you know what the UK weather is like (especially in Wales!).

I have a 2x5 C&C cage coming next week (fingers crossed) and I'm also not sure where I could dry the fleeces...although they are becoming more and more attractive as a substrate.

Could I use fleeces and puppy pads or do the fleeces need a liner?
 
I never tumble dry my fleece liners (5 x 2 and 3 x2).
I always hang them over an airier and they dry pretty quickly, plus I like to think the brightly patterned fleece liners hanging the living room create an attractive feature for all who visit out home to admire :D

If you are using fleece liners, they usually already have an absorbent core material (toweling or zorb) so you don't need anything underneath.
Although I do use a waterproof mattress protector to help protect the correx a bit because I can't source correx in Switzerland.
 
Thanks all so much! I don't know why i have never thought of a laundry bag before! I am always battling dog hair on clothing/in the machine!

Love those DIY boxes too for the hay area!
 
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Yes i would also recommend the wash bags... i use mine for every wash and it keeps all the hairs inside the bag.. i love fleece....
 
Flamestriker said:
How long does the fleece last until it has to be replaced?
Click to expand...
It really depends on the size of the cage, the number of pigs in the cage, and the hay tray situation (the hay tray part is just my opinion though).
We offer 2 large hay trays (cleaned and topped up daily) which I find contain 90% of the pee and poop.
I change the main liner - 8 x 2 for 4 pigs - once a week.
 
We change the main liner once a week as most wees and poo are in the hay/litter trays also.
Also use a wash bag to stop washing machine clogging up.
 
Where do people get their fleece cage liners from? I remember a lovely site which sold fleece tunnels and lap mats, etc but cannot remember the name of it ...
 
I'm buying from ziggys piggies on Facebook and there is also a website too
 
flowerfairy said:
Where do people get their fleece cage liners from? I remember a lovely site which sold fleece tunnels and lap mats, etc but cannot remember the name of it ...
Click to expand...

I got my liners from C&E Cosies. They're Zorb-lined and dry so quickly once washed. I never tumble any of my piggy stuff - just drape it over things and it dries in next to no time.
 
Fleece is brilliant, I also use a mattress protector under mine. I always replace the hay in the trays twice a day as it gets to smelly. Regarding the dogs beds & Guinea pig bedding I would wash them separately otherwise you would transfer hair & bacteria from 1 to the other.
A dust buster would just suck up the fleece as well as the poop etc.
Put the fleece in a horse bag or pillowcase after brushing. You may need to brush the fleece or sweep afterwards when it's wet it as its bound to still have hay etc on it.
 
You can just use fleeces bought cheaply from IKEA, the Range, Primark etc and cut and/or fold them to size. I've never bought purpose made fleece liners. I've bought fleeces, cut them slightly larger than the cage size and sewn 2 layers together. Or I simply fold fleeces over. I use puppy pads underneath, I've never put a layer into my fleeces.
As for washing I use a horse wash bag (but used to use an old duvet cover). Wash at 60 with non bio (no fabric softener) and white vinegar in the rinse. I dry mine on an airer in the garage. They dry very quickly without a liner in the middle. I've been washing some of my fleeces for over 5 years. I chuck them out when I'm bored of them or when they have shrunk too much with washing!
I'd never go back to other substrates. I'm a total fleece convert.
 
You can just use fleeces bought cheaply from IKEA, the Range, Primark etc and cut and/or fold them to size. I've never bought purpose made fleece liners. I've bought fleeces, cut them slightly larger than the cage size and sewn 2 layers together. Or I simply fold fleeces over. I use puppy pads underneath, I've never put a layer into my fleeces.
As for washing I use a horse wash bag (but used to use an old duvet cover). Wash at 60 with non bio (no fabric softener) and white vinegar in the rinse. I dry mine on an airer in the garage. They dry very quickly without a liner in the middle. I've been washing some of my fleeces for over 5 years. I chuck them out when I'm bored of them or when they have shrunk too much with washing!
I'd never go back to other substrates. I'm a total fleece convert.
 
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