question regarding use of fleece

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sandra turpin

sandra turpin

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Hi there

I am a new guinea pig owner and my question is, if I start using fleece to line the cage do I also use hay? Also how often should the fleece be washed?

Sandra x
 
You would still want to give hay as its an important part of the guinea pigs diet, but you could just keep it in a tray, rather than in the bed or on the floor of the cage. I think most people wash the fleece about once a week. I suppose it depends on how dirty it gets.
I've only just started using fleece as well though, so I don't really know.
 
You don't need to use hay on top of the fleece as it's fine on it's own, but it's important for the piggies to have unlimited hay both to eat, play, burrow and, according to my lot, poop in!

Hay can be a pain to get off the fleece so my cages have a hay rack above a large litter pan full of megazorb and yet more hay so that they can eat, play and poop to their hearts desire in a contained area, without causing me a nightmare on wash day! I wash my Fleece 2 - 3 times a week.
 
Ive been using fleece since February and as ive got a c&c cage with a hay loft, i keep my hay up in the hayloft for the boys so it doesn't get on the fleece, but i do have 2 hay racks downstairs and some little bits get on the fleece but i sweep the fleece twice a day so its easy to get rid of.

If you dont have a c&c cage then i would use cat littler trays for the hay and place hay racks on the cage too, that way the pigs will eat the hay from the racks and the trays and may even pee/poop in the trays too.

I wash my fleece when needed as sometimes it can last a week, as the boys mainly wee/poop in the hayloft. I also use inco pads under the fleece as they absorb the urine very well and these i change weekly, just pop them in the wash and let them dry for 24 hours.

:)
 
Thanks for your replies. I have the ferplast 100 cage. It measures 36" by 22". I do have a hay rack so will make sure I keep that full. I have just ordered two 36" x 24" pro fleece from www.thedoginn.com. £14.39 each with free postage. Will give it a go and see how I get on.Incontinence pads is a good idea for underneath.

Sandra
 
sandra turpin said:
Thanks for your replies. I have the ferplast 100 cage. It measures 36" by 22". I do have a hay rack so will make sure I keep that full. I have just ordered two 36" x 24" pro fleece from www.thedoginn.com. £14.39 each with free postage. Will give it a go and see how I get on.Incontinence pads is a good idea for underneath.

Sandra
Click to expand...

Those fleeces look very high quality, like a cross between regular fleece and what people call "Vetbed". I've not seen any like that before but they look good!

I think when people refer to "fleece" bedding for piggies, they usually mean much thinner fleece, without a backing, like fleece throws/blankets etc. What you have there looks great but I would treat it like Vetbed, especially when it comes to washing it, and it'll probably last you a very long time :)

It's really important to put an absorbent material underneath fleece/vetbed. Inco pads definitely seem best but are expensive to buy. Others usually tend to use towels, either just towels alone or towels with newspaper. The fleecey top layer should stay dry for quite a few days as the moisture wicks down through the fabric and is absorbed by the towels/inco pads.

Another important thing is to never use fabric conditioner when you wash fleece/vetbed or the moisture won't wick away well.

Good luck!
 
Hi,

I use fleece with two towels underneath, and wash them about once every two to three days.

I use a litter tray also filled with woodshavings but I am going to use carefresh or megazorb in there soon.

I put their eating hay in a hay rack and a hanging ball:))
 
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