What are your thoughts on Fleece?

[Irene]

Ok, I was thinking about using fleece as bedding, but I need to know if it will be too hard or expensive. Also I would like to know how many times a day it needs to be spot-cleaned, etc etc. Please vote and then post your thoughts on it ;D

 

[MemberX]

Hiya,

I use fleece and change every other day or daily if it is wet (I am only using blankets) but find it brilliant. I spot clean in the morning and the evening although my pigs are being careful where they poop now I think they are toilet trained!

 

[Lez]

personally its not for me. as I'm at uni i dont have time to change it 3 times a day, and i find as my boys are messy it gets smelly very quickly. and it makes a mess of the washer

thats just me though, some people love it

 

[Sophie1307]

I will be using this soon.
I will also be hand washing, not allowed to put it in the machine :

 

[Andrea]

I personally wouldn't use it as it doesn't draw urine away. Vet bed or pro fleece is what you should use. It's more expensive but you get what you pay for, fleece will need to be replaced more often.

I don't use Vet bed for the entire cage, just under hides and bopxes to give them somewhere soft and warm to sleep.

 

[MemberX]

That's true Andrea and for that reason it can be a pain which is why I'm changing daily at the mo. I'm getting Vet bed after Christmas.

A tip for anyone using fleece I put my used fleece in an old duvet cover and button it up then wash them in the machine, no mess in the machine then!

 

[Irene]

I personally wouldn't use it as it doesn't draw urine away. Vet bed or pro fleece is what you should use. It's more expensive but you get what you pay for, fleece will need to be replaced more often.

I don't use Vet bed for the entire cage, just under hides and bopxes to give them somewhere soft and warm to sleep.

Thats the thing, I'm not sure they sell it in Australia. Andrea, what do you use for the rest of the cage? Right now I'm looking for a good alternative to hay as bedding. I mean they will still have a lot of it to eat but just not as bedding.

 

[Sophie1307]

My mum thinks all the ''wee germs'' will get left in the machine, then we wash our clothes in there, so we will have germs on our clothes?
I'm allowed to use the sink though : :

 

[Damonshumanslave]

I really like vetbed, but Peggy has a wee wee problem, and she soaks it within a couple of hours. Its perfect for my other pigs though.

 

[MemberX]

I changed my pigguns before and the wee was everywhere...lol But still hardly any smell with changing every day. I've upped the veg and feeding smaller portions of each veg but with more variety and that has made them pee for England!

 

[daftscotslass]

I personally wouldn't use it as it doesn't draw urine away. Vet bed or pro fleece is what you should use. It's more expensive but you get what you pay for, fleece will need to be replaced more often.

I don't use Vet bed for the entire cage, just under hides and bopxes to give them somewhere soft and warm to sleep.

The reason people use fleece is because it DOES wick urine away. Occasionally it needs to be washed a couple of times first. Fabric softener also acts as a barrier and stops urine from soaking through. Vet bed is a nightmare to keep hay off, good as it is. I've had fleece blankets I've used for over two years (Ikea cheapies) and they've been (and still are) fine.

The only time my fleece is messy is when I've not cleaned it yet! I've never found it smelly.

 

[MemberX]

I've never found my blankets (from Bargain Madness) smelly either DSL. Granted there is a slight smell when cleaning but there isn't a smell in my house. I do think though if you are looking to not clean every day or every other day then fleece isn't for you. It's something that has to be cleaned regulary. As mad as I am I enjoy cleaning them all out, it helps us to bond as I leave the boys in the indoor hutch as I clean them and we have a good old chin wag!

For those wanting to try it I'd say give it a go, blankets are cheap from Ikea, B&M etc thats the only way to see if it will work for you. Megazorb has been bigged up here loads but I found it wasn't for me even though it's great stuff but we are all different and I guess it boils down to how often you can clean the pigs out per week.

 

[Sophie1307]

DSL and S&T, thanks! I'm going to go and get some fleece soon, i'm fed up with the mess and I think i'm allergic to shavings. xx0

 

[MemberX]

Same here Sophie and my Pudsey is too he has such a sensitive nose! One extra good point with fleece is that it is not dusty. I don't care what anyone says dust extracted shavings, hay, carefresh and megazorb still contain some dust and to me some is not good enough it's got to be completely dust free. I know I'm such a fussy mare especially when it comes to the pigs but I feel eliminating dust as much as I can will help them in the long run.

 

[Lez]

I do think though if you are looking to not clean every day or every other day then fleece isn't for you. It's something that has to be cleaned regulary.

thats why i dont get along with it, i dont have the time to faff around cleaning it every day, plus we dont have a tumble dryer so we have to wait for it to dry on the radiator. so it gets really really smelly, especially with my messy boys if i use it.

megazorb is my bedding of choice but because it lasts so long and is so absorbant

 

[maisynpoppy]

i clean my fleece every 2 days and have 3 girls in a 5grid x 3grid c&c. i think its quite easy to keep clean because i put extra newspaper under the hay rack and shoe boxes (newspaper is on top of fleece in these areas). my girls do their mess in these areas so i just replace the newspaper twice daily

 

[daftscotslass]

I like megazorb too (use it in a 3rd of my cage) but it would be way too expensive for me to fill the whole cage with it (it would take a third of a sack each time).

The problem faced with fleece is that you can see the mess on top of it. Anything else, I feel, just disguises it. It actually motivates me more to clean it!

 

[Lez]

as as i only have 2 pigs, and only one 5x2 cage, ive worked out how to make the megazorb last the longest. i only use a really really thin layer. its that absorbant i dont find i need much more. i just clean the worst areas more often

 

[MemberX]

That was my mistake I caked everywhere in Megazorb during my first go. S&T where swimming in it!

 

[Lez]

That was my mistake I caked everywhere in Megazorb during my first go. S&T where swimming in it!

;D ;D i did that the first time, and realised i really didnt need that much ;D

 

[Sophie1307]

I do think though if you are looking to not clean every day or every other day then fleece isn't for you. It's something that has to be cleaned regulary.

thats why i dont get along with it, i dont have the time to faff around cleaning it every day, plus we dont have a tumble dryer so we have to wait for it to dry on the radiator. so it gets really really smelly, especially with my messy boys if i use it.

megazorb is my bedding of choice but because it lasts so long and is so absorbant

I hairdry my ''Mini'' Fleece which is in the wigwam.
Well first it goes in the airing cupboard, then I hairdry it quickly...