Cellulose Wadding as Bedding

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 11:34 am


I know there was a thread on this awhile back, but I've done several searches and can't find it.

Another member had asked about using this type of product as bedding:
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The description on ULine.com says:
- Five layered indented kraft [paper] won't tear or puncture.
- Embossed kraft paper is soft, non-abrasive and absorbent.
- Perforated every 15" for easy tearing.

Does anyone know of a reason why it couldn't be used underneath fleece as a disposable substitute to towels? I'm currently using cardboard and it does work well, but it's a little cumbersome and harder to dispose of.

This stuff is pricey, but our company has started using it as part of our new "green" initiative, and I'm thinking I could take some of the larger scrap pieces/discards home with me to use.

?

User avatar
Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:20 pm


Interesting!

I wonder if it would work in a hayloft that's dumped daily. Newspaper doesn't absorb enough, but this looks as if it might do the job.

I'm also wondering if it would work well for the bottom of a bird cage.

I can't find it on the website - do you have a link?

User avatar
Feylin

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:26 pm


I started using cardboard to build the hayloft inside the grids. It's filled with carefresh/aspen but the cardboard layer at the bottom really helps. I got the idea from Sef trying cardboard under her fleece. It dries out and doesn't have any urine smell to it.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:36 pm


I've been pleased with cardboard, overall. It dries and leaves less odor than towels, and with some practice, isn't all that hard to place or remove. It's just bulky. The boys will occasionally pull up a corner of fleece and chew on the cardboard, but not obsessively.

Mum -- here is the product I was looking at on ULine

And here is the same thing in a 10-ply.

Since they're both 1/4" thick, I don't see much advantage to the 10-ply over the 5-ply (plus costs more), and the sales rep I spoke with yesterday couldn't tell me, either.

I would think this stuff would make a great bird cage liner. We'll be getting a shipment of it on Friday...would you like for me to send you a sample, Mum?

WICharlie

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:41 pm


What you could do if you get a peice to try is dribble some water onto it and see if it soaks right in or just stands on top. If your company is purchasing it for use as cushioning (for mailing?) I wonder if there will really be a great deal of "leftovers."

I want to say that, because of your experimenting with cardboard, I too was using it for a time to cut down on wood shavings in the pigs' hay bins. It worked. It just became too time-consuming to keep cutting the cardboard into the right size.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:47 pm


Well, we use large amounts of packing material here for furniture samples that we send out to our dealers and our field reps. When they return it, the packing stuff is usually tossed out (although we've gotten better about re-using). I was thinking I might be able to salvage some of it.

I will be interested to see how absorbent it is.

HazelNut

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:49 pm


For the cardboard and this product, how often would you change it out?

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:49 pm


I change out the cardboard once a week.

HazelNut

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 12:52 pm


Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread with these questions. I'd just never heard or thought of using cardboard (or heard of this product). I'm switching to fleece when Windespirit is done with the cage blankets I ordered.

What kind of cardboard to you use? Where do you generally get it?

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 1:01 pm


I just use run-of-the mill corrugated cardboard boxes. We get tons of them here at work, and I go back to the loading dock where they're being discarded and pick some that look clean. Then I strip off any tape and chop them down to smaller-size pieces to line the bottom of my cages.

I was using two layers, but a single layer seems to hold up just as well.

User avatar
mmeadow
Supporter 2004-2022

Post   » Wed May 07, 2008 1:07 pm


I'm interested in hearing how this turns out. Fleece doesn't work for us, since we "spew" the hay throughout the cages. I'd like to have the option of doing an easier cleaning but more frequently.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Mon May 12, 2008 12:54 pm


Thought I'd do an update on this.

This is product is interesting. I have gotten together enough pieces to line the bottom of 3 of my 4 cages so far, and am already liking it better than either towels or cardboard. It seems to be holding up well (after 3 days), there isn't any odor, the fleece on top is staying dry (so far), and the boys haven't shown much interest in chewing it.

It's marketed as Kraft Cellulose Wadding, but it's pretty much just a textured, 5-ply Kraft paper. Comes in a 250' roll, with perforations every 15."

Single piece:
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The five layers are held together with "seams," which make it even easier to work with:
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Positives:
1) lightweight; easy to work with and can be easily sized to any size cage or configuration
2) absorbent (although, unlike cardboard, it doesn't dry right away -- more like towels)
3) keeps the fleece dry
4) easy to store
5) provides softer padding underneath fleece vs. cardboard

Negatives:
1) not readily available
2) if an individual were to buy the stuff, it would cost a small fortune due to shipping

I'm going to contact ULine and see if there is any way this product could be made available in smaller quantities for "individuals." Somebody has really missed the boat by not marketing this for other uses besides packing material. At the very least, I think it would work extremely well as a bird cage liner.

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