Another fleece convert-with questions!

Grisli · Post » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:35 am

I've only had my pigs for one and a half month now but I have a nice system that works for me and I can go for a week without it smelling.

At first I used two layers of towels and an extra layer where the hideys are, then fleece on top. I would have to change the extra layer of towel under the hideys daily or it would start to smell. Then after a few days the fleece it self would start to stink from pee. There were stains from the veggies and crumbles from the pellets. I could go for max 4 days before I would have to change the whole cage. Also the hay from the kitchen/haybox would go everywhere. I would sweep the poo and try to get some of the hay everyday, but it took some time and the fleece would always get caught in the brush.

Now I use one layer of towel and one layer of fleece (my girls only pee under their hideys and in the haybox so I saw no use for a double layer of towel in the whole cage) I used to fold the fleece under the towel like WEAVER but now I just fold the fleece so it fits the cage, I find it easier. I cut down fleece pieces that fit under the hideys and old towels. I don't have a sewing machine so I can't make a pad, but what I do is fold the towel pieces in several layers (depends how thick the towel is) and then fold the fleece over it and place it under the hidey. I change those daily. That way the fleece and towel under the hideys are dry and pee free => less stink. I put a small hand towel under the haybox that catches most of the hay so it's not strewn across the cage. I put their veggies there so less mess on the fleece. I also put a small fleece piece under the pellet bowls to catch the crumbles, I shake that and the hay towel daily. I gave up on the brush and bought a cheap dustbuster, it's not powerful so it doesn't suck up the fleece but manages to suck up all the poo and stray hay.

So my daily routine when I come home from work:
Change hay in haybox and pee soaked carefresh. Shake the hay of the towel. Take the pee soaked pads from under the hideys. Shake the poo of into the cage. Vacuum cage and cozy beds, smell cozy beds, if they smell like pee change them. Put new towels/fleece pads under hideys. Give fresh pellets, hay and water. This takes me 15 min, but I'm not in a hurry and this is a bit of quality time with my girls. They like to investigate what I'm doing.

My next step is to make a second floor 2x1 and put the kitchen area there. That way, hopefully I won't have any hay on the fleece. Hopefully...

I think the trick to having a stinkless fleece cage is to remove the pee soaked towels. Find a way to do that easily. Personally I think that fleece bedding is more hygienically sound than loose bedding. With fleece you remove the poop and pee daily but with loose bedding the poo just gets hidden away and even if it doesn't smell it's still there.

OK I'm done :)

Tarpan · Post » Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:07 am

For those of you in the market for fleece, my local Hancock Fabrics has had plain fleece on sale for $2.99 a yard for a while now. Since Walmart has stopped selling the cheap throw blankets that I was using, this is a very reasonably priced alternative.

amysanimals · Post » Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:51 am

Bethie, where were you able to find yours? I found some that is in the US and for 2 sheets of Vetbed, so I can alternate between changings, the people quoted me $100, including shipping. Does that sound like a fair estimate? I thought it sounded pretty good, especially for two 2x7 sheets. Unfortunately, they only had it in grey, but I can always spruce that up with some snazzy cozies and other things.

Bethie · Post » Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:42 am

I got mine from ProFleece in the UK. I think I paid about $100 for 2 sheets as well. I'm not sure of the size, but it was their xl dog bed and was enough for a 2 x 5, a ramp, and a bit left over. They had loads of colours.

tia2370 · Post » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:48 am

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one on fleece. What size do I need the fleece to be (pre-washed) to fit a 2x3 cage? Last time I didn't account for shrinking and I have to use binder clips to get it to stretch far enough. It really is a pain and I'd like to get new fleece that I can tuck instead of pin. Thanks in advance!

rshevin · Post » Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:58 pm

That depends on how you want to fleece to fit. Do you want it to cover all the way up the sides of the coro on all 4 ends?

tia2370 · Post » Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:35 am

I actually don't use Coro. I have it lined with plastic and have that placed so Ginny cannot access it. I want the fleece to wrap slightly around the towels so I don't need to stretch it and pin it. The whole process is becoming a bit of a pain considering I have a hard time reaching the back of the cage to pin it there.

beefstu2000 · Post » Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:25 am

I am new to the whole fleece thing, but so far, it has been an easy transition.

I have 2 pigs that live in a 10.5 sq ft C&C cage. The first thing I did was go to Jo-ann's fabrics, and bought enough fleece to cover the bottom four times back and forth. I then cut it in half, so that I had two double layered fleece liners. I then went to Walmart and bought 8 inexpensive bath towels ($2.50 each or so).

Since the towels are a bit smaller than the cage, I have to stack them offset from each other so that I can cover all four corners of the cage. I use four towels, then on top of that I put the double layer fleece. On one end of the cage I have their two hidey homes. On the other side, I have two food bowls. The food bowls are the kind with a 2-3 inch arm that clamps onto the bars. I drilled two holes in the cloroplast, one for each bowl. I then threaded the screw thru the whole, so that the arm is in the inside of the cage, and just high enough to tuck the blankets and fleece underneath. Finally, I twist the arm so that the food bowls are tilted enough for my boys to be able to reach the food. I have found that by doing this, not only do I have a way to keep the fleece down, but I also prevent them from spilling or spoiling their dry food (they don't sit in the bowl).

I clean up the poops every day to every other day. I wash everything and rotate with my other set once a week. This whole set up cost less than one large bag of carefresh. That makes me happy. And I have never seen my boys happier than to have a nice clean warm fleece under them.

Maybe I'm doing it right, maybe I'm not, but its worked well so far.

And be warned... Hay can clog up a vaccuum hose... If you plan on using a vaccuum, make sure you pick up the large pieces of hay first, or you may find yourself taking apart your vaccuum to pull hay out of the hose... Trust me, its a pain in the you know what...

New Guinea Mom · Post » Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:53 am

Beefstu2000, it sounds like you've done a fantastic job. Now, lets see some photos! :o)

tia2370 · Post » Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:40 pm

Any suggestions for unshrunken fleece size for a 2x3 cage with enough fleece to tuck it under the towels once it shrinks?

piggiesndoggies · Post » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:13 am

What kind of hand held vac do you all use to pick up poop? I tried using our oreck canister vac and it sucks the fleece up. Does a dustbuster type vac work well? I need enough suction to pick up poop but not the entire bed!

Suisan · Post » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:28 am

I've never been able to get the vacuum to work just right. Either I'm sucking up the fleece or I'm not getting any hay bits vacuumed off the bedding.

I use a plastic ladle to pick up poops in the far back corner of the cage, and I love my rubber brush to get hay and hair off the fleece. This Little Piggie Marketplace sells a set of rubber brushes that I use every day.