Fleece Bedding Breakdown.

This post, as the title suggests, is a breakdown of the ins and outs of fleece bedding. As a newbie I found the GPC Forum post to be wordy, long and a little confusing. So I have taken the main post, plus the more helpful of the replies, and boiled them down to this user-friendly post.

What is it?

Polar fleece is a 100% polyester fabric, made from recycled plastic bottles. It's super-soft, doesn't rip easily or fray, and once it has been "broken in" [by tossing it in the washing machine a couple of times] it wicks any liquid from the surface, which makes it ideal for small animals such as guinea pigs, ferrets and rats, who have bare feet and carry their bodies so low to the ground and thus are particularly vulnerable to urinary tract infections.

Where can I find it?

You can find polar fleece at Big Box-Marts, thrift stores [fleece throw blankets], fabric and crafting supply stores such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Hancock Fabrics. Fabric supply stores and some Wal-Marts have many colors and patterns of polar fleece available for purchase by-the-year. All you need to do is let them know how much you need. Most bolts of polar fleece are 60" wide, so for, say, a 2x4 cage [28"x56"] you'd only need 1 yard [36"x60"]. Most places that offer by-the-yard cuts will also have fleece throws available, which come already cut and hemmed; I find these usually work perfectly for a 2x3 or 2x3.5-sized C&C cage, or a similarly sized cage. If possible, you should get anti-pill polar fleece, as it will last longer than just regular polar fleece. It's also best to get two sets of fleece and whatever you'll be using underneath it [towels, etc], for an easy cage cleaning.

How much is this going to cost?

That question is best answered here.

How do I get the fleece ready for pigs?

Make sure you have a good absorbent material to go underneath the fleece. Mattress pads, towels, puppy training pads and newspaper are all common choices. Fleece itself is not absorbent, it simply wicks liquid away from the surface. It needs somewhere to wick the liquid to. If you use fleece and fleece alone you'll be sorely disappointed.

Also make sure that you send your fleece through at least 2 wash cycles; 3 if you have a front-loading washer. In my experience, you do not need to use detergent, and you don't necessarily need to tumble-dry it between washings.

How do I set it up in my cage?

The best way to set up your cage so that your fleece doesn't become a mess is to set up a kitchen area and use a hay rack. Your pigs will do most of their "business" in this area, as an added perk.

As far as putting down the fleece, first layer your towels 3-4 layers thick, or use 2-3 layers of mattress pads. Place your fleece over the top of the towels/pads, and tuck the fleece under the towels [you'll want to leave about 4"-6" on either side of your fleece blanket]. If you find that your pigs are burrowing under the fleece you can use bricks or binder clips to secure the perimeter fleece.

This all sounds like a lot of work.

It doesn't have to be. Cute and stylish cage liners are available online in a number of places.

I make customized cage liner pads, available here. And so do a few other folks, here, here, and here.

How do I clean/care for it?

For regular upkeep you'll want to sweep or vacuum your fleece. Every 4-7 days you'll need to thoroughly sweep/vacuum/shake out the fleece and throw the fleece and towels in the washing machine. Never use fabric softener. Line or tumble dry. I prefer line drying, as the fleece always seems to smell fresher. How often you'll need to wash your fleece depends on your cage size, number of pigs, their age, and etc. For more cleaning tips, go here.

Did I miss anything? Please comment with questions/concerns/praise.

Tiny Tips no. 2: fleece care.

I am in love with fleece bedding. I have already said this, probably multiple times. It makes so many aspects of my life so much easier. But occasionally, there are bumps in the road. In this Tiny Tips post we will address some of the problems that people encounter with fleece bedding, and how to fix them.

1.] Hay sticks to it.

This is easily solved with a small hand rake, a cat litter scoop, or if you lack that kind of hardware, slipping on a latex glove and

picking it up with those wonderful things called your hands.

2.] Poop.

Hands do not work so well here. There are better tools for the job. Many people use a small handbroom and mini dustpan. If your cage is on the floor, upgrade to a regular broom and dustpan. Occasionally I throw my mini broom into the wash for a thorough cleaning, because I'm like that.

I know a gal who swears by using a soup ladle to scoop poop, and if you've got one of those little hand-held vacuums hanging around, I haven't ever tried one but I hear they work great.

When to be on poop patrol is mostly up to you. I sweep about every other day. If you have a vastly expansive cage, you may not need to sweep at all; just shake out the fleece before you do your regular washing.

3.] Laundering: fur

Cleaning the filter in your washing machine regularly can keep fur from building up in there. An alternative to this is to run a rinse cycle after washing with only water and non-chlorine bleach or vinegar, OR you can thoroughly shake out your fleece and place it in a washing bag, or a duvet cover, to keep the fur contained.

4.] Stank/cleanliness

After a few months of using fleece I started noticing a stinkyness that wouldn't go away even after a washing and line-drying. This can be tackled a few ways.

a.) When laundering your fleece and towels, run them through a rinse cycle first, THEN a full wash cycle. This gets most of the nastiness out so that you're not just shampooing and up-covering the stink of urine-soaked towels.

b.) Add a cup of baking soda or vinegar to the wash cycle, along with the detergent. Be sure also not to use too much detergent as it can build up in the fabric and irritate your pigs' skin.

c.) Sprinkle baking soda onto the bottom layer of towels when you are changing your pigs' linens. Though many people hate to admit it, animals [and people] SMELL. It's a fact of nature. By adding baking soda to your pig's towels/litterbox, you can absorb most of this unpleasantness.

d.) Line-dry your fleece and towels. Sun exposure will kill any yucky/stinky stuff in your towels and fleece and all that fresh air, sunshine and unicorn saliva will leave them smelling fresh and clean.

5.] Laundering: poop

Let's admit it, we're not perfect. Sometimes the odd poop-capsule gets into the washing machine, despite our best efforts. But luckily, cavy poop floats [count it, David Letterman]. I just let my washing machine fill up, agitate for half a minute or so, and

capture the unsuspecting victim(s) with a yogurt cup. I'm not sure if this is a problem other people have, but if so, there's my solution.

Have you ever hit a snag when it comes to fleece bedding? Got a tiny tip to share? Need a solution to your problem? Please post in the comments--with or without a Blogger ID. :)

Cutting Back, Episode 4: Bedding

After more procrastination than I care to think about, I present to you the fourth installment of Cutting Back. This post is mostly about the joy and wonders of fleece bedding, but I also have some tips for those of you who prefer not to handle poop on a daily basis.

Fleece Bedding

I'm not sure who ever discovered that Polar Fleece is perfect for guinea pig bedding, but I want to publicly congratulate him or her. Many of us--be we environmentalists, penny pinchers or just avid pigpen-interior decorators--are eternally grateful. Fleece bedding reduces our impact on the environment because it is made from recycled plastic bottles and we get years of use out of it--keeping tons of single-use disposable bedding off of transport trucks and out of landfills. It is an initial investment [depending on your cage size it could be anywhere from $20 and up] but it will pay for itself within a month or two.

Acquiring polar fleece

You can get polar fleece from a number of places.

Most people get it new from a fabric supply store, They usually have it for $8-$13 per yard [36"x60"]. For this post we will assume the fleece was $11 per yard. Once you've gotten a sifficient amount of polar fleece, it is important to wash it 3-4 times on a "heavy duty" cycle in your washing machine with detergent, but NO fabric softener. Most fabric softeners hinder the fleece's ability to wick moisture from the surface. And they are usually unnecessary. You do not need to hem your fleece, it will not fray.

I prefer to get mine from thrift stores. A normally-sized fleece throw will fit a 2x3 or a 2x3.5 C&C cage quite nicely. My boys Milo and Winston share a 2x3 currently, and this is what I use for them. Fleece throws at my local Salvation Army usually cost $2.49. They also have the added advantage of already being somewhat worn-out, which is important if you want the fleece to wick away your pigs' urine and keep them nice and dry. This way you only have to wash them once as opposed to 3-4 times.

A very important note about acquiring fleece secondhand: PLEASE be sure to wash ANY fleece, towels, or other fabric products you get from a thrift shop before giving it to your cavies. My entire herd is recovering from a lice infestation because I recently put them on wool blankets that had lice living in them unknowingly, without carefully washing and line-drying them as I usually do beforehand.

Just as you would quarantine a new guinea pig before putting it with your existing herd, Quarantine anything you get secondhand before exposing it to your cavies. I usually wash all my pigs' bedding with Arm&Hammer powder detergent, a squick of non-chlorine bleach and very very hot water. I then tumble dry them and hang them on the clothesline to bleach in the sun. Skipping this important process just once landed my poor cavies in a world of yuck and I do not wish the same on your dear beloved pets.

What goes underneath?

In order for this method to work, you absolutely must have something underneath the fleece. Otherwise, the results will be just as disgusting for you to clean as it is for your guinea pigs to live in.

Many people, myself included, prefer to put towels underneath the fleece. I acquire my towels from a thrift store as well, using the same sterilizing method as described above. I usually put 3

layers of towel under the fleece; a normally-sized towel folded in thirds fits almost perfectly in a 1x2 grid space which makes it easy to calculate how many you need. Towels at my local thrift store usually go for $1.99 apiece.

The average price I found for a new towel [I compared Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Wal*Mart, K-Mart and Big Lots] was about $3.50 per towel.

You can also use Mattress Pads, at around $6.00 per pad. I wouldn't use less than two layers. One Mattress Pad fits perfectly into a 2x4 C&C cage.

If you so choose, you can use Newsprint under your fleece. Though it is not ideal, if you are a subscriber or if you get it free from your workplace, it is the cheapest option. For this post we will consider it $free.

Some people use Puppy Training Pads, but not only do these create unnecessary waste that will never disappear, but if your cavy ingests a significant amount of this soft plastic material, it can cause intestinal blockage and in severe cases, death. I don't recommend using Puppy Pads under your fleece because of this and also, they are not very absorbent.

Expense analysis:

For this post we will assume you have a 2x4 C&C cage, since this is the most common size. I would be happy to fudge with the number if you'd like to know what the cost would be for your particular cage, please just comment below. We are also assuming that you have two sets of fleece and towels in this post.

+Fleece and towels acquired used: $21.00

+Fleece and towels acquired new: $50.00

+Fleece [new] and newsprint: $22.00

+Fleece [new] and mattress pads: $45.00

Compared to the old way(s)...

Again, assuming you have a 2x4 C&C and change the bedding weekly.

+Yesterday's News: $315.00 per year

+Equine Pine: $126.00 per year

+Woodstove Pellets: $84.00 per year

+Aspen Shavings: $273.00 per year

+Carefresh: $613.00 per year

Kitchen Areas

Kitchen Areas are a wonderful addition to the fleece-bedded cage. For those of you who don't use a hay rack, they're a great place for your pigs to play in the hay without making a big mess all over your fleece. They're called Kitchen Areas because that's

where all the food is! The hay, pellets, and salads are served there.. why? Because guinea pigs are furry poop tubes. When something goes in one end, something is pushed out the back end. Rabbits are the same way, but they can jump higher than cavies can.

My kitchen area for my girls' main cage--a 2x9 C&C--is 28"x21", or 2x1.5 grids. It is simply a box I made from leftover coroplast. When I want to clean it I remove the entire thing, dump its contents in my compost heap or garden or around the lilac bush, scrub it down with vinegar and water and fill it with disposable bedding.

Many people use their old pet store cages or lofts as kitchen areas, which work quite well. Beware that if you use either of these options, it is not considered part of the overall square footage of the cage, which is why when it comes to cavy cages, bigger is always better.

Here is a short assessment of disposable beddings that can be used alone or in combination with one another for the kitchen area or the entire cage..

Disposable Beddings

+ Mulch hay: $Free-$2/bale

Mulch hay makes an especially great top layer for your cage or kitchen. It is simply old, leftover hay that is completely brown and has no nutritional content. If your pigs eat it, it will not harm them. Make absolutely sure that the mulch hay you are getting is not at all moldy. If you find a moldy part of your hay bale, remove it and much of the hay surrounding it and do no give it to your guinea pigs.

You can go about finding mulch hay the same way you would go about finding hay by the bale.

+ Pelleted Beddings: $4-20/40lb. bag

Pelleted beddings make a great bottom layer for your cage or kitchen. They are not as hard on a guinea pig's foot as they appear. Pelleted beddings are very absorbent and expand when they come into contact with liquid. They do not stick to the bottom of your pigs' litterbox, which is a problem with most other beddings.

[In order from least to most expensive:]

Wood Stove Pellets, Equine Pine, Feline Pine, and Yesterday's News are some of the most popularly-used pelleted beddings. Make sure that if you use wood stove pellets, you're using a pellet without any propellent.

+ Shavings: $10-$15/4 cu. ft

The only shavings that should be used for your guinea pigs are Aspen or

kiln-dried pine. These are free of the aromatic oils that can cause infections. Shavings are soft on the feet but not terribly absorbent. They are best used as a top layer paired with a pelleted bedding.

+ CareFresh: $18-$24/60L

CareFresh is some of the greatest bedding out there. It is lightweight and soft yet very absorbent. It's quick to decompose and is the perfect addition to vermicompost. It is quite expensive, but when I feel like a splurge, I go straight for the CareFresh.