Fleece bedding & alternatives?

thedosboys

thedosboys

New Born Pup
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So I use fleece bedding and I want to keep my pigs clean and healthy.

Manny has a small case of bumble foot (it's being treated) and I wonder if it increased when I brought him home.

On the bottom I put a heavy duty shower curtain, a toddler mattress protective sheet(wicked)(it also is waterproof at the bottom ), then I put various towels and small pee pads, then I top it off with a fleece blanket(wicked).

Is this a good set up or can it be better?

I'm looking for more things to put in my guinea pig bedding. And I've been looking at a lot of absorbent products. Is this something I should be looking for or should I look for drying fast products?

Ive read that guinea dad has good liners but they are super expensive, should I bite the bullet and get them?

Any advice is good! I just wanna know if I'm doing the best I can for my babies.
 
I can't tell you whether it's better but this is my set up. I use waterproof fleeces from Amazon (pictures below). On top of these I use bobble bath mats as pee pads and because my boys tend to sleep in the open and seem to find them comfortable. Also they can be tumble dried.Screenshot_2023-10-26-16-36-13-46_b5f6883d2c20a96c53babc0b4ac88108.webpScreenshot_2023-10-26-16-34-24-38_b5f6883d2c20a96c53babc0b4ac88108.webpIMG20231125001938.webp George is demonstrating the comfy bath mat for you.
 
That seems like a lot of layers (and washing). Also I’ve heard that towels may not be the best. I’m no expert as my boys have only been on fleece a short time. I can thoroughly recommend bobble bath mats. They dry so quickly and are lovely and soft.

Maybe you could try the bobble mats under where they sleep the most. I’ve got mine under the hay area and one each under their stepping stool hides. I’ve cut mine in half. I change these daily. Good luck. I hope Manny is back to full health in no time.
 
I found two Next ones in a charity shop. They were larger than others. 👍🏻
 
I only use fleece infrequently but I do agree it is a lot layers!
All you need is something to protect the floor (ie the shower curtain), something absorbent ie the mattress protector and then the fleece on top.
When my boys come in and I use fleece, I just put down plastic sheeting, puppy pads and then lay a single layer of fleece on top

Towels can sometimes be an issue - they sometimes don’t dry properly and consequently can mean the fleece is damp.
 
I am a late convert to fleece - I used to have a similar kind of set up to yours (i.e. lots of different layers and then a fleece blanket) but found it quite messy and the pigs would invariably get all the layers mussed up within minutes, so I stopped. I've since tried shavings, megazorb, finacard - there are pros and cons to all of them but I would have to say it's worth splashing out on nicely made proper fleece liners if you can afford them.

My cage has a coroplast base, lined with self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles (the cheap ones you can buy in Homebase type places) to strengthen the coroplast and make it easier to wipe clean, and one large fleece liner. That's it. I use big plastic potting trays lined with wood pellet litter as hay trays and the pigs mostly pee and poo in these (hay trays are lifted out and changed daily) so the rest is just a quick daily spot clean. The main liners wick beautifully, are changed every 5 days and are washed at 30 degrees.

The only downside is that initial expense but I figured that if I added up the cost of disposable bedding over a few months (at one point I was paying £22 for a bale of finacard which would last me a fortnight if I was lucky) there probably wasn't much overall difference in cost. It's just that it feels eyewatering to pay all in one go!
 
The initial expense does seem to be a lot, however as @LunaPig72 said when you work out what you pay out in disposable bedding it pays for itself very quickly. I have two teenage boys and with their palace being large (3 by 5, with 2 full floors) it allows me to change the bedding in places rather than all at once as I use several small fleeces rather than 1 fitted one. They prefer this (they like it smelly 🙄) and is easier for me. P.s every time I look at little floof co, what I want is always sold out! 🥺
 
fluffysal said:
The initial expense does seem to be a lot, however as @LunaPig72 said when you work out what you pay out in disposable bedding it pays for itself very quickly. I have two teenage boys and with their palace being large (3 by 5, with 2 full floors) it allows me to change the bedding in places rather than all at once as I use several small fleeces rather than 1 fitted one. They prefer this (they like it smelly 🙄) and is easier for me. P.s every time I look at little floof co, what I want is always sold out! 🥺
Click to expand...

Message @rp1993 on here. She can make things to order. 👍🏻
 
I use fleece with puppy pads underneath and find that dry enough for my boys. I agree with others that you do seem to have more layers than necessary under your fleece. I've heard vet bed recommended for piggies with bumblefoot or those that can't move around as much as they used to. It's super absorbant so helps keep the moisture levels underfoot to a minimum.

I know @Viennese Furbabies Billie has trouble with her feet and may be able to provide more advice.
 
fluffysal said:
The initial expense does seem to be a lot, however as @LunaPig72 said when you work out what you pay out in disposable bedding it pays for itself very quickly. I have two teenage boys and with their palace being large (3 by 5, with 2 full floors) it allows me to change the bedding in places rather than all at once as I use several small fleeces rather than 1 fitted one. They prefer this (they like it smelly 🙄) and is easier for me. P.s every time I look at little floof co, what I want is always sold out! 🥺
Click to expand...
Yes just drop me a message, my premade stock does often sell out quickly but I’m always happy to do custom orders!
 
I used to use fleece cage liners with a layer of zorb in the middle. I would then put smaller mats in high use areas also with an absorbent middle layer. All washed in a zip up horse blanket wash bag (from amazon).

I also had litter trays of various kinds lined with newspaper and hay.
 
I don't have any experience with bath mats but I'm sure they are super cozy.
I used to use towels with a layer of fleece and washable pee pads on top in the areas they use the most (that's about everywhere). But I changed to using only two layers of pee pads, one layer with bigger pee pads at the bottom and the upper layer with smaller pee pads. I change the upper layer more or less daily and the lower layer once a week.
At the moment, I'm enjoying one week of bliss with disposable bedding. My washing machine won't know what to do with itself.

With bumble foot, it's important that the bedding is soft and absorbent. And you have to take extra care that the surface is as dry as possible at all times.
 
Ive been using bath mats for years now
Cost effective, easy to wash and quick drying, I never put them in the dryer,so thats money not spent
Best to use only liquid and not fabric conditoner so thats more money not spent
 
I use white vinegar instead of conditioner, 29p a bottle at my local Tesco. I only tumble dry them when I can't line dry
 
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