Fleece lined bedding.

[Stardy the piggie]

Hi my guinea pigs died recently but we are planning on getting some new furry friends. We spent way too much money on wood shavings so if we do we might change to fleece liners. I was just going to ask on your opinions on fleece liners. I just had to add a picture of stardust on a narwhal.

 

[Siikibam]

It works for some and not others. I preferred it because it cut down on the mess and also the waste. You would need at least two liners. One waiting in the wings while the other is being used. It would need something absorbent underneath - puppy pads (disposable or washable), zorb etc. Towels don’t dry well so not a good choice. Some of us use bath mats on top of the fleece. You can then change these out every 1-2 days depending how soiled they are. That can make the fleece last longer. Have a read of the guides below and also have a browse of threads that talk about fleece.
Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

 

[ThatPurpleB]

I use 2 towels under a piece of fleece and it stays dry. Very cheap, eco friendly and easy to wash. Mine came from a charity shop (washed on a hot wash when I 1st got them).

I do however have a large bath matt (one of the noodle kind) where they pee the most that gets swapped out every 2 days or so. Without this I did have to regularly swap out the fleece and towels.

 

[Jill B]

We got fleece liners (with the absorbant layer sewn in) and a few pee pads for under hideys, etc. from Ziggys Piggies. Made to order so bit of a wait but quality and price were excellent.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

I got the kind that are all in one, the 3 layers sewn together, fleece + wicking + waterproof. I got them from Ebay. They are more expensive but easier as you just swap the one thing each time you clean them out instead of fiddling around with different bits. I paid about £100 for three sets (in case the 2nd one didn't dry quickly enough in winter.) I've definitely got my money back in bedding costs as I've been using them for at least 2 years now!

I wash them in a laundry bag from Amazon - the kind you wash horse blankets in to stop the hair clogging up the machine.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

PS I change them twice a week. I have a hay tray on top which sometimes gets an extra clean, especially in summer.

 

[LollyJJ]

Indoors I have used 3 different types of bedding with either a waterproof absorbent cot cover or newspapers underneath.
1. Vet bed, which is like a shagpile carpet, and not easy to get hay out of! Nice for piggies to walk on though.
2. Some triple layer fleece blankets which are lovely and soft and absorbent and wick wee away really well. I like to have about 3 small ones to cover my cage floor and can make hammocks out of a couple of others that the piggies like to sleep in!
3. My favourite so far is a waterproof backed 3 layer softshell fleece- 2 strips to line my cage as it's easier to put in the washing machine and dry. This is soft, thin but has great absorbency and wicking. It usually comes with a design on the waterproof side which you can't see if you're using it as a cage liner. I originally bought to try making tunnels etc out of but as the 2 lengths were the perfect size for my cage I decided to try it as a liner. Try searching on eBay and you don't need to do any sewing either with this stuff!

 

[artcasper]

I think it all depends on you ! I started with carefree with hay on top..this lasted about a month as it turned out to be too expensive.. I then switched to fleece liners as I can sew - with hay trays.. which worked well for a few years. I then had 3 piggies and started using Bath mats with massive hay trays - lined with newspapers and auboise .. the bath mats are easier to wash as not as heavy as fleece and I use 3.. they get changed every week.. I wash at the local laundry in the horse wash bags as my washer can no longer cope. I dry outside when I can or on the airer in the conservatory. Works well for me

Sorry you prob didn't need all that

 

[Free Ranger]

I did this

Ah, I see. the Midwest has a fabric bottom instead of a plastic one. In that case some correx will be useful! Then your liner will sit on top of that.

Liners: Seriously - the guineadad liners are pricy and you can make your own much cheaper. Don't even need to hem or seam. My first go was dead simple:
1. Two rectangles of fleece fabric (the brown with stars pattern in the pics) cut to slightly bigger than size I needed (they'll shrink 1 or 2 inches when washed)
2. One rectangle of Zorb original Fabric cut to same size
3. Make a sandwich of fleece/zorb/fleece
4. Sewing machine round the edge (you could hand sew if you have no machine and are patient!)
5. Trim off a little bit of excess - bit rough at edges but it's fine! This one has been washed a dozen times... mine don't nibble at the edges or anything
View attachment 176968View attachment 176969

6. I got brave and tried to do a 'proper' one by putting 'right sides' together and turning inside out to make a neater edge.

View attachment 176970 but it's no more absorbent and the piggies have no preference!

 

[Black piggies]

I use fleece liners with absorbent core on half the cage and puppies pads with hay on the other half.
I prefer fleece liners but they need more frequent poop scooping, if I'm going away and leaving someone to look after the pigs, I often use fitch bedding instead.