Fleece or vet bed?

[Pixie1980]

Hi
We've just got 3 female piggies and got them on fleece at the mo. It's getting soaking quite quickly. It has been washed a few times prior to using though. I was looking at vet bed or vet fleece and wondering if anyone has any experience of using this?
Looks like it soaks through completely. I'm using towels and newspaper underneath at the mo but might move to puppy pads. Can you let me know what you all think and if vet fleece might be a good option X

 

[HeatherRose]

I switched from fleece to vet bed a few months ago and I really like it. I use puppy pads underneath. The pee soaks right down, the piggies stay dry and I like to think they like the fluffy vetbed on their little feet! When I got my skinny pig and put her on the vet bed she walked funny like “what is this fluffy stuff?” She was on wood shavings for the first 6 months of her life so it was probably a big surprise. I cut up my fleece liners and use them in high traffic areas and change them more often.

 

[Pixie1980]

Ah thanks! That is really helpful. I'm leaning towards that at the moment as fleece doesn't seem to be wicking no matter what I do. X

 

[Pixie1980]

Could you recommend a particular type and what made you change?

 

[piggieminder]

I love vetbed, I prefer it to fleece, I use a mixture of the two. Fleece cage liners in the main cage and vetbed in the wetter places like under the lofts where they spend most of their time. I use puppy pads and newspaper underneath it.

 

[Pixie1980]

I love vetbed, I prefer it to fleece, I use a mixture of the two. Fleece cage liners in the main cage and vetbed in the wetter places like under the lofts where they spend most of their time. I use puppy pads and newspaper underneath it.

That's a good idea. Do they normally wee and poo mostly where they eat and where they sleep? X

 

[Veggies Galore]

That's a good idea. Do they normally wee and poo mostly where they eat and where they sleep? X

they wee and poo mostly where they eat

I love vet bed - but don't think I could manage it in all my hutch . I use vet bed in their hideys .

Here is a thread about one my sows and her favourite hidey ( which is lined with vet bed )
My favourite bed - by Sparkle

 

[PigglePuggle]

We like vet fleece, its very snuggly and absorbant, with the vet fleece inconti-pet washable absorbant puppy mat underneath. My piggies pee everywhere and it stays dry on the surface for 3 days.

 

[anyar.dris]

Vetbed is very soft and their wee would soak thru the bottom. But I only use it when I have a sick piggy, i.e. when they had an operation and aren't very mobile, and they need to be comfortable as much as they need to. I also get annoyed (just me honestly) whenever hay get stuck in it as it doubles my cleaning time. So if I use it, only in the small area of the cage for a sick piggy.

 

[eileen]

i use vet fleece with washable puppy pads in my hutches,not in the sleeping areas.i use bedding and hay there.i use it in hutches where the guinea pigs do not wee too much !

 

[Piggies&buns]

I use pretty much every bedding going! In winter (my boys are out in my shed) they have vet bed in the bedroom area (still with loads of hay on top - it sticks so it’s a nightmare but they seem to like the vetbed and it helps hold the heat in). It stays nice and dry. I only use it in a small area though because washing it is a bit of a drama. I’ve cut it up into several smaller pieces now so that it fits in my washing machine.

 

[piggieminder]

Mine mostly wee and poop in their hay trays and where they sleep! I find the hay brushes off the vetbed okay, I use a very stiff brush. If there's lots of small bits still stuck to it I hoover it off

 

[HeatherRose]

I have found that the vet bed with the green backing is too stiff to wash in the washer, I had to cut it into smaller pieces. I found some that has rubber gripping stuff on the back, but still lets the moisture go through. It is more flexible and a 2 x 6 c&c size will fit in my washer. I have a kitchen area/tray where most of the hay stays and I put regular fleece in there and change it every other day. One reason I changed to vet bed is because little Anna kept burrowing under the fleece liners and messing everything up.

 

[piggieminder]

I have the rubber backed and the green backed vetbed. I found both types very stiff to get in the washing machine when it was new, the more it's washed the softer it gets! The only reason I've gone from complete vet bed cages to fleece liners is the cost of replacing it after my boars got parasites in the summer, a lot of the old vetbed got burnt so as not to reinfect them. Spiike and Peanut my older couple still have a complete cage of vetbed as when I changed them to fleece Spike had problems walking he has an arthritic hip we think!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I have vet bed in their bedroom area, it’s lovely and soft for them. I put newspaper underneath and it works well to keep them dry. I use a stiff hair brush to get the hay out, which can be a bit of a pain. I wash it in an old pillowcase and tumble dry it which helps remove the hairs.