Smelly fleece

Grinny Pig

Grinny Pig

Junior Guinea Pig
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I tried switching over from newspaper and wood chippings to fleece, but am not getting on very well. I bought some ‘Cozy Pets’ fleece liners with wadding and waterproof backing (well they said it was waterproof, but it’s not). I found the fleece liners were saturated and smelly within 24 hours. The urine doesn’t drain away very fast either, which is not good for my long haired guinea pig as she gets smelly matted fur from sitting in it. Not sure whether I should try to fleece again or stick to newspaper with sawdust, which is much more absorbent and only needs changing about every 4 days.
 
I know many forum members love their fleeces but I reverted to wood shavings after a few months because I couldn’t keep up with the laundry.
I did have really good fleeces which absorbed the wee but I found that with 4 piggies I had to change them every 3 - 4 days and with 2 fleeces in the cage which only fit one at a time in the washing machine it could be a bit much.

Everyone has to use the bedding material which works best for them and their circumstances
 
I mean, not using fleece is an option, but using sawdust really shouldn't be. Woodshavings sure, but not sawdust.
 
I have to be honest and say I also did not get on with fleece liners with a waterproof backing.
Maybe try using a more simplified system of fleece blanket, absorbent layer (old towels work well for this, and another fleece layer on the bottom.

More tips on using fleece (and smelly fleece) can be seen here:
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding
 
I have a couple of Cozy Pets liners and the backing isnt waterproof at all, first time we used them there were puddles- but they are fine with a Vetfleece Inconti-pet washable puppy mat underneath, the pee goes straight through the not-so-waterproof back and gets wicked away into the puppy mat. Also washing at 60 a few times makes the not-so-waterproof back completely not waterproof so it will wick to the properly absorbent layer underneath. Not the best but they are very cheap and durable and much faster delivery than a custom made liner for a small cage area!
 
PigglePuggle said:
I have a couple of Cozy Pets liners and the backing isnt waterproof at all, first time we used them there were puddles- but they are fine with a Vetfleece Inconti-pet washable puppy mat underneath, the pee goes straight through the not-so-waterproof back and gets wicked away into the puppy mat. Also washing at 60 a few times makes the not-so-waterproof back completely not waterproof so it will wick to the properly absorbent layer underneath. Not the best but they are very cheap and durable and much faster delivery than a custom made liner for a small cage area!
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Interesting that you have had the same experience- I wonder what the middle layer of the liner is, and if it is this layer making it smelly. Do you find yours get smelly really quickly?
 
No we wash ours at 60 degrees with a splash of dettol (the stuff for bathing wounds and washing handkerchiefs, not the floor cleaning type) instead of detergent and change them twice a week. It might depend on cage size and if your piggies only pee there or use a hay tray too... those liners have definitely improved after many hot washes though, maybe the attempt to make them waterproof stops them washing well to start with!
 
I'll have to get some dettol then to wash my fleecy stuff with. I always wash on a 60 degree wash. Have just invested in some fleecy liners for the top of my hutch but haven't used them yet as they have only had one wash so don't wick properly yet.
 
The dettol is good, but I only use a tiny bit (like half a capful) in the detergent drawer then make sure its had a thorough rinse afterwards! And you really have to not buy the floor-and-toilet version which clearly states "keep away from pets".
 
You can buy detail antibacterial laundry cleaner which goes in the fabric softener drawer.
 
PigglePuggle said:
The dettol is good, but I only use a tiny bit (like half a capful) in the detergent drawer then make sure its had a thorough rinse afterwards! And you really have to not buy the floor-and-toilet version which clearly states "keep away from pets".
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OK noted!
 
I only point that out as piggy daddy bought the floor-and-toilet version by mistake having overlooked the "keep away from pets do not allow pets to walk on or eat from treated surfaces" warning in big letters on the bottle. So I used that to disinfect the kitchen sink plughole which was partly blocked with piggy poops for some reason best known to piggy daddy and the piggies :) I do sometimes wonder what they get up to when I'm at work!
 
PigglePuggle said:
I only point that out as piggy daddy bought the floor-and-toilet version by mistake having overlooked the "keep away from pets do not allow pets to walk on or eat from treated surfaces" warning in big letters on the bottle. So I used that to disinfect the kitchen sink plughole which was partly blocked with piggy poops for some reason best known to piggy daddy and the piggies :) I do sometimes wonder what they get up to when I'm at work!
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Trust me, sometimes you're better not knowing.
 
It could be the waterproof backing that's the problem. I thought the idea of fleece was that the wee wicked through into an absorbent layer underneath, if the wee isn't passing through the liner the fleece is going to get wet pretty quickly and go smelly. I use liners that are wadding sandwiched between fleece layers with puppy pads and newspaper underneath (wet paper changed daily), pee pads or vetbed under hideys and in favourite wee corners changed every other day, the main fleece changed every 4 or 5 days. I've never had a smelly fleece.
 
Different options of bedding work for different people. I tried fleece but it didn't work for me personally. I had used wood shavings previously but didn't want to go back to that so tried aubiose and that is working really well for me. I have been using it for years now with no plans on changing.
 
Kaytee clean and cozy recycled paper bedding is brilliant but its very expensive, we only have it in one 3x2 cage area and have fleece everywhere else. The hemp bedding is good too but so fine it's impossible to brush out of all the edges of the C&C, might be good in a ferplast type cage though. Except it gets all over the carpet every time the piggies zoom through it!
 
What filling is inside the fleece liner? I have found that zorb although a little more expensive, works really well and doesn’t smell. I change the big fleece once a week and then have a little one in the hay tray that I can change twice a week as they tend to pee more in there. I’ve not have any issues with them smelling.
 
piggieminder said:
It could be the waterproof backing that's the problem. I thought the idea of fleece was that the wee wicked through into an absorbent layer underneath, if the wee isn't passing through the liner the fleece is going to get wet pretty quickly and go smelly. I use liners that are wadding sandwiched between fleece layers with puppy pads and newspaper underneath (wet paper changed daily), pee pads or vetbed under hideys and in favourite wee corners changed every other day, the main fleece changed every 4 or 5 days. I've never had a smelly fleece.
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Yes, I think you may be right about the waterproof backing. I did contact the seller who was very lovely and has offered me some pee pads to try for free to see if this helps. I’m also going to wash my fleeces at 60 degrees a few times to unwaterproof the bottoms, and use newspaper or puppy pads underneath instead.
 
I use mattress protectors and towels on the base of my cage; covered by fleece. I have got some smaller fleece liners (that I bought) - with a waterproof backing. I agree - the waterproof stuff isn’t waterproof! I use a hay box (that the pigs practically live in and do most of their toileting in) and just put the smaller waterproof fleece liners on top of the fleece where the guinea pigs wee the most when they aren’t in their hay. I change the small liners and hay daily - and in doing this they don’t smell at all.

Try the pads that they are sending you as this might help. It does take time working out a routine that works. Mine are much less smelly now that they were with shavings. But I do more than just having a fleece liner in the bottom.
It’s amazing how much liquid comes out of something so small!
 
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