Vetbed/Fleece

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Polypea

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
139
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Kent
Hi,

I've just been reading all the info on different beddings that can be used for piggies and I'm really interested in finding out a few more bits of info on vet bed and fleece beddings.

I have a C&C cage 6ft x 2ft 4" and its costing me an absolute fortune to bed out with shavings so the idea of vetbed or fleece sounds great.

What I wanted to know is:
* Can vetbed be used on it's own or does it need something beneath it, i.e newspaper?
* Same as above for fleece?
* How often do both vetbed and fleece need to be changed, as in cleaning out the cage, I have 3 piggies?
* Any ideas where I might be able to get vetbed big enough to fit my cage?

Thanks :)
 
Hi there, my girls are on fleece at the moment too and I really like it

You'll need something underneath the fleece/vetbed to soak up the pee. Most people use a layer of old towels, then newspaper then fleece.

However, many people have made a great discovery of incontinence sheets/puppy training pads under the fleece. This soaks up all of the pee and keeps it there. I've found (I'm using the pads and absolutley swear by them! ;) ) that it helps keep the smell to a minimum too :)

As for cleaning out, I sweep out each evening to get rids of the poops and change the fleece every two or three days

You're best bet for vetbed may be ebay, there's quite a few sellers on there, but prices vary so it'll be worth shopping round a bit.

If you are wanting to switch to fleece, one thing to remember is to never wash the fleece/vetbed with fabric softener. It seals the pile and will stop the pee from wicking away through to the bottom layer ;)

Hope that helps a bit :)
 
How often you need to change depends on the dirtiness level of your piggies... I would guess every 4-5 days in a cage that size if you do litter trays where they eat hay (it saves the fleece a bit because they do a lot of their toileting while they eat) and hoover/sweep up poops each day.

Buy a couple of cheap fleece blankets and wash them three times before you use them. I've found it stays smell-free longer the more you have under the fleece for absorbtion. Old towels work great. I recommend trying fleece first because if you decide you don't like it at least you haven't wasted heaps of money

I also prolong the life of the fleece by putting smaller piecec under their hideys and change those every other day approximately. I cange out the whole cage once a week and I have tree piggies, but my cage is a bit bigger than yours.
 
Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

I think I'll try out the fleece first, sounds great.

I used those kids dry nights pads for my boar after he had been neutered as I was worried about the shavings getting stuck to his wounds and making him sore, to be honest I hadn't really thought about using something like that for an absorbent layer, thats a great idea.

What would you recommend is best to use for price etc?

Thanks again:))
 
i use fleece i set it up with a layer of newspaper then towels then puppy pads then the fleece
primark have fleece for £2 which is very good value,B&M also have it cheap as well as the likes of Asda and Ikea.
puppy pads i get in a pack of 5 from poundland
 
Hello,

Would it be ok to use just the puppy pads and then the fleece? or is there a reason for the layers?

Sorry I'm new to this, I've always used shavings but I've never had such a large cage to cover before.

Thanks
 
Polypea said:
Hello,

Would it be ok to use just the puppy pads and then the fleece? or is there a reason for the layers?

Sorry I'm new to this, I've always used shavings but I've never had such a large cage to cover before.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I use just puppy pads and then fleece, but I go though loads... :( and be careful my piggies like to eat them when they get the chance, I stick them to the correx so they can't and change every 3-4 days depending... I am however switching to inco pads soon as, puppy pads are costing me a fortune I use 6 for the ground floor alone... :(!
 
Polypea said:
Hello,

Would it be ok to use just the puppy pads and then the fleece? or is there a reason for the layers?

Sorry I'm new to this, I've always used shavings but I've never had such a large cage to cover before.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I use just towels and then fleece, so yes. One of two is definitely a possibility :) It seems like a thicker absorbant layer keeps odors under control, but with a big cage I find that double towels work well enough simply because the odds of peeing twice in the same place are low (I move hideys and stuff around a lot)
 
i use fleece , towels & newspaper

i have 1 little piggie who likes to eat newspaper so puppy pads may not be a good idea for him may get some for harry he pee's loads more than the 2 that live together :p
 
ollie said:
i use fleece , towels & newspaper

i have 1 little piggie who likes to eat newspaper so puppy pads may not be a good idea for him may get some for harry he pee's loads more than the 2 that live together :p
Click to expand...

I find masking tape and sticking to the correx works, well stops my little ones, they are a nightmare! Wilma is a serious chewer, anything and everything!
 
JoanneG111 said:
I find masking tape and sticking to the correx works, well stops my little ones, they are a nightmare! Wilma is a serious chewer, anything and everything!
Click to expand...


what bambi does is move the fleece & towels eats the paper then with the towels & fleece folds it & he makes a pillow :)p so cute could be funny to tape it down see what he does :)p:)p
 
ollie said:
what bambi does is move the fleece & towels eats the paper then with the towels & fleece folds it & he makes a pillow :)p so cute could be funny to tape it down see what he does :)p:)p
Click to expand...

I think it would provide some good entertainment ;) :))
 
Hello again,

Thanks again for all your advise.

I just have a few more questions, they may sound a bit silly:

Does the fleece still 'wick' away the pee even if there are a few layers? as the fleece I've got is folded over.

When I was using shavings I would put a bundle of hay in each of the piggies hides, can I still do this once they are on fleece?

Thanks again;)
 
Hi,

Also I have started to use the fleece today, I've set the cage up with a layer of newspaper on the bottom, then a layer of puppy pads and then the fleece, the fleece is in some places 4 layers thick as it's folded.

The problem is i'm not sure if I've bought the wrong type of fleece or whether there is a problem elsewhere but it doesn't seem to be drawing the wetness away, either from their wee or the water bottles.
The areas are damp/wet.

I got the fleece from ASDA, brown ones £2 each.

Any advise please, am I doing something wrong or is this the way it is, I had it in my head that the fleece etc would draw away all the wetness leaving the top layer dry.

Thanks again, sorry to keep asking all these silly questions.:^-
 
the fleece needs to be washed at least 3 times before use no fabic softner as the wee will just lay on top & wont be very nice :( i have just one layer of fleece on top of towels & face fannels for where they pee extra under that is newspaper

asda fleece will be fine i got mine from primark does the job ;)

joanneG111 bambi has taken note of your massing tape idea & has not eaten any newspaper lol xx
 
Hi

O dear I haven't washed it, I've put the spare in the wash now, I'll wash that 3 times tonight then change it over...... ooops.

Thanksmallethead
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top