Whats best to use for cage liners?

[james_uk]

Hi, I have just found and joined this forum, this is my first post.

We are about to get my daughter her first pet for her birthday, and she's really looking forward to getting 2 guinea pigs.

The cage we have planned is 120cm x 60cm
We thought to try and make things a bit easier for cleaning, it might be a good idea to have some kinda of liners, something i can just lift it all out with and then put a new one in etc.. I see some on amazon, but they don't seem to be up to the size i need, and generally don;t get great reviews.

What do other people use that will do what we are wanting?
I am hoping they won't be too expensive.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
James

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

I will add our list of custom makers - I am not sure how up to date it is though, some may no longer be active.

Members recommended UK and US sites for fleece cage liners and accessories

Bath bobble mats are also popular - you will need a few in a cage at a time. You can also use two smaller liners in the cage at a time.
Or use an absorbent layer such washable incontinence pads and then lay a single layer fleece blanket over the top.

Using a couple of smaller pieces can be helpful as it means you can remove half at a time. Removing an entire liner in one go means you remove all scent from the cage. That can cause them to have to sort their hierarchy - anything seen as a new space (ie one which no longer carries their scent) can cause them to reestablish their bond and thus an increase in dominance.
This is usually more of an issue in teenage boars rather than sows but you can’t rule it out with sows. (Do be aware that a 120x60cm cage is minimum welfare size only suitable for two sows in any event. It’s too small for boars)
The alternative is to ensure you wipe the new liner with the soiled liner when you take it out to transfer scent back to the cage.

It also depends on what your washing machine can handle - a few smaller pieces can be easier on some machines than one large one.

I’ve also added our fleece guide below to help further

A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[james_uk]

I didn't know this, so in general, would most people not fully clean the case out weekly as it might make them sort who's the boss?

How would that generally work in terms of keeping the cage clean weekly?

James

 

[Piggies&buns]

You can expect to need to change a liner perhaps every 3-5 days - it rather depends on a few factors within the cage - but a change once a week may not be the reality of it. A smaller cage is more likely to mean more frequent changes are needed.
Wet hay and poops need to be removed every day.

Some people will use a main liner and then add smaller pee pads or bath mats on top (in high traffic areas for example), so that you can remove those smaller ones every few days (every day if needed) without having to change the main liner. The main liner may then stretch to a week of use given the smaller pads are catching everything and are changed more regularly. You then make sure to change the main liner on a day when you are not changing the smaller pee pads.
That way scent remains on something within the cage at all times.
So more of a rotational clean rather than a once a week clean.

As I says it is much more of an issue with boars but it is still something to be aware of with sows.

I hope that makes sense!

 

[thewheakybeans]

I use cheap bobbly bath mats from B&M with a thick layer of newspaper underneath for the majority of their cage and a thick layer of hay (again with lots of newspaper underneath) in the end section which they love to bury into! I pick up poos/refresh hay twice a day (takes 5 minutes) then change over their mats and hay area once a week. I used to use a thick expensive fleece blanket for their cage then it broke my washing machine! The bath mats (3 in total) plus a couple of fleecy beds fit in one wash without overloading my machine. I wash them in a Joymaney Pet Laundry Bag from Amazon to collect any stray furs or bits of hay. Hope you find a system which works for your piggies

 

[Roselina]

I use washable bed protectors - about 90cm x 90cm
Washable Bed Protector/Pad Without Tucks - Pack of 2, Pink https://amzn.eu/d/9wHJwq1
(My washing machine easily manages 2 of the pads and the smaller items )
I use vet bed/ fleece pads and other types that I made myself on top
I have 2 hay trays that have liners in and I change those daily and top up 2-3 times a day
I change half the cage one day and the other half the next day.
You will throw a lot of hay away but I compost mine and it produces lovely compost for the garden
Good luck
People here are very friendly and supportive so keep asking if you have any queries

 

[CTWC]

Hi and welcome to the wonderful World of Guinea Pigs, the experts on here are beyond amazing. No question is too big or small, they can literally be life savers.
So no advice as you've already had loads but wanted to say