Does anybody here use fleece bedding for your guinea pigs?

[kfeusse]

As a lot of you know, I have been doing a lot of asking of questions (and probably being a pain to many of you...sorry about that) and I have come across this idea. If you do this, will you please answer this one important question for me?

 

Why is it hard for me to think that it is sanitary to wash piggie urine soaked pads in the same washing machine I wash our clothes in? Am I just being weird...or is this something that other think about too?

 

Everything else about the idea is appealing...the money saved, less mess, colorful and fun cages...but it just seems sort of gross....is it as bad as it seems...am I letting my imagination get the best of me??

 

Please share your thoughts with me.

[nmoira]

I used old prefolds with our rats, but I'd got over the ickiness when I'd used the prefolds with the kids. :p

[Twinmom]

It's not that bad, really!! We take them outside and shake them out well so that there is no extra debris in the washer, then use hot hot water with an extra rinse cycle. On the average week, no leftover yuck and no smell left behind. Warning...leave them longer than a week and a half and all bets are off!! Ick.

 

[Pamela H in Texas]

Here are pics of ours :)

 

[kfeusse]

ok..so if i would go this route....what do I do when I am gone on vacation for a couple weeks...can I switch to different bedding to make is easier on the "babysitter"?....

[Guest inoubliable]

Here are pics of ours :)

 

 

Wow! You have some very lucky piggies! Great setup!

[Pamela H in Texas]

Seriously? I doubt other bedding is easier! We originally had bedding and they dug in it, getting it all over the floor. And then it still has to be changed also and that isn't easier than the fleece.

 

JMO, but....

 

ETA: We have never been gone a few weeks so I haven't had this issue. We were only gone a few days and fleece meant our neighbor only needed to feed them and love on them, not vacuum too :)

[AngieW in Texas]

I just use old bath towels. Our bottom level is 4 panels by 2 panels, so a beach towel size is perfect down there. The upper level is 1 panel by 2 panels, so a smaller bath towel works fine, but bunches up some around the edges. You can get bath towels pretty cheaply at Goodwill, but most of the towels I use for the piggie are towels that I have retired from service because they got holes or started fraying badly at the edges.

[kfeusse]

What do you put under the fleece? And when you change the fleece, is it like...wet and gross...or really not that bad?

 

When we leave for an extended vacation, could my friend just change the fleece and not wash it, but just leave it in the laundry room for me...or would it start to stink even though it was all dried up. Sorry for the gross questions...just want to know what to do here.

[AngieW in Texas]

We keep the used towels in the garage until there are enough to run a load. There haven't been any problems with smell, even in the summer.

[kfeusse]

We keep the used towels in the garage until there are enough to run a load. There haven't been any problems with smell, even in the summer.

 

excellent....that might be doable. That helps me out a lot.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I wouldn't have a clue about that. I always washed ours IMMEDIATELY. If I was going to give the job to someone else, I'd leave gloves for them.

[kfeusse]

gloves...that is a good idea.

 

Now, in my research, I found this process to prep the fleece for washing...do you all do this?

 

First remove as much hay as possible.

The chances are you won’t be able to keep all hay off the fleece. You can get the worst of it off before washing, but you are often left with small (<1cm) strands, of which most are very difficult to brush off.

The best way to go about removing hay (and other solid matters, such as poops) is to follow the Vacuum-Shake-Brush-Beat cycle. Vacuuming can only remove so much hay, but in most cases it does remove all the poops, so your job is quicker if you have a quick vacuum around the cage first. You can also use a dustpan-and-brush to sweep up as much solid matter as possible, but this takes longer.

 

Usually after vacuuming/sweeping it’s still in no state to be washed, so once you’ve rolled the fleece up and taken it outdoors, give it a real good shake. You might get a little pee on you, but if you clean the cage regularly enough and you use a good underbedding, there shouldn’t be much pee, if any, sitting on the fleece to be sprinkled on you! Shaking is very effective at getting rid of any considerable solid matters and quite a few hairs, but often this still may not be enough.

So your next step is to use a brush (such as from a dustpan-and-brush set) and use it to brush the fleece as much as you can. Brush both vertically and horizontally to have more of an effect.

Lastly, use the brush (or something similar) to beat the fleece. Beating forces as much of the loose hairs and hay off as possible, and after this there isn’t really anything more you can do to prepare it for the wash. Normally, these stages are more than enough to prepare it though!

If you notice a considerable amount of hair on the fleece which just will not come off through any of the Vacuum-Shake-Brush-Beat routine, use a lint roller to get a little more hair off. This can be a long process though so don’t expect to get the bedding completely hairless.

[kfeusse]

I still want to know what you all put UNDER the fleece and how many layers you have total. Thanks. Would it be helpful to sew all of the layers together...or is that extra work that is not needed?

[kfeusse]

I found these: Piggy Bed Spreads...(I don't know how to add a link, but please google it)...and was wondering if these are really worth the price? They want $70 for one 2 x 4 (C&C cages)....

 

here is the link...I figured out how post it...http://www.piggybedspreads.com/

[AngieW in Texas]

We just use one bath towel. It's plenty absorbent enough to last a couple of days, but since the cage is in my dd's room and she has a sensitive nose, we change out the towel every day. We just shake the towels out really well outside before tossing them in the garage.