How to use Fleece Bedding

One reason why I use fleece for my bedding for my guinea pigs. Is because it cuts down on health problems for the guinea pigs and for others in the house. My mom me, and sister has an allergy to dust. Well wood shaving are very dusty. Haven't you ever opened the bag of shaving, and dust is all over the place?

Before I switched over to fleece I used pine shavings. I would have the pig cage all cleaned up and looking nice. Then I would add the new bedding into the cage and there would a thick layer of dust from the shavings. Also there would be a strong smell form the pine. Then with in a few days the shavings would be all over the place, making the cage area very messy looking. I had a Super Pet Cage sitting on my desk at the time before I upgraded. Even the desk top would be covered. I thought that could not be healthy for me or for them. So after searching around online i found out from many pig boards that many people use fleece. Once i upgraded the girls cage they went right over to fleece.

Pros
With fleece there is a small chance of guinea pigs developing foot spurs, irritation of the skin and respiratory system or if ingested it can cause a problem blockage or choking. It is cleaner easier and does not cost much to keep up.

Using fleece
For fleece to work properly it must get wash and dry three times before using, four is even better. You are trying to slightly break down the water barer that fleece tends to have when it is brand-new. Once washed and dried several times it will wick the moisture away, instead of repelling the moisture.
Also do not add fabric softener of any kind in washer or dryer. Fabric softener can cause the fleece to build up a barrier to repel moisture.

Layers
Since fleece does not absorb urine or any kind of liquid you will have to use layers under the fleece. The surface remains dry and the urine is absorbed by the under bedding. To make fleece work properly it has to have 1-2 layers of towel or Puppy pads.

Puppy training pads
Pros: Easily available, quick to fit, good absorbency.
Cons: Expensive, needs replacing between fleece washes, plastic edges can be dangerous if ingested, non-reusable.

Towels
Pros: Easily available, cheap, can be cut to size, excellent absorbency, reusable.
Cons: Gets heavy when very wet, can smell a little after 3-4 days if lots of urine is absorbed.

I normally have to use four layers of towels to sock up everything and change the whole bedding once a week.

Washing
The easiest way is to use a washing machine.
You can use your regular detergent (unless it is very strongly scented), but softener isn’t advised as it can reduce the performance of the fleece. Not a high heat since it can shrink it tiny bit. You can put in a full load of fleece, but if you have particularly dirty blankets it’s better to put in less with each cycle so that each fleece washes and rinses more thoroughly.

Hand washing is also possible, but be prepared for the weight of soaking fleece. It’s hard work but, as with the general maintenance of fleece, you can get used to it when you start doing it regularly.

Line-drying does not make the blankets stiff, but it can make towels stiff. Drying the blankets naturally outdoors allows them to really be freshened up; for any warm smells to be blown away and replaced by a cleaner, fresher, cooler scent.

Tumble-drying fleece doesn’t usually take more than 20 minutes; if you are drying towels it can take over 30 minutes. There can be a warm “piggie” smell “sealed” in the blankets as the heat has dried them. This is fine and isn’t so strong when the fleece has cooled down.
The cooler the wash and the cooler the drying, the less likely they are to shrink.

Problems?
If you are using fleece for your cage and it is not working properly:
1) you have not washed the fleece 2-4 times before the first use. Can cause the fleece not wicking pee through;
2) You have too many - or not enough - layers of fleece;
3) You have no - or poor - under bedding which is not doing its job
4) You are using fabric softener in the wash, which can prevent fleece from wicking moisture through.