Fleece Liners?

I have been using sawdust in the main part of my hedgie's cage but, as other people have said, it gets everywhere - all over hedgie, all over me, all over the floor (I guess you get the picture!).

I have read a lot about fleece liners but am still not sure what exactly they are. Can I just buy fleece from somewhere that sells material and cut it up? I bought an absorbent pet mat in Poundland and was intending to use that but am worried that the underneath (the absorbent bit) may not be good for him if he decides to go under it.

Also a question about vet bed. Is it the really thick fluffy stuff people use? If so is there no worries about hedgies getting their little feet stuck?

Thanks for any help you can give me

we used sawdust in biscuits zoo zone and ended up with it everywhere. then when we moved her in to the viv for Christmas we used a fleece liner, (just folded it up so it fit to the length of the viv) but we found it really smelt and needed changing daily. We now use the puppy training pads or the baby changing mats, biscuit never gets underneath them and seems to like these as shes been running around all night since we have been using them, they are really easy to clean too.

I would be careful of using puppy training pads as the absorbant core is dangerous if the hedgehog manages to get at it (they are good and digging and biting into things), plus the pads are infused with some kind of chemical that has a smell to attract dogs to it, which can't be good for your hedgehog.

I wouldn't use vetbed as the top layer for your hedgehog to walk on because of the danger of feet catching on it, though I know some people use it underneath fleece.

I use fleece liners but also put absorbant terry towelling nappies, or just cheap towels, underneath. If you cut the fleece big enough to go up and over the sides of the base of the cage then the top of the cage holds the fleece in place to stop the hedgehog from going under the liner (someone on this forum thought of this and it works great ). Or, if you have your hedgehog in a viv you can use velcro to prevent this. I change the liners twice a week and don't notice any smell.

I agree with Thistle, puppy pads have absorbant granules in them which could be harmful... I use them for our dogs when we go out just in case of accidents and know how easy it is to tear them!!

Fleece is brilliant at wicking away moisture, so if you put it on top of vetbed or towelling, it will keep the area the hoggie has access to nice and dry!

I still use shavings for mine though, the mess is a small price to pay for not having a washing machine full of liners!

I also use the fleece liners now and find them great. My hoggies love them.
I change them twice a week and in all honesty haven't noticed any smell.

I use fleece liners. For Conker I have sewn 3 layers of fleece together. The bottom layer keeps the viv floor clean. The middle layer then acts as a wick for the top fleece. I've only changed mine once since having Conker as he is fully litter trained - the wee star

For my guinea pigs I use a fleece blanket for the bottom layer, a towel in the middle and then another layer of fleece for the top layer. They don't burrow underneath at all so I don't have to worry about their nails catching on the towelling loops. Consequently, their layers have not been sewn together. The top layer gets a shake daily and changed every other day as it gets covered in hair and hay. I then do a complete change only once a week. Again, I am very lucky as my guinea pigs only mess in their litter trays

I don't use fabric conditioner when I wash the fleece as it will then repel moisture instead of absorbing it. As my animals use their litter trays I have so little to wash that I have to look for other stuff to go in to make up a machine load. I usually also throw in the dogs vet bed and my backdoor mat.

Litter trays all get changed daily - no smell here either.

catkins wrote:Can I just buy fleece from somewhere that sells material and cut it up?

Exactly that. I made mine by buying a length of fleece, cutting it to size then sewing it to double thickness. Works a treat.

I use vet bed on the bottom of Hermione's cage with a fleece liner over the top. I bought some pet fleece blankets and cut them to size so I've got enough to change them every other day because Hermione trashes her cage....little madam!!!