fleece liner question

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WhiteTree

WhiteTree

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2009
Messages
123
Location
South Jersey
I'm possibly getting a Ferret Nation and it's been suggested that I use fleece liners. I have a couple questions for those who use fleece liners.
1. How do you clean them, machine wash or hand wash? Plus if you machine wash them do you wash them by themselves or with your clothes? I'd think that you wouldn't wash them with your clothes because of the chinchilla pee getting on your clothing and irritating your skin.

2. I have a mosaic, if he sits on the liner where he pees before it dries will he get his fur dirty? He the type who will roll around in his own pee if he has the chance.

3. My boys go to the bathroom high in their cage which is why I've put a litter pan on the top level and I have it arranged so there's something in each corner like their food dish, water bottle, hay rack, hammock and bed. Will having the fleece liners get them to go on the floor more, or will they continue to pee up high and with their pee getting all over the outside of the cage and on my walls.

I just want to know if the liners are going to work out in my situation or if I need to get the deeper pans and get a wire grid to go over the pans to keep them out of the bedding. Thank you in advance for any answers.
 
1) You wash them in the washing machine, by themselves.
2) That can happen with any bedding and a mosaic (or any other chin). They can get yellow butts from fleece, pine, or carefresh.
3) It sounds like that's a habit they have developed. You can try and lure them down bit by bit to the bottom, but each chin is an individual and they are going to do whatever they want.
4) Why do you want them out of the bedding? I have 160 cages here, and they all sit in their pine bedding with no problem.
5) As far as the pee on your walls, I used to have to mount plexiglass behind the cages so when they peed it didn't stick to the wall. Then I could pull the plexiglass down, take it outside and wash it, and put it back when it was clean. I also kept a tarp under the cages for the runoff from the plexiglass. You can also use that panelling that you use in a bathroom, where it's sealed against wetness and humidity.
 
tunes said:
1)
4) Why do you want them out of the bedding? I have 160 cages here, and they all sit in their pine bedding with no problem.
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Click to expand...

I want them out of the bedding because my one boy has to eat everything he sees, he'll eat the bedding and the poop if he can reach it. I don't want him eating pee soaked bedding. He doesn't touch the fleece hammock, his food dish or litter pan but anything else he has to put in his mouth. Right now he tries to reach down to get to the litter but he can't reach it. If he can reach it, he'll eat it.
 
yes definately wash them by themselves. there will be alot of hay and stuff that sticks to the fleece and will come off in the wash. I actually soak mine first in the tub to get most of it off, then put the in the washer.

ALso I change them at least once a week cuz of the smell from the pee, but I do go in every few days and pick up all the poop and take it out of the cage so it's not so poopy/sloppy.

jean
 
It is completely normal for a chin to eat their own poop, and it helps their gut system as well.

Some chins just taste test their bedding, though I can see if you are concerned if he's eating it all of the time. Fleece liners may help with that. You can easily notice if he is chewing on it.

I wash my liners separately. First I shake them off, then I brush them off to make sure all the hay and poop is off. I wash them with Tide Coldwater, extra rinse cycle. And then I wash them again with just plain water. Avoid using fabric softeners as that will affect the absorbancy. Then I dry them on air fluff to avoid shrinkage.

You may find the chins actually sleep more on the ground with the fleece liners as it is comfortable. Nothing wrong with that.

And chin pee on the walls? Normal as well. Unless you get some sort of guards, that's normal and part of what they will do. I have to wash my walls/floors weekly for some cages. Chins will go where they want to.
 
Only one of mine pees on the wall, I just hung a piece of fleece on the wall behind her cage and wash it once a week or so.
 
2 - I have a mosaic and I haven't noticed her to get yellow at all. I was just commenting on another thread about how I use a towel in between the fleece layers and it is very absorbent. It soaks up and dries very quickly. That's just my experience.
 
Your questions have been answered really well. Just wanted to throw in my $.02...I love fleece liners personally. I have 2 mosaics and don't notice any messiness or whatever. I do put a little bit of bedding in a metal cake pan, in the corners of both levels and they do mostly pee in them (which is nice.) Not always, but most of the time.

I just like being able to rotate the liners out and wash them will little to no mess. I wash them every 4 days or so depending on how they start looking, etc. I was in a no dye, no fragrance, eco-friendly detergent and a splash of vinegar and they come out smelling fantastic. And mine have the industrial velcro that attaches to the bottom of the pans which is also nice!

BellaBella (Jen) on here made my liners for me and I love them. They are layered so they are more absorbent and she does a fantastic job. :D
 
one more question I just thought of. How do you keep the liner in the pan? Do they hook to something? If they just lay in there my guys will surely pull them up and bunch them into a ball on the floor. Do you use Velcro? Also what about the sides of the pans do they get dirty, especially the corners? I've never seen a liner in person so I'm just going by pictures. Thanks again. I get my cage this weekend and will be setting it up the following weekend after we disinfect it since it's used, I also have to go to the fabric store that weekend and buy fleece and make liners. So I'm getting my questions out of the way so I have a plan, if I don't have things planned out before my boyfriend gets here to help me set up the cage he says he won't help me and I need help.
 
Some people use Velcro, some use hooks. Just depends on how your cage is set up.
 
I wouldn't bother soaking them. I shake the majority of the hay and poos into the trash, and then step outside and shake them good. That way the dust and bits of hay and wood don't go in my washer.
 
Doesn't matter anymore, the girl sold the cage out from under me. Told me she was holding it for me and to call today to make plans to pick it up and I call today to hear she sold it and someone picked it up today. She didn't even say sorry, she had no problem with what she did. I said "you said you were holding it for me" she replied "well i guess i wasn't". :realmad: So I have no need for liners now since my cage has a wire bottom with a pull out tray. Thank you everyone for answering my questions though.
 
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