Fleece vs bedding?

[KujoSutefanii]

I've always been a bedding person but honestly, I'm getting a little fed up with the messes it causes. And I've seen quite a few chin owners who use fleece as bedding which makes me curious as to its advantages.

I'd like to try fleece but I'd like to hear about people's opinions first. And I suppose it would also mean that I'd have to try to litter train my chins if I do change to fleece... I think.

I'd like to know all the advantages and disadvantages. That way I can make a clear decision.

Thank you!

 

[Amethyst]

There was a thread last year concerning this exact question ... http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38433
You don't have to litter train, I gave up trying since my boys literally just pee a few steps from were ever they are sitting sometimes. :banghead: Not litter training just means their fleece needs changing and washing more frequently. Most chins pee in one spot/corner though so litter training for those ones just takes time and proper placement of the litter pan.

 

[halfstache]

I used to use fleece and was fairly happy with it, but I switched to shavings and will not be switching back. Fleece does look nice but it needs to be washed a couple times a week usually, its more difficult to clean too. I would take mine out to the trash, shake it out then still have to vacuum it to get the bits of shavings from the potty trained ones that inevitably got kicked out onto the fleece and/or loose hay that would stick to it. After that it has to be washed which ends up leaving bits in the washing machine and the dryer. Now to be fair I had to do many cages worth so my problem wouldn't have been quite so bad if it was just for one or two chins, but 30+ on fleece is no good. Shavings do make more of a mess, but its a fair trade off for how easy the cage is to clean.

 

[greychins]

I have fleece for my rescue cages (6 double FNs), and the rest of my cages/runs are on shavings. While I like the fleece, I seem to be constantly washing it, vacuuming up poos, changing it out. With me having a rescue, there's people coming by all the time, so it doesn't only have to look clean for me, but it also has to look clean for the potential adopters. And fleece just doesn't look that clean, pretty quickly, in my book. Give it a day after you put in the liner and there's poo everywhere. If you have chins that pee and poo everywhere, and dig food out of their bowls, you have pellet-shavings everywhere and then on day 2, the fleece looks like you haven't washed it for months cause of the pellet shavings sticking to the wet fleece.

I have extra liners, so I can switch the liners a few times and then wash them all at once. But I refuse to put those grimy things in my own washing machine, so I end up going to the laundromat. Well, I pay a neighbor kid to take them and sit there for me, but that's beside the point. Then I'm paying more cause of what it costs to wash and dry them at the laundromat.

That said. I can't imagine the amount of shavings I'd need for that many large cages, and I will not be switching to shavings for those cages anytime soon. I use finely shredded paper, and I already have it throughout my house, when only using it for the runs, so I will not be adding 6 double-panned large cages to the list of shavings-using cages unless I want to cover my entire upper floor in shavings as well. Lol.

My personal opinion is that, the fleece is fine if you are anal-retentive and clean 24/7. But the shavings sort of hide the poos better, and at the end of the week, the shavings look a lot cleaner than a fleece liner that's never been vacuumed does. If the chin is potty trained, I suppose that makes it a heck of a lot easier. Mine just dump the bowls, and then I have more of a mess, and I have rescues anyway, so it's really not worth the effort. I will be sticking with the fleece for those cages, but I feel like it's really a monumental effort to keep the fleece looking good.

Plus, several chins have decided to chew holes through the top layer of fleece on some of the liners.

To each their own, but I'm not as happy with the fleece liners as I thought I would be.

 

[Smidgeyy]

Personally, I love fleece.

I only have two double CN cages so it's not that difficult to manage. I have no problems cleaning it more often(though I will agree, it can look dirty rather quickly). The different colors and patterns make it look nice, and I eliminate the need to buy bedding all the time. They don't kick pieces out at me(well, one is a bit more sloppy than the other Lol).

My biggest problem with fleece is sewing it. I hate hate hate HATE sitting on the kitchen floor(table is always cluttered... oops. I don't think it's even large enough to be of use Lol) and cutting the pieces out, and I hate sewing it together. I would continue to buy from others but I can't afford it Lol. If you like sewing and have the proper tools that make it easier on you, this won't be an issue.

Both my chins are litter trained(one has accidents, the other will religiously use the litter pan no matter what), so that eliminates the need to change it as often.

 

[Airyn]

I also love fleece, but that's primarily because I only have two double cages, a CN and an FN. If I had more, it would definitely be too much to keep up with. I switched a few years ago because shavings kept winding up everywhere and it was driving me insane. 3 of my 4 litter trained themselves. The boys picked it up really quickly, while one girl needed a bit more coercing. The one who blatantly refuses to use the pan is just stubborn. She shoves it out of the way so she can urinate on the fleece, giving me the stink eye the whole time, so it's more of an act of defiance than a lack of understanding. Either way, as long as you keep up with it, it's really not horrible.

 

[Gumby and Elmo]

I use fleece on the Top shelf and bedding on the bottom where they pee the most, I found the fleece stank after a day or 2, bedding felt more hygienic unless I changed the fleece everyday.
On the top shelf, I have a toilet with shavings inside and fleece acting as carpet.