Well, I've decided that I'm sick of using kiln-dried pine bedding for my chins. Mostly due to the fact that it can get messy with the number of chins I have as well as costly over time. So I began to consider fleece liners. I saw the DIY guide here on the forums and it looked pretty easy. After pricing out the material costs (was gonna buy a ton of fleece on sale since its Black Friday), it was still going to cost more than I wanted to spend. After leaving JoAnn's a bit disappointed I tried to get creative and think of other things I could use for a long term bedding solution. Since all of my chins cages have pans, what if I used a bath mat? Totally weird I know, but I figure they are meant to get wet and gross bc after all they are made for bathrooms. With the way my cages are designed, there is no way the chins would be able to get to the mat (they can't even touch the bedding I keep in there now unless I fill the pan too full). I figure in theory, I wouldn't necessarily have to use fleece since they cannot touch the pan. Plus, the bathmats I looked at were way cheaper than the materials I would need for the fleece liners and there wouldn't even be any sewing work involved (and easy to wash). I'm sure that this post makes me look like I'm out of my mind, but its just an idea haha. Mostly I just don't have alot to spend right now with it being the holidays and I have a big family to buy for, yet I can't stand using the wood bedding much longer. What do you guys think? Any other alternatives out there that are inexpensive?
Weird question about bedding
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JessieVictoria
Well-known member
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Umm are your cages' bottoms a wire mesh? I'm not sure I understand how your chinchillas can't reach their bedding.
But what I do is I check thrift stores for old fleece blankets and especially old snuggies. It's like $3 a blanket so it makes very cheap liners.
My chinchilla has recently started peeing on her liners so I have a Pyrex casserole dish that I fill with bedding for her to pee in. Saves money on bedding, virtually no mess and if she pees on the tile floor I just wipe it with a damp paper towel.
But what I do is I check thrift stores for old fleece blankets and especially old snuggies. It's like $3 a blanket so it makes very cheap liners.
My chinchilla has recently started peeing on her liners so I have a Pyrex casserole dish that I fill with bedding for her to pee in. Saves money on bedding, virtually no mess and if she pees on the tile floor I just wipe it with a damp paper towel.
The bottom of their cages is wire and then the pan is underneath that. The pan itself is several inches deep. Sometimes I accidentally overfill the pan with shavings and that is the only way they can ever reach it. When I fill the pan with a normal level of shavings then they cannot get to it, sometimes they will try to poke their nose through the wire but they never can get to it. Love your idea about the thrift stores! Such a perfect solution!!! I have several thrift stores in my area so I will definitely be paying them a visit! How often do you generally have to switch out the blankets you buy? I mean, as far as them getting worn out from use, how soon do you usually have to replace them? Every few months or so maybe?
addictedtochins
Socially inept
The shavings shouldn't be that expensive if you go to a animal feed store and not a pet store. I wouldn't risk using bath mats..their little arms are longer then you think if they want something. I really wouldn't put it past them to use a stick to make the rug lift up a little then reach down and pull/eat it. See, we use fleece because they aren't threads to unravel and stop up their insides
If I continue to stick with the shavings then checking out the feed store would def be worth it. I don't go in there really because they don't carry and won't order the food I need so now I'm switching brands and will be ordering directly from Mazuri. You make a good point, chinnies can be sneaky little things. I think I'm gonna be taking up Jessie's idea about the thrift store, that will at least help me get a start in moving away from the shavings.
addictedtochins
Socially inept
Yes, the thrift store is a great place to find fleece, look in the bedding section
Dreamlite
Well-known member
If you have mesh bottom pens how is wood chips messy? If they can't get to the chips they can't dig or throw them. I hate fleece, you have to contantly wash it and it starts to smell/fall apart after time. Pine chips are very cheep. Its only $5 for a big bale.
3CsMommy
My babies Rock!
What part of using shavings is concerning you? I ask b/c I only use a couple of handfuls of shavings/week now that I tiled the bottom of my cage, and have almost no shavings mess ever. For a Ferret or Critter Nation, you need 6 12" ceramic or marble tiles, and a way to trim 4 of them to fit the cage. The tiles are around $2/ea, and the cutter is $20. Add a small glass baking dish of shavings in one corner, and you're good to go with a dust pan and whisk broom for the poo/hay. A wet paper towel wipes up any extra pee spots.
Oooo! I like your idea about the tile! To be honest, I've never really liked the shavings much. The kd pine smells nice, but I think its the cleanup I don't like as much...just messy in general. I think that is the main thing that bothers me about it. The main idea I like about fleece is that you can shake out the poo and then just wash them which seems faster and easier which appeals to me.
3CsMommy
My babies Rock!
I used to use fleece, but without access to laundry machines 24/7, it's a hassle for multiple cages, and my beige doesn't care about the difference between shavings and fleece, so he pees wherever he cares to. 
Here's a picture of my cage now:
I had to split my FN in half since one of the boys is a little too dominant for everyone's good, so tile was an easy way to install a barrier between the halves. The same shelves etc. go in, but the tiles fit tightly enough on top that they can't push one up to start fights even if they want to. The boards around the sides keep any chips/poo they might dump from falling out onto the floor. I just have to use a brush and dustpan nightly to keep the mess under control.
Depending on how many animals you have, then, switching to Aspen chips in a litter pan with tile on top of the mesh bottomed cages might be a good way to go. Primarily, its easy to clean up, but you'll help them avoid aching feet and bumblefoot by keeping them off of mesh. It's also easier for the chins to cool themselves if the entire floor is something that stays cooler than the air. My apartment never goes below 72* without an AC unit (yes, even in the winter). Aside from the ease of clean up, I know the boys can thermoregulate if the AC ever goes out or the radiator kicks itself on while I'm not home (it's an old house with steam heat).
Here's a picture of my cage now:I had to split my FN in half since one of the boys is a little too dominant for everyone's good, so tile was an easy way to install a barrier between the halves. The same shelves etc. go in, but the tiles fit tightly enough on top that they can't push one up to start fights even if they want to.
The boards around the sides keep any chips/poo they might dump from falling out onto the floor. I just have to use a brush and dustpan nightly to keep the mess under control.Depending on how many animals you have, then, switching to Aspen chips in a litter pan with tile on top of the mesh bottomed cages might be a good way to go. Primarily, its easy to clean up, but you'll help them avoid aching feet and bumblefoot by keeping them off of mesh. It's also easier for the chins to cool themselves if the entire floor is something that stays cooler than the air. My apartment never goes below 72* without an AC unit (yes, even in the winter). Aside from the ease of clean up, I know the boys can thermoregulate if the AC ever goes out or the radiator kicks itself on while I'm not home (it's an old house with steam heat).
