Fleece Liners: the good, the bad, the snuffly

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hedgepig

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Hi-
Carefresh has gotten too expensive, so I thought I should try Fleece Liner. But I havn't done any research and pretty much don't know anything about them. So I turn to the hedgehog owners who know about them. Heres a few questions that I have:
-Do you put anything under them? Like a pillow inside the fleece?
-The Pros?
-The Cons?
-The Snuffly>has you hedgehog had any problems with it? Do some just strongly oppose it for no reason?
Thank-you so much!! :)
 
I like them a lot. When I first tried them I just used 2 layers of fleece. But when I had some $ I bought some from Nancy at the Hedgie Den. Hers are thick and soft with an absorbent middle layer.

The major con (if you buy them from someone) is the cost up front. But other then that, no allergies, (like I had from shavings) Saves money in the long run from having to buy shavings/etc. So much less time to clean the cage, Looks prettier to the eye, I love "customizing" so that the hedgie's cage is their own and doesn't appear to be "just a pet"

Hmm...... I guess I really don't have any cons. I could go on and on about the pros though.
 
Oh, and the difference in Sid's attitude was amazing. She even comes out in the afternoon, loves to run around now and just seems generally happier.
 
One thing I've noticed from rescues that have lived on shavings or carefresh prior to arriving here is when they are first put on liners they walk with exaggerated steps, lifting their feet up higher. After walking around for a while on the liner, their walking changes and their steps become more normal and not as high.

If possible, I'd have everyone on liners but for moms with babies, that isn't possible.
 
If possible, I'd have everyone on liners but for moms with babies, that isn't possible.

Why is that? (I don't know anything about breeding. Kudos to those who do it though!)
 
With babies you can't fully clean the cage until the babies are weaning or it can stress the moms. With shavings, we can spot clean so it keeps it somewhat clean. With liners the only choice is to remove and replace and can't do that without freaking mom.
 
Well, I'm pretty convinced that I should try fleece. But what do you recomend for just a practise run? I've heard that some particualr hedgehogs don't like it, so I just wanted to do a test run.
Would folding up a fleece blanket work?
 
You could get enough fleece to fold over twice. It shouldn't cost that much.
 
Well, I'm pretty convinced that I should try fleece. But what do you recomend for just a practise run? I've heard that some particualr hedgehogs don't like it, so I just wanted to do a test run.
Would folding up a fleece blanket work?


If there is no strings around the edges a fleece blanket should be fine.

I have had problems with fleece- having the hedgehogs get the fluffy stuff of it stuck in their mouths or teeth. Courderoy (sp?) or flannel may be a better bet.
 
I use homemade fleece liners. They're basically two layers of fleece sewn together. They're not quite as absorbent as the ones that Nancy makes, but since the hogs are litter trained, it's not a big deal.

Pros:
- They're soft and cuddly.
- They're very eco-friendly.
- They are cheap (after the initial purchase, of course).
- They're not messy like shavings.
- They're really the safest alternative to other bedding. They don't harbor mites, dust, sharp pieces that could injure a hedgehog, etc.
- Liners provide the ability to really customize the cage. Each hedgehog can have a different color if I wish.

Cons:
- They're fairly expensive when you first buy them, because it's helpful to have at least two on hand.
- For hedgehogs who aren't litter trained, liners get very messy, very quickly.
- For the hedgehog who likes to burrow, a liner makes tipping over bowls very easy.

The Snuffly:
All of my hogs really love their liners, although I can imagine that Cuda would definitely prefer wood shavings. He's a burrower and nest builder, and liners just hinder his artistic ability. Apparently fleece strips and paper towel just isn't the same. Unfortunately for him, the need to keep him healthy and safe far outweighs any pros that shavings could have. Luckily, he's discovered equal joy in building nests out of baby blankets.
 
I got all 3 of my liners from Nancy and I love them. Only thing is Penny sometimes scratches them where she sleeps, so I just rotate it.
Pros - easy to clean, makes cleaning a whooole lot faster. More pleasing to the eyes. No shavings everywhere.
Other than the scratching, Penny has no problem with it. I just love them! Makes cleaning their cages a 10min job :)
 
I get my fleece from JoAnn's. If you look in the Sunday circulars, there are often 40% off coupons off any one item in the store. So I can buy a few yards of fleece for very cheap.

Because my hedgies are very messy, half the cage has a liner and the other half where the wheel is has paper towel on the bottom. It makes for easier clean up for me (I clean hedgie poo at least two times a night... mainly because it's stinky for me.)

But indeed, my hedgies also like to dig and they ended up just scratching at the fabric not getting anywhere. For Spike, I have a digging box for him with the newspaper pellets and some torn up paper towel. Since Jack has eye problems, I made him a digging box with cut up pieces of fleece. So maybe a digging area like that would still keep your little one happy.
 
Another great pro : liners allow you to easily spot off colored pee/poo and bleeding, since hedgies hide illnesses well it is important to be able to spot symptoms like these early.
( So be sure to choose a light coloured fabric :) )
 
I use liners here. I made the choice because of my family's allergies and asthma. Lucy seems to be pretty happy with them.

She is litter box trained though.

She does like to burrough though, so I put some fleece strips and a small blankie for her to dig and burrough down into. She does scratch where she sleeps, but I just rotate that corner about.
 
I use a layer or two of fleece from the dollar store. A $1 baby blanket makes one liner and two blankies. It makes cleanup sooo much easier, especially for Phoebe, who really puts the "pig" in 'hedgepig'. They look nice and wash up easily.

The only negative thing I've ever had happen was once (Christmas morning, of course) Ronnie got a piece of fluff that was still attached to the liner wrapped around one of her teeth. Getting it free was a challenge but we did it eventually. That was one occurrence in a year and a half, so I'm not too concerned.
 
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