Contemplating switching to liners...

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Free2Dream

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When I picked up Annabelle from the breeder, we had a discussion about bedding. My primary experience with small animals consists of rats, which absolutely have to be kept on certain kinds of bedding to avoid certain health risks. I was surprised to learn that hedgehogs can be kept on pine, which is a huge no-no for rats. The breeder herself keeps her hedgies on aspen. When I asked her about liners, she said that she doesn't know why people use them, since hedgehogs are burrowing animals.

Anyway, I now have Annabelle on pine shavings. The only thing is that I don't like having to pick them off of her every time I pick her up, and I am paranoid about her contracting mites since I think she already has a minor case. (Vet appointment has been scheduled.)

So my question is... do hedgehogs actually appear to like liners over shavings? I'm just worried that they will create too much laundry. (I live in an apartment and have to hold off on doing my own laundry because it's so expensive - more than $2 a load.) I don't want to have to be washing dirty liners every other day, and I don't exactly want to have to store the dirty ones in a hamper or anything - I personally wouldn't mind, but I have my roommate (who is not an animal person!) to consider, so I'm torn.

Thank you in advance for any advice. :)
 
Personally, I use aspen shavings. I tried liners for a while, since it seems like the better option. But Luna hated them! She tore up her cage every night for a week straight, so I finally gave in and gave her the aspen back. She's been happy ever since. So sometimes liners just dont work out, but if Luna would accept them I'd would use them.
 
I had a huge mite outbreak from pine shavings. I had to change to liners. It wasn't worth $300 a month to go to the vet to get Revolution (and my vet wouldn't refill the Revolution without coming in for my hedgies to be seen). I would either change to aspen or liners.
 
threewingedfury said:
I had a huge mite outbreak from pine shavings. I had to change to liners. It wasn't worth $300 a month to go to the vet to get Revolution (and my vet wouldn't refill the Revolution without coming in for my hedgies to be seen). I would either change to aspen or liners.
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OMG, I didn't know Revolution was that expensive! ugh. Good thing I love her! :p

Adhafera, the breeder said that her hedgies threw a fit on liners, too. Personally I think I would prefer shavings if I were a hedgie. :)
 
Revolution itself isn't expensive. It was $20 per vial, which lasted a month for me, but the checkup added up each time I went in because I had to take each of my hedgies for them to give me enough Revolution for them all.
 
Mine have all liked their liners. They will burrow underneath if they want to. I've also provided digging boxes filled with Carefresh or fleece strips for any hardcore burrowers. :) Generally I only have to change liners once a week, but of course I spot clean every day.
 
Winston is on liners, and I've added thick strips of fleece in his pigloo for him to burrow under. He tends to burrow under in the winter and in/around it in the summer. He's pretty clean too, so I only change his liners about once a week. I've got 5 (I think), and just do a load at the end of the month

Kendra
 
I keep Dexter on liners - I also live in an apartment, and hold off on laundry. I go to fabric/crafts stores and look though the remnants bin whenever I'm there - it's just leftover pieces of fleece that's too small to put back on the shelf to make much with, so it's 50% off. It's usually plenty to make 2 or 3 liners from though, and then I can change them once or twice a week as needed, while still having enough until I do laundry.
 
I've used liners for about 9 years now. And aspen, carefresh, and cell-sorb before that for 4-5 years. Liners have been much better. There are so many benefits to using them that I would never consider ever going back.

If you use a light color liner you will be able to detect changes in color of their urine and feces (detecting blood too) much quicker than on a substrate bedding. We discovered a tiny drop of blood in a urine spot with one of my hedgehogs. Turns out he had a bladder infection and we caught it before he got very uncomfortable with it.

You also don't run the risk of substrate bedding getting stuck in sensitive areas. No chance of mites coming in on them. Plus they are reusable/washable. There is less of a risk of respiratory problems caused by dust from the substrate. And NO wood shavings on the floor!

I've had several rescues that had lived their lives on pine or aspen (including my newest boy). Some have taken more time to switch to the liners than others. I have had some that would try to burrow under the liners for a week or two but after that they figured out what was going on and life was fine. With those that burrowed I gave them fleece to burrow/hide under. Often providing the extra fleece resolved the issue.
 
Annie first had aspen shavings but then I switched her to fleece liners and I would never go back to wood bedding! The liners are so much easier and cleaner. I love it and Annie seems very happy as well with her liners. To give her something to burrow in, I just cut up lots of pieces of fleece and she'll dig in that- since she loved to burrow into the aspen bedding.
 
Love, love, love the liners! I'm sure in the long run you save money too by washing & reusing. I use 3 and just rotate them.
 
Thanks for the responses guys! I am still contemplating the pros/cons. Annabelle does love to burrow, but I suppose that if I supply her with fleece strips to nest out of, she won't really notice the difference. She loves to cuddle in towels anyway.

Do most of you who use liners have your hedgies litter trained, or not? How often do you have to change the liners, every couple of days?
 
I have my baby on a fleece liner and he loves it. I just have one of my old shirts in his igloo for him to burrow in (Ive only had him for a few days so the shirt gets him use to my scent). On the other side I have his litter box with carefresh that I clean every couple days and I plan on washing his liner once a week.
 
Phoebe has trained herself to go on the paper towel I put under her wheel. I only have to change her liner once a week or so.

Xander, on the other hand, is still learning. He just goes wherever he happens to be standing when the urge hits! I change his liners every 2-3 days. I'm hopeful that he'll figure out what the litter box is for eventually though. :)
 
I am liking those liners. I use Carefresh right now, but its such a mess. I need to measure the cage and get a quote.
 
I'm in the process of making my own liners. I'm switching back to them. I'm sick of shavings! I would love to use them for my spiny mice too- afraid they would chew them to bits though.
 
I use liners with my hedgie. The breeder he came from was using pine shavings, and he had a terrible case of mites. Three vet visits and treatments later I think we finally got him taken care of. I keep three liners and rotate them every two to three days or so, and I spot clean the cage each day. So far so good. I gave him strips of fleece in his igloo and he burrows in every day, so I guess he likes it. I personally think the fleece liners are probably cleaner, and of course, you don't have the cost of having to buy shavings.
 
Maybe I will dust off my sewing machine and attempt making them myself. They seem easy enough. Fulci's got like the biggest cage Super Pet makes. But its just one big rectangle. My biggest gripe with the Carefresh is how when I pick him up, he brings about a cup of Carefresh with him. I have to pick it out from between his spines. He does like to dig though, so I will try the bow of flee ce strips.

So with this whole liner thing...Its generally printed cotton fabric on the top and is it fleece or velor on the bottom? Does Walmart generally sell that fabric? And if he goes under it, his feet will be on the plastic floor, they are okay with that? I mean, right now, Fulci is new to me. I've only had him one week as of today. But I've been putting my t-shirts in there after I wear them. He has not stopped sleeping in his box and started sleeping in my t-shirts, which tickles me pink of course. Maybe I can make him one of the little tent too.
 
My liners are 3 layers, flannel/fleece/flannel. I have been thinking about trying a corduroy/fleece/corduroy set though as I know a couple of people who use it and are very happy with those as well. I just haven't been able to find a light colored corduroy yet in the store. I prefer light colors (I mostly use a pale yellow) as they show blood and other discolorations very quickly.

If you do not want to sew, you can just use fleece though. Just cut a piece the size of your cage, or put in a couple of layers. I don't use the fleece because I have had a couple of diggers who ended up with fleece fluzzies wrapped around their toe nails. Didn't cause any harm to the hedgehog, but it was a hassle to get off of their nails. The flannel has held up for several years of scratching with no holes being torn into it yet.
 
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