Fleece bedding help?

[Black Viper Skull]

Ever since I 'adopted' my Chinchilla, Thumper back in April, i'v been debating different bedding. The first 2 days I had him, I used pine, because thats all we had for him. We finely got him some Aspen bedding, and we've used that ever since. I love it, but the only problem I have, is Thumper is a very jumpy and excited chin, and he gets it everywhere. Hes currently stationed in my room, and my room is very small, and so its pretty much all over the floor, all the time xD i'v seen people use fleece as an alternative, and i'v been considering it. Now, a couple of weeks ago, I went to good ol' Wal-Mart, and found these fleece throws. I'v got two of them, and both are pretty much used as blankets, because they can be quite warm. :3 Since I don't exactly live close to the stores anymore, we don't take too many trips out, and when we do, I usually don't go along, so I can't get any more fleece until I go to the store again, but this is my question:

Would it be alright if I washed one of these fleece throws, cut it into 2 pieces, and used that as bedding? I would have to attach all four corners to the cage with binder rings, but that's okay. Also, if it is alright to use these, is there a certain way to wash it? If I remember correctly, fleece has to be washed a certain way, or I just may be imagining it. Any help is appreciated greatly, and i'm sure Thumper will be grateful. x3

 

[EternallyCynical]

If they're anything like the fleece throws I've seen in stores, its probably not a good idea to use them with a chin. I've used them for cheap+fast material for crafting and found that when cut, they tended to 'shed' a lot of fuzz. If your chin is a fleece eater and chews a hole in this or nibbles at the edges, they could be ingesting more fleece than they should, which is definitely hazardous. Chins should only have arctic/blizzard/polar fleece (different names for the same stuff, names sometimes vary depending on where you buy it) that is anti-pill and wont get fuzzy on you. A couple of layers of this sewn as a closed liner or a pillow-case style to go over the entire tray is fine, but I wouldn't cut out a single layer of any random fleece throw and try to use that. I would wait until you can get back out to the store or order in some appropriate fleece. If you don't really sew, there are people on here who make/sell liners, although if your cage isn't a Ferret or Critter Nation, it might be more difficult to find pre-made liners.

 

[chinchillachris]

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I just though I'd chime in since I recently switched to fleece on Tuesday. Anyway,
I agree with EternallyCynical, I don't think you should use the fleece throws since it's recommended that Chinchillas only have blizzard or polar fleece (I guess there's chance that the throws you bought are that material, but if it's not on the tag, I wouldn't trust it). What I did is I went to JoAnn Fabric (it's a craft and fabric store. There's a good chance there's one located by you. Here the link to their store locator so you can see if there's one close by http://www.joann.com/stores If there isn't one near you, you can always order from them online). The price for the fleece at JoAnn was pretty reasonable, I bought 9 feet of fleece for 15 bucks. Good luck!

 

[akane]

You don't have to have just blizzard or polar fleece. Those are simply brand names. There are dozens if not 100s of safe brands of fleece. So long as you get plain fleece cut off a bolt and not finished or fuzzy blankets it should be fine. I did use some of those cheap walmart blankets for emergency guinea pig cages in the past but I don't suggest it. Go to a good fabric store online or otherwise and get some off a bolt.