Fleece liner question

[MissGuardian]

I have some(or a lot) of questions about fleece as bedding..
Why do you use fleece?
How often do you change it?(and how big cage/how many rats do you have in it)
Do you hand wash, or in the washer?
My ratties are not litter trained, does that matter?

I have a cage that is pretty much identical to a CN, and I use YN everywhere..
It gets fairly expencive, since I use almost half a big bag of YN every cleaning :gaah:
How long does a liner generally last before it´s shredded?(I do not know if I have chewers or not)
I tried searching, but I didn´t really find anything.. :wallbang:

 

[Chevalrose]

Why do you use fleece?

I use fleece because, like you said, buying YN got expensive. To me it's easier and more cost effective to just wash fleece.

How often do you change it?(and how big cage/how many rats do you have in it)

Once a week minimum regardless of how many critters. I usually vacuum and spot clean throughout the week. Now that I have 8 boys I'll probably change it twice a week, we shall see how smelly it is.

Do you hand wash, or in the washer?

Washer. I shake them out really well and wash them with our regular detergent and some vinegar.

My ratties are not litter trained, does that matter?

Mine aren't weren't either, it was hit or miss, lol. Spot cleaning helps.

How long does a liner generally last before it´s shredded?(I do not know if I have chewers or not):

When I had my R-695, the liners lasted roughly...4-5 months before I pronounced them dead. I just got the CN and so far they haven't touched them...so we'll see how long they last!

 

[MissGuardian]

How often do you change it?(and how big cage/how many rats do you have in it)

Once a week minimum regardless of how many critters. I usually vacuum and spot clean throughout the week. Now that I have 8 boys I'll probably change it twice a week, we shall see how smelly it is.

My ratties are not litter trained, does that matter?

Mine aren't weren't either, it was hit or miss, lol. Spot cleaning helps.

How long does a liner generally last before it´s shredded?(I do not know if I have chewers or not):

When I had my R-695, the liners lasted roughly...4-5 months before I pronounced them dead. I just got the CN and so far they haven't touched them...so we'll see how long they last!

How do you spot clean? I wash my cage every week now anyway.
Is it something they´ll learn if I switch? Mine periodically goes to the litter box if I have them on the couch on a fleece blanket.

I hope mine will too then.. My girl loves chewing anything dangerous and electrical, so I´m a bit sceptic.. I see it in my head her shredding it within minutes :wallbang:

Also, how do you make liners? I have read some descriptions, but I didn´t understand much of it :emb:

 

[Chevalrose]

Pick up stray poos and things (put them in the litterbox if you have it). I use a small handvac to vacuum up the poos and the HT crumbs...and any chewed cardboard/tissue/etc.

You really have to be consistent with litter training, putting poos in there on a regular basis and leaving a few in when you change the litter (which should be changed every couple days depending on how many ratties you have and/or if it starts to smell). Certainly helps keep smells down when you get the poo out of their cage more often.

 

[MissGuardian]

Pick up stray poos and things (put them in the litterbox if you have it). I use a small handvac to vacuum up the poos and the HT crumbs...and any chewed cardboard/tissue/etc.

You really have to be consistent with litter training, putting poos in there on a regular basis and leaving a few in when you change the litter (which should be changed every couple days depending on how many ratties you have and/or if it starts to smell). Certainly helps keep smells down when you get the poo out of their cage more often.

Thanks a lot for the answers!
I tried litter training my old boys, but I guess I didn´t try very hard :giggle:
I only have three ratties
How do I go about making the liners? Preferably I want them to fit as snugly as possible so they won´t be chewed too much..
I suck at sewing, so I might ask my aunt for help anic:

 

[Chevalrose]

I suppose it depends on what you have. You said they were identical to a CN...do they have the same pans? I use the bedsheet method that momrat uses. I gotta perfect it a bit though I also cut towels to shape of the pan (3 high) and put the liner on over those.

 

Why do you use fleece?

I use fleece because bedding is too expensive, rat's like it and because it's dust free

How often do you change it?(and how big cage/how many rats do you have in it)

I have a double double FN ..right now i am using fleece bought from the fabric store which is wrapped around the linrer pans and tapes on the bottom, I change it every 3-4 days ..currently waiting from liners from momrat ..hoping I'll get longer out of them. Oh and I have 7 in my double double FN.
I also have a single FN ..but I only use fleece on the shelf ..because the two rats I have in that cage destroy the fleece in minutes when its on the bottom.

Do you hand wash, or in the washer?

Washer. I use ABC detergent.

My ratties are not litter trained, does that matter?

You should train them when you put them on fleece ..its only easy ..get dollar store dishpans and place under ladders and fill with YN ..when they poop, put the poops in the pans ..change every few days. You will never get them to pee fully in the pans.

How long does a liner generally last before it´s shredded?(I do not know if I have chewers or not):

My double double FN cage dont have chewers ..I only recently switched so im not sure how long one will last.
my single FN has chewers and fleece dont last not even an hour (on the bottom) ..hopeing momrat liners will last longer.

i also suggest having a few sets!

 

[MissGuardian]

I suppose it depends on what you have. You said they were identical to a CN...do they have the same pans? I use the bedsheet method that momrat uses. I gotta perfect it a bit though I also cut towels to shape of the pan (3 high) and put the liner on over those.

I do not know if it´s the same pans, as we don´t have cn´s here, but it´s this cage.. http://www.berriewoodwholesale.co.uk/det/1359/Savic-Royal-Suite-95-Double-Cage/

 

[MissGuardian]

Why do you use fleece?

I use fleece because bedding is too expensive, rat's like it and because it's dust free

How often do you change it?(and how big cage/how many rats do you have in it)

I have a double double FN ..right now i am using fleece bought from the fabric store which is wrapped around the linrer pans and tapes on the bottom, I change it every 3-4 days ..currently waiting from liners from momrat ..hoping I'll get longer out of them. Oh and I have 7 in my double double FN.
I also have a single FN ..but I only use fleece on the shelf ..because the two rats I have in that cage destroy the fleece in minutes when its on the bottom.

Do you hand wash, or in the washer?

Washer. I use ABC detergent.

My ratties are not litter trained, does that matter?

You should train them when you put them on fleece ..its only easy ..get dollar store dishpans and place under ladders and fill with YN ..when they poop, put the poops in the pans ..change every few days. You will never get them to pee fully in the pans.

How long does a liner generally last before it´s shredded?(I do not know if I have chewers or not):

My double double FN cage dont have chewers ..I only recently switched so im not sure how long one will last.
my single FN has chewers and fleece dont last not even an hour (on the bottom) ..hopeing momrat liners will last longer.

i also suggest having a few sets!

Thanks a lot for the advice!
I´ve just recently(very recently, like three days ago) tried hammocks.. I figured, if she don´t tear apart the hammock within a few days, there is hope..
Hopefully they won´t tear it apart too soon..
I expect she will tho.. But a fleece blanket costs about 5$ here, and I spend about 1000$ a year in bedding alone.. So they would probably have a lot of tearing up to do to reach that price..

 

Can you buy fabric off rolls, and get as much as you need cut off?

I buy mine like that, and wrap it around the pans, and tape them underneath the pan its self. I tried tucking, but they just pull it out. The tape keeps it tight (duct tape)

 

[MissGuardian]

Can you buy fabric off rolls, and get as much as you need cut off?

I buy mine like that, and wrap it around the pans, and tape them underneath the pan its self. I tried tucking, but they just pull it out. The tape keeps it tight (duct tape)

I probably could, but it´s rather expencive here..
If I understand what you mean tho :giggle:

 

Have you looked at momrat's liners?

I have one set ordered for each cage ..on the way ..and after Christmas I am getting 2 more sets for each cage!

 

[MissGuardian]

Have you looked at momrat's liners?

I have one set ordered for each cage ..on the way ..and after Christmas I am getting 2 more sets for each cage!

No I haven´t, but shipping here would be rather expencive, wouldn´t it?
I don´t know if it would fit the cage either tho:/

 

[MomRat]

Wow, I didn't even feel my ears burning. :giggle:

We use fleece because we like being economical in all ways. None of our cages have ever had deep pans for traditional style bedding, and we try to avoid throw aways in all facets of our life - I will use cloth diapers for my children whenever they come along, we use cloth towels instead of paper whenever possible, I am working toward using all cloth and no disposables for my time of the month(still building up a stash, there). Fleece is the better choice for spending less, and for creating less trash. Plus it comes in lots of pretty colors!

With 3 boys in a double CN, we change the liners once a week. We changed them twice a week when they were only living in half of it, and we change the hammocks once a week regardless. We wash all our fabric rat bedding(liners, hammocks, burrowing scraps) in a normal washing machine with detergent and white vinegar. Our boys are lazy and never took to litter training, although we're going to try with our new girls. We just sweep up the poops every night or two and life goes on.

We use the liners that I sell, that have been referenced here - I started making them last January, and we've been using the same ones since then. They've gotten some small holes in the corners that I have stitched up, but even if I had not been a sewer/unable to fix them, they would still be usable. I think my liners deter chewing because there's nothing to really get a hold of - people that just tuck fleece comment that it all gets pulled up, they burrow under it, and then the nesting instinct kicks in and you have a bunch of holes in your fleece. My boys occasionally go spastic on a hammock here or there, but they're not big chewers - some of my customers have such bad chewers that they can't afford liners, and cheap blankets are their best bet. It totally depends on your rats. =)

 

[MissGuardian]

Wow, I didn't even feel my ears burning. :giggle:

We use fleece because we like being economical in all ways. None of our cages have ever had deep pans for traditional style bedding, and we try to avoid throw aways in all facets of our life - I will use cloth diapers for my children whenever they come along, we use cloth towels instead of paper whenever possible, I am working toward using all cloth and no disposables for my time of the month(still building up a stash, there). Fleece is the better choice for spending less, and for creating less trash. Plus it comes in lots of pretty colors!

With 3 boys in a double CN, we change the liners once a week. We changed them twice a week when they were only living in half of it, and we change the hammocks once a week regardless. We wash all our fabric rat bedding(liners, hammocks, burrowing scraps) in a normal washing machine with detergent and white vinegar. Our boys are lazy and never took to litter training, although we're going to try with our new girls. We just sweep up the poops every night or two and life goes on.

We use the liners that I sell, that have been referenced here - I started making them last January, and we've been using the same ones since then. They've gotten some small holes in the corners that I have stitched up, but even if I had not been a sewer/unable to fix them, they would still be usable. I think my liners deter chewing because there's nothing to really get a hold of - people that just tuck fleece comment that it all gets pulled up, they burrow under it, and then the nesting instinct kicks in and you have a bunch of holes in your fleece. My boys occasionally go spastic on a hammock here or there, but they're not big chewers - some of my customers have such bad chewers that they can't afford liners, and cheap blankets are their best bet. It totally depends on your rats. =)

Thanks a lot for the long answer!
I would prefer liners sewed to fit it tho..
But it looks like my savic cage has deeper pans than your cn´s?

 

[MomRat]

All our trays are as deep as it looks like the Savic's half-shelf are(not quite a full inch). I can't tell if the tall pieces are part of the big trays? If they aren't then its similar and we could compare sizing. =)

 

[MissGuardian]

All our trays are as deep as it looks like the Savic's half-shelf are(not quite a full inch). I can't tell if the tall pieces are part of the big trays? If they aren't then its similar and we could compare sizing. =)

The back side of the shelves(the part that is close to the walls) are higher than the rest of the shelves.
The pans are the same hight all the way around(the thinnest part of the shelves I guess)

 

[MissGuardian]

I will be buying fleece blankets tomorrow
My aunt has agreed to make two sets for me so I can test it anic:
Fingers crossed they won´t chew it to shreds!! :wallbang: