There are two options for fleece bedding:
- Make your own – buy a length of fleece
- Buy a pre-made guinea pig fleece liner such as those from GuineaDad (require more cautious cleaning to avoid shrinkage)
Pre-made liners usually come with their own pre-care and washing advice but I’ll go into more detail on DIY fleece bedding.
If you buy a length of fleece (I have this lovely paw print fleece!), you’ll need to wash it before you use it.
Fleece needs to be treated so that it “wicks”. This means that liquid can pass through the fleece layer rather than sitting on it’s surface.
This is simple to do. All you need to do is wash your fleece a few times. It can take anywhere from 2-7 washes before it wicks properly. This will also help you to shrink the fleece before cutting it to size.
Make sure you don’t add any fabric softener to the wash. You’ll want to check your washing powder/liquid/pod doesn’t include fabric softener or you’ll be wasting your time! Fabric softener prevents the fleece from wicking.
To test whether your fleece is done, place it on top of your absorbent layer and pour a few drops of water on top. If the water sits on the surface, it’s not done. If the water goes through the fleece, it’s done!
You need the water to pass through the fleece so that your guinea pigs are not sitting in their urine when it’s in their cage.
Now your fleece is ready to be cut to size and placed in your cage.