Guinea pig fleece bedding. Will it wreck my washer dryer?

[DustandRubble]

I am preparing to get two guinea pigs in the coming months and was wondering about bedding. We have fortnightly rubbish collections and a cat who uses a litter tray so I am keen to keep bedding waste for piggies to a minimum. (Piggies will not be accessible to the cat).

I’ve been reading up about fleece and like the idea for being reusable. My plan is for the piggies to be indoor, with an outside run, so I want something fairly mess free.

My one concern is washing the fleece and what it might do to our washing machine. We have a washer dryer and I know how prone they are to breaking down. Am I likely to clog it up with bits of fur, hay and whatever else?

Any other suggestions for indoor pig bedding that is light on waste? I have seen that some people use wood cat litter, we use this for the cat although not sure the stuff I buy is small pet safe.

I have used fleece liners without issue for my hedgehogs. The pigs poos are solid little pellets so can be spot cleaned daily. Just make sure that you shake the fleece off to remove any hay. You will need 3-4 liners to keep on top of cleanliness.

Thank you. That is useful to know. What do you use under the fleece for your hedgehogs?

Fleece is great for pigs, just wash them a few times before you first use them, then always have spares to swap them around. Hoover/scoop/pick the poops up, they are like little biscuits and solid.
Shake the hay off before putting it in the wash, I just shake it off in the garden.
Pigs shouldn't shed too much hair depending on the breed, regular brushing will help with long haired pigs.

Enjoy the piggies!

I use vetfleece.co.uk/vetfleece-laundry-bag-sky-blue.html for our rat bedding. I just hang the whole bag up by the hooks and leave everything inside to dry too.

That bag looks like a good idea, thank you!

I am very excited about the idea of piggies. In theory they are for my kids, but actually they are mine.

I don't use fleece my pigs like hay. I've tried all types of bedding but they always end up cramming their ample bottoms in the hay .
I've done a hay trug for GP1/GP2 who squeezed themselves in ignoring the nice fleece bed , and a washing basket full of hay for GP3/GP4/GP5 who again ignored my lovely fleece.

I have used Primark fleece , the coarse thin one , it wicks better than the soft plush ones. Tied in a pillowcase and using something like Ecover. Piggies are sensitive to detergent smells and it is right under their noses.

One winter I bought really cheap fleeces cut them into squares and put them under their houses. They have puppypads and newspaper . Base layer rodent friendly wood cat litter. I only used them for one day so not very environmental .

Guinea-pigs create a load of waste unfortunately. Have you got a compost bin? They create good compost

Oh, arm yourself with a rubber brush (Lakeland do a really good one Brush Buddy about £5) great for taking the hay/fur and droppings off.
They do very inoffensive almost dry droppings but they make them stick to fleece.
And they like to pooh/pee/eat where they sit (manky little tykes)

For the indoor cage, We use fleece and a horse rug washing bag, similar to the one above.
It's so much tidier than other things we've tried.
Use megazorb in the hutch.

My piggy girls seem to moult quite a lot, but I just give the fleece a bit of a shake before it goes in the machine. The hay and fur has never caused a problem with the machine and the filter-thing is clear of fur when I check it. The fur just fluffs up nicely as it's tumble dried and gathers around the door seal of the machine - I pick it out and run the machine empty on hot before I do any other washing. I once forgot and ended up with a rather furry load of clothes!

I use lots of old towels under the fleece, works well. I always put a squirt of white vinegar in the dispensing drawer with the detergent because it's great for getting rid of smells.

I also use megazorb in their 'play area'. Used to buy it on-line until I realised I could get it at half the price from a local equine supply shop, cos it's used in stables - so if you decide to try it, shop round