Cloth nappy inserts to huch liners?

[Sprogonthetyne]

I'm hoping get some guinea pigs soon but still in the planning stage. I've been looking at fleece cage liners, but wincing at the cost of getting 2 sets for the cage I'm hoping to build (£100+).

I have a stack of cloth nappy inserts my toddler has finished with and several fleece blankets I wouldn't mind cutting up, so was wondering if i could make something with that? I'm thinking of showing the inserts together in a grid, to make a mat then a layer of fleece above and below. Will that work and be safe for piggies?

Also will I need to incorporate a waterproof layer? Or can I just put it on top of something waterproof?

Can you not just use sawdust and hay? I think a fleece liner will stink. I imagine the custom made ones are made of moisture wicking fabric?

Back in the 90's my childhood guineas had sawdust, but aparently that's no longer recommended as the dust causes them breathing issues. The nappy inserts are the moisture absorbing part, and if they can manage a 2yo wee, I assume they can take a guinea pig wee.

Not sure about the blanket fleece tbh, from what I've seen they seem to be made off standard fleece, but maybe someone will come along and tell me it's a specific type?

Small animals wee a lot, you'd be washing the fleece/other fabric daily or it would get really smelly. For an indoor cage I would use a wipe-able flooring like 'lino' across the whole floor of the cage with hay in their nest box/bed area and a small litter tray with small pet suitable litter. Train them to use the litter tray by wiping up wees with a bit of tissue/newspaper and placing it in the litter tray. They will get the hang of it.

You can use newspaper over the flooring if you want, just replace it daily.

Whatever you do, with indoor guinea pigs you'll need to do a qquick clean up daily. They're very messy!

I had lino underneath and fleeces on top. They were easy to wash and dry and one could be replaced easily if needed instead of a whole big one IYSWIM. You need spares though. I also had a couple of litter trays and with megazorb and hay for them to sleep in/munch on. They would like those to be covered to give them a hiding place. I would also suggest a couple of tunnels