Fleece liners are an increasingly popular bedding choice for guinea pig cages, and for good reasons! Fleece liners are not only an eco-friendly alternative to other substrates, but they are also comfortable, less messy and money-saving (check our article the ultimate guide to using fleece liners for guinea pigs to know more). With so many benefits, it’s no wonder that fleece liners are sworn by so many guinea pig owners, all over the globe.
Because every guinea pigs' parent dream is to be able to keep their cage cleaner for longer, here are for you 7 essential tips to keep your fleece liners cleaner for longer!
Tip #1: Change the location of your guinea pigs shelters
As prey animals, guinea pigs will often spend a lot of their time sleeping, eating, or resting in their hiding places (what a life to be a guinea pig!). As they enjoy the comfort of shelter, the amount of time spent lounging around their hideys means more time spent peeing and pooping in the same area! To keep your fleece liners fresh and clean for longer, consider changing up the location of your guinea pig hideys in order to give the busy spots a chance to air dry.
Tip #2: Turn the fleece liners round in the cage
If you wish to keep your cage layout much the same and you don’t wish to move your guinea pig’s shelters around, that’s okay too! You can simply rotate the entire fleece liner to achieve a similar result. For the same reasons as stated in tip number 1, by rotating your fleece liner each day, or every couple of days, you will give your the busy spots a chance to air dry.
Tip #3: Grab any opportunity to air dry your fleece liners
As apart of your guinea pig routine, it may be helpful to incorporate some time to air dry your fleece liners. When your guinea pigs are enjoying their floor time or any time outside of their cage, snap up the opportunity to remove you piggy fleece and air dry it! Whether it is 1 hour or as little as 30 minutes, hanging up your fleece liners to air dry will keep them fresh! If it’s a nice day outside, why not hang them in the garden for even a faster result?
Tip #4: Use pee pads in high traffic areas
When using fleece liners, many guinea pig parents will often opt to use pee pads as well. Pee pads are smaller sized liners that are placed on top of high traffic areas. They are also machine washable and a great way to keep your piggie’s home clean. You can purchase pre-made pee pads, such as the ones offered at Kavee in our guinea pig accessories section.
Tip #5: Do not use strong-scented detergents when cleaning your guinea pig cage
Guinea pigs have a strong sense of smell and are sensitive to strong detergents and fragrances. When washing your guinea pig cage and fleece liners, avoid any detergents that are heavily fragranced as it can trigger your piggies to scent mark. Scent marking is a way for your guinea pigs to keep their environment familiar but, we warn you, it does not smell good!
Tip #6: When cleaning, always leave something from the previous cage
For the same reasons in tip number 6, guinea pigs enjoy familiarity. It’s important that, when you change out your guinea pig’s fleece liners, you leave something behind from the previous cage layout, so that your guinea pigs are reassured. This could be an old pee pad, soft toy, cuddle cup etc.. If the cage is cleaned out completely with all of your guinea pig’s scents removed, your guinea pig will try to quickly scent mark their territory. This will again, result in a messier cage as they rush to establish their smells.
Tip #7: Keep your liners clean with a daily swipe
Did you know that guinea pigs can poop up to 150 times a day!? That’s a lot of poop! By performing daily spot cleans, a quick sweep up of your piggie’s poops will keep your liners freshened up.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed our top essential seven tips for keeping your guinea pig fleece liners clean. By following our tips above you will be able to keep your liners for longer and your guinea pigs happy and healthy!
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