# few quick questions about cage options



## austin (Aug 17, 2010)

I'm trying to reorganize my hedgies cage in a better way. But have a few questions.

1. Why do people use fleece or felt? Is it better than bedding? What about when they poop or pee on it?

2. If I did half the cage fleece and other bedding, would he be more apt to not going potty on the fleece?

3. I see most people have lofts, do your hedgies actually use these?


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## nibletsmom (Dec 20, 2010)

I can't offer advice on a loft because I don't currently have one in the cage that Niblet is in. I do plan to add one eventually when we upgrade him to the FN-142.

The fleece however, in my opinion, is a much better option than bedding. Almost everyone here uses it. It has a lot of pros. It is easy to clean. For Niblet, I usually change his fleece liners and do a complete cage cleaning once a week. At the beginning of the week, I layer about 4 fleece liners and put them in the cage. We spot clean them in the morning when we wake up after he has wrecked his cage from the night before. We just scoop all the poop out and put everything back where it should be. At this time I also wipe out his wheel with a wet paper towel and a little ivory detergent. When the top liner gets soiled, I just take the top layer off and then still have others underneath. Then when needed, you can just shake the liners out (outside) and then throw them in the wash.

This is easier than dealing with bedding. It is easier to clean and cheaper in the long run. The fleece is a little more expensive in the beginning but you can reuse them over and over...whereas the bedding, you must continue to buy.

I am not sure what kind of bedding you are using but bedding tends to me messy also.

And one more thing, some bedding is not ideal for hedgies....for example, the corncob bedding can get stuck in a little boy's private and the wood bedding can cause chips and splinters and again...go in private areas. The carefresh....well I don't know about it being dangerous (I could be wrong about that) but in my opinion...it is just super messy and hard to clean.

As far as going to the bathroom in one area of the cage as opposed to the other....I have no advice on this. Niblet poops where ever he wants, whenever he wants! haha! :lol: 
We attempted to litter train him but we had no luck. He is now almost 5 months old and I have noticed over the past month that his poop is much much less and that he goes mainly in his wheel area.

I hope this helps. I know more advice will come.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Niblet did a great job answering your questions...she's spot on.

Snarf is litter-trained and only goes in the litterpan and on his wheel. He 'arrived' as an adult this way, so I can take no credit. I know some people will put litter in a pan - Yesterday's News is a popular choice - no clay or clumping cat litter; no wood shavings; no sand...many just use a paper towel...then add some of your hedgie's poop to the pan...hope for the best. You may find keeping the pan under the wheel helps both in reminding hedgie what to do with it & in helping keep the cage clean, as most pooping seems to be done during wheeling.

As for a ramp, some hedgies use them and some ignore them completely. The thing to remember is the ramp, as well as the edge of the loft must have high sides (8" comes to mind) to prevent falls. Even a 3-4" fall can hurt little hedgie feet and legs.


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## austin (Aug 17, 2010)

I have a plan for the loft as of now. Just debating if I want to do it. Lol.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

austin said:


> I have a plan for the loft as of now. Just debating if I want to do it. Lol.


Is there any way you can make a 'proto-type' that's similar and safe but not as 'finished'...that was you'd know if the loft is going to be used by your hedgie...or for storage. :roll:


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## austin (Aug 17, 2010)

I'm just going to make it. I'll post pictures when its done.


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## Kenzi (Aug 29, 2010)

https://picasaweb.google.com/1126885331 ... 1756/Mila#
https://picasaweb.google.com/1126885331 ... 1756/Ebba#

Those are albums of my girls and their cage set ups.

What kind of cage do you have that you are trying to modify/reorganize?

lots of people use fleece with a litter box/pan. My girls are litter trained now and pretty good about using it.

Mila's first cage had a loft and she loved it! I am now certain that i will be getting a Ferret Nation, and will be modifying the shelves into hedgie safe lofts for my girls to use. Mila loved to sleep in her loft, it was kinda like a bunk bed 

Felt is not safe for hedgies to walk on, it can get kinda frayed/torn up over time and can catch toes/nails.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Kenzi said:


> Felt is not safe for hedgies to walk on, it can get kinda frayed/torn up over time and can catch toes/nails.


That's a great point...I missed the 'felt' reference. Even fleece tends so get fuzzy - or Snarf's does - all the scratching & digging to get into the corner - and I am forever picking off little poppy pieces of fuzz.

I have found - after becoming a frequent shopper at our local fabric store - that the 'best' (softest, fluffiest) fleece isn't always the best for hedgies. I told the sewing store lady who I was buying the fleece for and she helped a lot!


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## nibletsmom (Dec 20, 2010)

Good catch on the "felt"....I missed that.

I recently bought some new fleece for Niblet. I found 2 different patterns and bought 4 yards for about $30. This made about 14 new liners. I decided to replace some of the older ones because one of the types of fleece I previously bought was green in color and fuzzy! Everytime I would have Niblet in my lap, I would be picking out little balls of green fuzz from his quills!! 

The fleece that I recently bought is thick but not as fuzzy. I also found that this fleece washes better and doesn't ball up after several washes.

You can also cut the fleece into strips. I do strips about 2" x 10" and have them in his dig box and in his tent that he sleeps in. He loves his fleece strips. He always drags the strips from his dig box into his tent to sleep with...even though he already has a ton of those strips in his tent already!
As for washing those strips....I purchased a mesh laundry bag (in the laundry section...I got mine at Wal-mart) but you just shake them out really good and throw them in that bag and toss them in with the regular hedgie laundry!


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## Kenzi (Aug 29, 2010)

nibletsmom said:


> The fleece that I recently bought is thick but not as fuzzy. I also found that this fleece washes better and doesn't ball up after several washes.


Sounds like No pill or anti pill fleece 

Pilling is when the fleece forms the little balls. Pill fleece is typically of a lesser quality, which means it's also less expensive. No-pill fleece costs more but it's made of a better quality fabric. It also holds up longer than its counterpart. When you purchase no-pill fleece you are actually prolonging the life of the product and saving money in the long run. Without the pilling, you can use the product longer and won't be forced to remove the excess fabric and buy/make regular replacements 

I highly recommend washing the fleece before you cut it. When I wash it, it always stretches in one direction and shrinks in another, i have some goofy liners that didn't fit quite right because I forgot this step, so they changed after I cut them


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## nibletsmom (Dec 20, 2010)

Kenzi said:


> I highly recommend washing the fleece before you cut it. When I wash it, it always stretches in one direction and shrinks in another, i have some goofy liners that didn't fit quite right because I forgot this step, so they changed after I cut them


I did this the very first time I made liners!! :lol:

I cut the liners to size and then tossed them in the washer. After I dried them and pulled them out, they were crazy looking!! I ended up cutting most of these liners up into fleece strips because they were too odd shaped to use as liners.

I learned my lesson. I now wash the big piece before cutting it!!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

nibletsmom said:


> Kenzi said:
> 
> 
> > I highly recommend washing the fleece before you cut it. When I wash it, it always stretches in one direction and shrinks in another, i have some goofy liners that didn't fit quite right because I forgot this step, so they changed after I cut them
> ...


Me, too. :roll: Snarf has a garbage bag full of fleece strips. A Glad Hefty-sized bag.

I never seem to learn lessons, however: I have twice cut before washing and, no matter how many times and how carefully I measure, they are exactly an inch too short - EXACTLY and inch. Jamie won't let me do it anymore. :roll:

The first one I made, from Jamie's 'blankie' (big baby) I didn't measure at all - I just held it up to the cage, guessed and 'eyeballed' it and it fit perfectly. That was the last one that fit. :roll:


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