U-Haul Pads

I made the switch to all fleece bedding all the time just over two years ago.  Before that, only the upper portions of the guinea pig cage were fleeced (I've been doing that since I've had a C&C cage).  In general, I've been happy with a full fleeced cage.  I was recently reviewing old blog posts and realized I could use a few updates; my cage cleaning routine has evolved over the years.  So this is the first in a short series on my experiences with fleece bedding.  (If you're unfamiliar with using fleece bedding with guinea pigs, a great place to start is The Fleece Project.)

Layered up: U-Haul pad on the bottom,
then towel(s), then fleece

Fleece bedding smells best when it has a chance to air out.  Unfortunately Cannoli is a big drinker, which means she's a pees a lot.  I need to change the bedding more frequently and end up with a lot of stinky laundry.

I know some people use U-Haul pads or puppy pads.  When I made the full switch to fleece two years ago, I had several old towels on hand and saw no reason to purchase more bedding.  Cannoli's drinking is motivating me to research my options.  I recalled an article by Cali Cavy Collective about their experience with U-Haul pads.  (Check it out - she has way better photos than I do.)  She said that using furniture pads helped extend time between cleanings.  Extra towels wasn't working for me, so I figured this was an inexpensive solution to try out.

I bought one furniture pad mid-October for about $8.  I ran it through the wash a couple of times before I cut it up into pieces to fit all three levels in the cage.  One pad was enough to create two complete sets of bedding.  Initially they extended the time between cleanings, but after several weeks of heavy use, they didn't make much of a difference. 

Regardless, I really like the pads.  I think they do help a bit with the odor.  They are much lighter than the towels, both wet and dry.  They dry a lot faster than the towels, too.  And if you're purchasing bedding (rather than using cast offs as I did), for square feet of coverage, the pads a lot cheaper than towels.  Overall, I give them a thumbs up.  As the towels wear out or I need to expand the cage, I would certainly purchase another U-Haul pad.