# Alternatives to Fleece - Ideas



## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

So I just ordered a rat-safe cage for $80 (haha, now my mom can't back out of this one!), and was admiring some really nice fleece cage liners and hammocks...until I looked at the price. I'm getting two boys (unless I fall in love with the girlies instead), and I want them to be as happy as possible and have the comfiest beds as possible, but I don't really want to spend a fortune on something that will need to be replaced, especially not when I could easily make my own with a different material. Yes, fleece is nice and soft, but it absorbs smells in the most awful way (my rabbits taught me this) and is very pricey. So what about some alternatives..?

I have a ton of old clothing, some really nice flannel and tee shirts that are very soft, and too small for anyone except the cats (and they would kill me). I have some (pathetic) sewing and design skills (I make toys as a hobby), so I am going to take some ruined sheets, old cotton tee's, and old flannel (so soft!) and build some furniture for my future ratties! 

Are these materials all safe enough? I was planning on using some discarded sheets as a liner for the wire levels, and old shirts to build beds/hammocks/etc. The shirts are worn, so I'll need to double layer it. I also have some handkerchiefs that have no use, I could probably use those for something...does this all sound safe? Most of it's 100% cotton.

Thanks,
Pero


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## luvmyratties (Jan 7, 2014)

I think that would be ok..  just make sure they don't chew it too much! fleece would be better but u could wait till the fleece is on sale (I love it when its on sale!!) and you could use the clothes and stuff till then, or you could use both. I use some of my old clothes to make hammacks and stuff somtimes, it works pretty good,  I use fleece in my cage and it doesn't stink if you clean it enough, it is sooo much cheaper then bedding!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Id recommend getting a good substrate, something like aspen, hemp, carefresh, megazorb or shredded card. Sometimes a mixture works best. I use shredded card and hemp or something called bedmax which is a heat treated shaving you can get here in the uk, that combo is brill for keeping smells down and encouraging digging. I get big bales sold for horses too so its pretty cheap, a bale is about £7 and last me several months with my massive cage. Im not a big fan of fleece unless you have a rat that appears allergic to something or is so weak they can easily get around, then I only use it as a temporary measure. It may look pretty but theres not much interest or enrichment for the rats in that.


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## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

Litter type bedding will not actually work, as the bottom of the cage is wire, hence the need for a fabric or tile flooring. I don't much care for fleece either, but I have a mass amount of clothing/hats/sheets/pillow cases that can no longer be used. The litter box will be filled with carefresh bedding, but that's the only place I'll include it 

luvmyratties, why is fleece better? I've never owned rats, so I don't really know much in this case, only that they seem to love hiding in soft blankets or sleeping on fabrics.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Id make a tray for substrate out of corrugated plastic taped together over the mesh base or remove it, it will suit substrate well then.


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## luvmyratties (Jan 7, 2014)

well I think fleece is better because when you cut it then wash it doesn't "thread out" on the edges like when you cut up towls and such, it is safer, and its softer, it obsorbs pee better, and its cute lol! and doen'y use any kind of wood based bedding, it can cause URI, but yea fleece is great but the clothes and stuff will work too I think they will be very happy rats!


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## luvmyratties (Jan 7, 2014)

oh and maybe older blankets could work too if you have any, I use blankets some times and towls! as long as its not a towls with loops that there feet can get stuck in it could be fine too


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

luvmyratties said:


> well I think fleece is better because when you cut it then wash it doesn't "thread out" on the edges like when you cut up towls and such, it is safer, and its softer, it obsorbs pee better, and its cute lol! and doen'y use any kind of wood based bedding, it can cause URI, but yea fleece is great but the clothes and stuff will work too I think they will be very happy rats!


Aspen is fine though. All hardwoods are good but softwoods like pine and cedar(most common in pet stores) shouldn't be used. Some people use kiln dried pine which I don't recommend but it is okay.. Fleece, with a towel or some other absorbing material underneath, I also recommend because there is no chance of a rat having any problems with it. The fleece wicks the pee through it and the towel underneath absorbs it. That way, they aren't walking on their own pee. Though if you have chewers it might be a problem. It works well for me, but they sometimes pull the fleece that's tucked under the pan out and dive under :/ But with the new liners I made, they can't do that anymore


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## ratsaremylife (Nov 5, 2013)

I use towels! I don't think I'll ever use fleece, that's what I was going to use but didn't want to waste my money on fleece when I had tons of old towels. Besides, I use fleece on hammocks, I wouldn't want to have to pay for both!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Sylver (Sep 5, 2013)

I think the fleece ends up being a better investment in the long run, as you will likely not have to replace it nearly as soon or as often as other materials that they will be inclined to chew up. 

I was using towels under fleece for awhile, but I had cut them to fit the shelves under the fleece, and had not hemmed the edges, so they had to be re-cut of all the strings every time they came out of the dryer. Was worth it for the added absorbency, but a big pain and took a long time for a full clean. They also liked to get down to the towel, so they would chew through the fleece to do so. Holey fleece is difficult to clip on smoothly. 

I now have shelf liners that cost all of MAYBE $10 for all 3. Got the cheapest fleece I could find, and sewed fitting covers that just slip on and off from one end, double layer fleece on top, single on the bottom. They can't pull them off the shelves (which happens otherwise, then they find their way into the litter box), they're super smooth and soft, and they're quick to wash, so I've been doing with just one set so far (though I'm going to be making more soon for variety).


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## luvmyratties (Jan 7, 2014)

saratherussiandog said:


> Aspen is fine though. All hardwoods are good but softwoods like pine and cedar(most common in pet stores) shouldn't be used. Some people use kiln dried pine which I don't recommend but it is okay.. Fleece, with a towel or some other absorbing material underneath, I also recommend because there is no chance of a rat having any problems with it. The fleece wicks the pee through it and the towel underneath absorbs it. That way, they aren't walking on their own pee. Though if you have chewers it might be a problem. It works well for me, but they sometimes pull the fleece that's tucked under the pan out and dive under :/ But with the new liners I made, they can't do that anymore


yea lol I hate iot when the pull it up so I finallt got some pins to hold it down and it works AWESOME!!! and yea I usely use a towl underneath lol yes aspen is fine, I just worry bout wood, I have a rat die of URI, because at the petstore we bout her from they used ceder wood as bedding.


Luv my ratties, Oreo, poptart and marshmallow


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## Trenix (Aug 30, 2013)

Get carpet squares from the dollar tree, they’re only a dollar each and can be easily cleaned outdoors. They’re also easy to vacuum and you don’t have to worry about your rat’s chewing them up, because they’re extremely durable. You should also get some fleece as blankets for their nest so they can have a soft and warm place to sleep. I’ve used fleece as bedding before and it was horrible, they chewed and ripped it apart whenever they got comfortable with it. It also doesn’t contain the smell of urine very well.


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## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

You guys are all giving me great ideas 

I don't really want to invest in fleece at this point simply because I've already spent over $300 on the ratties, and I don't even own them yet (haha)! I'd much rather just use what I have here, especially if it will work just as well. Because of how the cage is designed I think I'm going to use some thick, old towels (still in great condition, but not in use) to line the bottom, and I might use out door carpet to line the shelves. Does carpet work alright with ratties? No worries about their nails, I keep an iguana on the same type of carpet and if her little talons don't get stuck in it a rat's probably won't either 

Also have a great idea for hammocks! My mom has a ton of really soft hats we got for free that she "donated" to the rat-cage-project, so I'll simply manipulate those into making some comfy hammocks!


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## relken0608 (Jul 11, 2013)

I've gotten a 2yd roll of felt from walmart for 5$. It doesn't sew well, you need a pretty thin needle and thread, but it's really pretty durable and I had it in their cages for a long while before i had to replace it--and i still have half the stuff in their cages still. I cut out a square, then folded to a triangle, sewed together, cut small holes in the corners, and attached to the cage via zip ties--both boys have used them a lot and they've sagged a little in two or three months but are still just fine.


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## saratherussiandog (Aug 9, 2013)

Perocore said:


> You guys are all giving me great ideas
> 
> I don't really want to invest in fleece at this point simply because I've already spent over $300 on the ratties, and I don't even own them yet (haha)! I'd much rather just use what I have here, especially if it will work just as well. Because of how the cage is designed I think I'm going to use some thick, old towels (still in great condition, but not in use) to line the bottom, and I might use out door carpet to line the shelves. Does carpet work alright with ratties? No worries about their nails, I keep an iguana on the same type of carpet and if her little talons don't get stuck in it a rat's probably won't either
> 
> Also have a great idea for hammocks! My mom has a ton of really soft hats we got for free that she "donated" to the rat-cage-project, so I'll simply manipulate those into making some comfy hammocks!


If you've got any around, check the thrift stores for fleece. I got a bunch(!) of really cute fleece for 8$( some fancy fleece costs this much per yard ) Carpet should be fine but it might be hard to clean or get stinky. I don't really know because I haven't used it. Their nails should be alright just make sure the towels don't have the loops in them, if you know what I mean.(<didn't mean it it a joking way)


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## shelbygrace97 (Oct 2, 2013)

I use towels and I love it, but they can be messy at times. I like the idea of carpet squares, so I may have to look into that. The towels are very absorbent, but not not the easiest thing to clean out necessarily. Then again I suppose boy rats are quite messy c; I'm also trying to find an alternative to fleece or maybe even my towels (even if they are working well).


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Most fabric stores are still having sales on fleece (I sew a lot and use a ton of fleece). I stocked up at Christmas at less than $3 a yard. I haven't stopped by my fabric store in a while, but they still have the sign out for fleece sales. I'll probably use it for my guys cage once I have time to sew his weekend. I'm debating making essentially a sort of pillow case in fleece the size as their cage bottom and then putting a towel inside it. I make big fleece pillow cases for my dogs beds so shouldn't be too awful.


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## Perocore (Jan 6, 2014)

Walmart's is pretty cheap, but I prefer using towels so far...we'll find out if that changes after I've had the boys for a bit, haha. 

I've worked all of the towels out, and now have the liners set up in the cage (picture on my cage thread), plus used all remaining towels to make a total of 6 hammocks


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