# Securing fleece liners



## ali_g123 (Feb 6, 2015)

Hi, I've never used fleece before for my rats and thought I would give it a go this time. I've been watching lots of videos etc but not really sure of the best way to secure the fleece. The cage I'm getting has a deep plastic tray at the bottom and so can't just be fixed around the edge with clips I don't think. Has anyone tried velcrow at all or do the rats just pull it up? Also do people put towel under the fleece or something else to absorb the urine? One last question where do people that live in the UK get their fleece from I'm struggling to find it cheaply.
Thanks


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## Sabatea (Aug 23, 2014)

I use a sort of diaper material under my fleece. It works absolute wonders at absorbing a lot of liquids. I believe it's called Zorb? Or, at least, that looks like what I have and it seems like a good product to use if it's not what I have.


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

Do you have an Ikea near you? If so, I suggest the Borris mats. I'm a believer now.

We did the fleece liner for a bit, and it was a little aggravating. Using the DCN, we would tuck the fleece under the tray, but the rats were so determined to pull on it. And once they bunched it up enough, they would chew on it until they can create a hole to crawl into, and they crawled around under the fleece, which negates the benefit of the fleece.

I know there are people who can use fleece liners, but I'm not going back. Of course, if you don't have Ikea, then Borris becomes less likely for you (I suppose you can order them). 

Binder clips did help a lot, but they were only temporary fixes for us. I wish you luck. Maybe your rats won't be quite as destructive as mine. Mine are females, and they explore a lot.


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## ali_g123 (Feb 6, 2015)

Yeah I'm getting three females in a few weeks. My last two females hardly chewed they only chewed the chews I put in for them but I didn't use fleece. I have an ikea near me so will get some mats. I'll just put the fleece in for them to make bedding out of and might try making some hammocks. How do you clean the mats can they go in the washing machine? (I don't think I'm allowed to put them in the machine though) So other methods would be appreciated.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

ikea is good for cheap fleece to. i would recommend putting a decent digging box in the cage if your not going to use substrate. Digging is an important behaviour for rats. 

To be honest though since your in the UK why not go for shredded card, it's not to messy keeps the smell down better than fleece or mats, is pretty cheap and widely available as horse bedding and let's the dig a bit too


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## ali_g123 (Feb 6, 2015)

Ah right well I've decided to use the fleece I bought to make hammocks and toys which look really cool and then I'm either going to try mats or shredded card. I want to litter train them though won't shredded card be harder as it seems more like litter?


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## relken0608 (Jul 11, 2013)

Im also somewhat new to fleece, but i can tell I'm never going back lol I use either zip ties (hard to get off when cleaning is needed, until I found wire cutters) or leather shoelaces. I'll cut a small hole in the fleece or felt and string it through, tie it up, then cut off that part from the rest of the string. Usually about 3 inches. Triple Knot the shoelace, and it's held for a good long while for me.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

How do you clean the Borris mats from Ikea?


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

LilCritter said:


> How do you clean the Borris mats from Ikea?


I did put my mats in the washer. I read on here differing opinions on washing. I found that the mats can handle being washed on hot. I don't know how long they'll last. I figure that'll be my experiment. If they deteriorate too quickly from being washed, then I'll spend $6 to get new mats and reconsider my washing options.

I read about some people rinsing them off with a hot shower and soaking them in vinegar water to neutralize the urine smell. I prefer the washing machine method.

Caveat: I have a front-loader washer, and it is a very high-capacity one. I don't know if a top-loader washer is different. I wouldn't think so.

Oh, and you may want to remember to remove the stickers first, but I've washed 12 of these so far, and the stickers just come off without disintegrating, so sticker removal may not be a big deal. Just make sure you remove the stickers before you do new laundry. 

And we're making hammocks out of our fleece too. I might make some ramp covers, as one of them is already chewed up.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

Do they fit on the FN/CN shelves? It looks like one Borris mat would fit the half-shelf, but I don't remember the dimensions off the top of my head and I'd like to be sure. Also, does anyone have a picture? I'd like to see how it looks.


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

LilCritter said:


> Do they fit on the FN/CN shelves? It looks like one Borris mat would fit the half-shelf, but I don't remember the dimensions off the top of my head and I'd like to be sure. Also, does anyone have a picture? I'd like to see how it looks.


I don't have any pictures, sorry. I wouldn't have time to do it tonight, but maybe this week. I can make no promises, though. 

I bought six for my DCN. I originally bought three, but I think I misunderstood a post. Maybe that post referred to a SCN.

I put one mat on each of the shelf pans. It doesn't cover all the way, so I may have to vacuum the edge of the shelf after removing the mat, but it's better than having no mat at all. The bottom has two mats. This leaves a couple of inches uncovered. I cover part of this with a litter tray. The uncovered part hasn't been much of an issue. It's the side closest to the window and away from the rest of the room, so they aren't too interested in that side of the cage. Needless to say, the water bottle doesn't go there. 

The top tray is interesting because of the corner cut out for the ramp. Having two mats do cause the gap to be covered, so we took scissors to the mat and cut about approximately 2"x8" (if I was at home, I could measure and tell you for certain). That fits on the tray. It also provides a little strip that can fit in that uncovered gap. I have another litter tray up there, so I use that to cover the remaining uncovered corner. 

If I was really concerned about the gaps left by the Borris mats, I could buy an additional mat and cut it into 1"-to-2" strips. It'd only cost a buck to do. So far, I haven't been worried about it.

The mats got chewed a little bit, but my rats aren't interested in them. My wife said that she watched our oldest chomp down on the mat and then opened its mouth repeatedly like it was gagging on the taste (even though rats can't barf).


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

Hahaha, maybe the latex didn't taste so good. 

Well, guess I'll make a stop at Ikea sometime and pick up 6 to experiment. Do you change out the mats weekly?


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## Kuildeous (Dec 26, 2014)

LilCritter said:


> Hahaha, maybe the latex didn't taste so good.
> 
> Well, guess I'll make a stop at Ikea sometime and pick up 6 to experiment. Do you change out the mats weekly?


So far. This is still new to us, but I make it a point to swap them out weekly. Once I saw the mats were doing a good job of soaking up urine, I filled out my inventory to 12. That way I can vacuum the mats and then throw them in the washer. I then lay the others down after I wipe down the plastic trays. Then when the washer is done, I let those mats air-dry and stash them under the cage for the next weekly cleaning.

I doubt I could make this a biweekly event. The urine smell does start to accumulate.

Also, we have three rats that are 3 months and younger. More numerous/bigger rats may change that schedule for us.


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## ali_g123 (Feb 6, 2015)

I think I'll try to start out with borris mats and then I'll see how that goes. Suppose I won't really know what's best for my rats until they arrive. I'll stick a digging box in for them too so they have somewhere to dig (hopefully they won't try to get under/through the borris mats)


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