I know I’ve mentioned before that I’d show you the best way to make easy fleece pads for Guinea Pigs. Today I’m showing you how to make simple Guinea Pig fleece pads for any size cage or habitat!
This method is simple, anyone can do it and you can hand stitch these pads or use a sewing machine. I’m going to be using a sewing machine so that it’s easier and quicker but if you don’t have access to a sewing machine this can all be done by hand.
How To Make Easy Fleece Pads for Guinea Pigs:
Using fleece bedding for Guinea Pigs is not just easier and cheaper, it’s also more environmentally friendly. I’ve show you the easiest way to do fleece bedding for Guinea Pigs but I know some people prefer to have the fleece pads for their cages.
I’ll admit I mostly use the method I show in the post lined above, but if you have Guinea Pigs who like to dig or mess up their bedding the fleece pads can be a better option.
The way I made my pads has changed over the years as I’ve perfected the process. This is kind of like how I make quilts as well! We’re going to need a few simple things to get started. You can get them wherever they’re cheapest for you, I’m going to link some supplies from Amazon that I have used and that I think are easy to get since they have Prime shipping!!
Here’s what you need to make easy Guinea Pig fleece pads:
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Fleece blankets or material
- Old towels or blankets
How to make easy fleece pads for Guinea Pig cages:
Before we begin make sure that you know the size you need for your cages. Measure the interior dimensions for your cage or habitat so you can make your pads the size they need to be when finished. I’m going to show you how I make pads for my cages. I use both C&C grid cages and Midwest Guinea Pig Habitats.
Cut your material. You’ll want to make sure you cut your first piece of fleece and your towels to the same size, they can be about 1/2 inch shorter the whole way around than you need your final dimensions to be.
Stitch the towel and the fleece layer together on all four sides. Keep your fleece layer facing up, that will be the top of your easy fleece pad for your Guinea Pig cage. Leave about 1/4 of an inch to the edge of your material so you have a good, tight seam.
Now you’ll want to lay your second piece of fleece with the back side facing up. So your print or pattern will be facing out. Put your attached fleece and towel pad on top with the fleece side up and measure 1 inch the whole way around and then cut the bottom layer to that size.
Fold the excess from your bottom layer over and pin it to the pad that you’ve created. This should create about a 1/2 inch boarder around the edge of your blanket.
Fold the edge up on opposite sides and then do the last two sides, this makes folding the corners in much easier.
Now carefully stitch the edge as close to your original seam as possible. This will give you a nice finished look without having to invert the material (like you would for pillows) and it allows the whole process to be done on the sewing machine so you don’t have to try and match your hand stitching to the machine stitching.
Tips for getting the easy fleece pads perfectly finished:
You can use the the finished fleece pads for Guinea Pig cages either way. The fleece is easier to clean and wicks moisture so you don’t have to worry about which way the pads get put down in the cages.
If you want you can do two layers of towels. I don’t like trying to stitch together such thick fabric, it leads to a lot more broken needles for me so I usually just put down a towel layer in the cage and then put the fleece pads on top!
Make sure to stitch to the edge in all directions. You may have to go back and finish the corners on the ends where you began. This just helps to keep everything nice and tight and finished.
If you are making extra large pads you can run a seam horizontally through the entire pad when you are finished. I usually do two or three depending on the size of the fleece pad that I’ve made. This helps to keep the middle layer in place when you wash it week after week! It’s kind of like knotting a quilt to keep the batting in place.
What else can I use besides towels in the middle of my pads?
You can use pretty much anything that you think will be absorbent. The fleece layer will wick away the urine and excess moisture from the top so you want something in the middle that is going to absorb that liquid so that the top layer can stay dry to the touch. Here are some other things I’ve used over the years.
- Old table cloths
- Sheets
- Old blankets
- T-Shirts and/or sweatshirts
- Extra fabric
- Moving blankets
The moving blankets are difficult to stitch. It’s not an easy process but they do make nice heavy pads that are very absorbent!
How to wash easy fleece pads for Guinea Pigs:
You can wash them as you would normal blankets and towels. I use the following process:
- Shake them out good to get any hay, poo, and litter box material off of them.
- Brush them with a broom or stiff brush to remove excess hair and anything stuck on.
- Throw them into the washer with a free & clear detergent or the On Guard detergent from doTERRA.
- Hang them to dry or put them into the dryer with no fabric softener. Fabric softener prevents moisture wicking so be sure to avoid it!
- Now they’re ready to be used again!
Looking for even more great content about guinea pigs?
Guinea Pigs are a big part of my world here at Charlie and The Pips. I’ve been slowly building a library of content that is hopefully helpful and relevant. Check these posts out for more small pet tips and tricks.
- What Can Guinea Pigs Eat?
- 5 Reasons To Rescue Guinea Pigs
- How To Litter Train A Guinea Pig
- Quick Tips For Guinea Pig Care
- Tips For Setting Up Midwest Guinea Pig Cages
- The Easiest Way To Do Fleece Bedding
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