Cage is a home for our pet, but it’s more than just a decoration. We usually get over-excited on decorating our pet cage so it looks nice and natural, from adding toys, plants, even some little pieces of furniture. However, the most important thing is surely not on the look but instead, it is on how comfy and clean it is. Remember that your pet, especially small pets such as hamsters or guinea pigs, spend a lot of their time in their cages.
How hygiene the cage can play an important role in their health. Damp and dirty cage may lead to serious health problems, right? A dirty cage can put your guinea pigs to infections. A sick guinea pig will cost you more because then, you have to bring your little friend to the vet! Tiny bed would be nice to be put in your guinea pig’s cage, but space clean is way more important.
One of the hygiene issues about guinea pigs’ cage is their pee-pee. As a good owner, we have to change or replace the bedding regularly to keep their cages clean. However, constantly buying packaged bedding from pet stores can cost us a lot. It can be a problem if you are on a budget because keeping your guinea pigs’ cage clean is still a must!
Don’t worry, though! With some creativity and efforts, we can make our cage liners from our little friend’s pee pads! Besides, if you are interested, you can also make your own guinea pigs’ treats and homemade tunnel toys!
Save Your Money: How to Make Your Own Guinea Pig Cage Liners
Cage liners are important for the cage. There are also many advantages if you are making it on your own hand! Not only it save our money because you can recycle old fleeces or towels, but it also provides comfort for your guinea pigs, lets you customize the fabrics, the layers, and colors to suit up with the cage and your guinea pigs condition, and it is environmental friendly!
1. Preparing the materials
Making our own cage liners is not as hard as we thought. It is relatively easy to make, even if we are not a sewing expert! The first thing that you need to do is obviously prepare the materials. All you need is:
- Fleece fabrics; one set of liner need at least a top and bottom piece. It will be better if each of the parts has different colors or patterns so you can tell which way is the top or bottom. You don’t have to buy a new one. You can also use sore readily fabrics in your home, just ensure the fabrics are clean!
- Absorbent pads or waterproof fabrics to keep the cage floor dry and clean as an option; you don’t have to have this. Skipping this part of layer is completely okay. But if you want to, you can easily find and purchase this in the bedding section.
- Sewing machine, if you prefer not to hand sew the liners (because it will take a lot longer!)
- Sewing supplies like thread, needles, scissors, seam ripper, pins, and tape measure.
2. Measuring the liners
After you get all the materials, we can go to the sewing part! But first, to make it precise, measure the length and width of the cage with the tape measure. Then, add 1 inch to each measurement for your fabrics’ size. This extra inch will be helpful when you sew the pieces together. We don’t want the fleece to be too short or small for the cage floor after we sew it, right? Remember to have one piece for the top and one piece for the bottom of your liners! You can pick any colors you want! After you get the measurements for your liners, then carefully cut it with scissors.
3. Fabrics, assemble!
Well, your piece of fabric will not assemble automatically, though. You have to sew it together! First, lay your top fabric right side up and then lay the bottom one right side down. If you have your absorbent layer, add it to your fabric-sandwich with the absorbent side facing up. Then, pin the layers together so it will not move or change position when you sew it. Use the half-inch seam allowance that we prepare before to sew it together. Remember to not to finish all the sides! Leave an opening on one side because we have to flip the fabric inside out later.
4. Finishing touch
After you flip the fabric inside out, then sew the opening hole closed. Then you can start sewing through all the layers. No pressure! Because it does not have to be extremely precise. You only have to make sure the layers will not moving around and to keep everything together. You can also finish the rest by hand-sewing if you find it easier.
That’s it! Your homemade cage liners as you guinea pigs’ pee pads are ready to use. Making a cage liner by ourselves is not that hard. In addition, you may want to make at least two liners, so you can use one while the other is being washed. Yes, you still have to clean it up regularly. It also will be better for you to choose the washable fabrics to make the liners.
Those steps above are only the basic on how to make cage liners, so you can go wild with your creativity. You can play with fabrics colors, patterns, or even use the reused fabrics. The main idea of making age liners is not only to save up our money but also to let us customize the liners with our (and the guinea piggy’s) needs! Lastly, having cage liners, not a bedding or wood shaves that you can dump right away after it gets dirty, means you have to commit to clean the liners regularly. So, good luck!