Alternative for Fleece Liner

[miyonette22]

Hello!

I am currently using wood shavings as bedding for my hedgehogs. I use the best suitable ones that I can find. Though I am able to afford a regular change of bedding for them, I feel like I still want to save some from buying those shavings and use the money to buy some more useful stuffs for them. I want to try to use fabric liners for them too.

I know fleece is a warm kind of fabrics. I'm thinking if there could be any other fabric that I can use as an alternative for fleece. It is hard to find fleece fabric here in my country since it is a tropical country and I live in a hot area where temperature can get to as high as 40 degrees celsius and low as 18 (except for higher areas which are colder).

I will be the one who is going to sew them. I'm a very crafty person. And this will give me a lot of time to burn while at home. I hope you guys could help me.

[Lilysmommy]

Cotton or denim fabric would both be cooler than fleece. I'm not sure if flannel would be cooler or not...I think I've read that some people use flannel for a summer liner, so it might be. Those would all be acceptable options too. Really, if you're going to sew them, you can use just about any fabric that won't be easily scratched up by hedgie nails. Fleece is just often recommended because it can be used without sewing if needed, since it doesn't unravel or produce strings. Make sure when you sew the liners that you hide seams inside!

[miyonette22]

Thank you. Flannel is widely available here since they are used for babies here. Maybe I'll just scour through fabric stores for options. But if there are other suggestions, I'll appreciate it very much.

[Annie&Tibbers]

Corduroy also works. Really, anything strong, solid, with no loose weave or loopy textures that can catch tiny toes.

[zoetheshort]

Cotton sateen? It's very tightly woven and smooth. You would have to hem it.
Heavy weight, densely woven linen if you can find it.

[Nancy]

Cotton and denim both work well and are cooler than flannel and fleece. I have some cotton liners I use in the summer and they certainly are cool to the touch. You can use blanketing in the middle for absorbancy and to make it thicker and comfy with cotton on top and bottom.

[miyonette22]

Thanks to all of you! I wasn't able to find fleece around my area so I decided to go to the city to look for it as well as better options on cotton and denim and lower prices on them.

I just want to ask if what can I use to make the liner thicker or a bit softer because I'm thinking that the hedgehog might get confused when I change their bedding and what can I do to make it stick to the bin. Is the way on how to make hedgehog liners the same as how to make liners for guinea pigs?

[brittbritt]

I have guinea pigs too and the fleece liners I use for them I use for my hedgehog too. The lady I buy it from sews towels on the back side to absorb the pee that comes thru the fleece. She sews it in a way that none of the towel is showing on the top side of the fleece.

[miyonette22]

I have old towels bound to be used as rags. Maybe I can use them together with the other fabrics. Thanks for the idea brittbritt!

[Lilysmommy]

I'd make sure you have another fabric underneath, covering the old towels (especially if they're ratty at all). Some hedgehogs like to liner-dive (and some do it at random, even if they've never done so before), so it'd probably be best to go with the assumption that they might still get to the towel even if it's on the bottom.