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Rosie snuggles in her new fleece cage liner
Disclosure: This post describes a sample product sent for consideration by the company. Editorial content is based on personal experience with the product and is not influenced by advertisers, public relations representatives, or other third parties.
What happens when you can’t find that perfect cage liner for your guinea pigs, no matter where you look?
If you’re Si Hyung Lee, aka GuineaDad, you make your own.
GuineaDad’s Fleece Cage Liners
GuineaDad logo
Si Hyung Lee — Founder and CEO of GuineaDad, an online shop selling cage liner products for small animals — cares for three female guinea pigs named Peanut, Tofu, and Dumpling.
When Tofu, the youngest of Si’s guinea pigs, got bacterial conjunctivitis, he knew he had to find a bedding solution that was easy to clean and super-absorbent.
GuineaDad Fleece Cage Liner
When Si began looking for a suitable bedding, he wasn’t happy with the low-quality products he kept finding, and he wasn’t entirely satisfied with DIY solutions. So he set out to create a better (and dare we say, more stylish) guinea pig cage liner.
Thus was born GuineaDad’s Fleece Cage Liner.
Si contacted us a little while ago asking if we’d review his new product. Naturally, we were interested in when he told us the GuineaDad’s Fleece Cage Liner is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, odor-resistant, and super-absorbent. We wanted to see if his claims held up to a HappyCavy cage test.
On to the results!
Guinea Pig Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the white part of the eye. Because guinea pigs are so low to the ground, it’s important that the bedding they are on can be cleaned regularly and thoroughly so they don’t pick up infections.
Packaging Score
Score: 5 out of 5
The box doubles as a cavey hidey!
As soon as the package hit our doorstep, one thing stood out: GuineaDad really cares about their product – and they’re an expert at branding.
The liner was carefully packaged in a cardboard box bearing the GuineaDad logo for optimal Instagram-readiness. In a clever stroke of packaging genius, the box doubles as a guinea pig hide-away with perforated hidey holes. Clever! (Unfortunately, our guinea pigs are a little too big to fit through the holes, but it would make a great temporary hide-away for smaller guinea pigs.)
Along with the fleece came two letters. One outlined the story of GuineaDad and Tofu and described why they feel this product is better than other fleece cage liners. The other letter was an informational sheet which outlined the product benefits and care instructions.
We received the “2×3 C&C” liner with a pink pocket, which is designed to fit a 2×3 cubes and coroplast cage at approximately 27 inches by 41 inches. At the time of writing this review, this liner retails for $49.95.
Quality
Score: 5 out of 5
#fleecelife
The outer layer of the fleece liner is made of a stitched neutral gray diamond-pattern fleece. Attached to the top of the fleece liner is a brightly-colored pink hidey pocket with a prominent GuineaDad logo patch sewn into the fabric. Do your cavies like to burrow? Now they have a burrow-friendly fleece to indulge their natural instincts.
GuineaDad’s website describes the inner absorbent layer as made of a “custom-blend premium bamboo fiber,” which is advertised as “naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial and odor resistant.” While a cursory internet search about bamboo’s anti-bacterial properties turned up some mixed results – anti-bacterial depends on the type of material blended with the bamboo fabric – it’s safe to say that the odor-reducing properties are enough to keep us interested.
The absorbent inner bamboo fiber layer is sewn into the fleece which keeps it from shifting around when being used.
Putting it to the Test
Score: 4 out of 5
We used the guinea pig fleece liner for two days in Winnie and Rosie’s cage. During our use, we spot cleaned the liner as we normally would clean our guinea pigs’ traditional fleece bedding.
GuineaDad claims that the liner can absorb three times its weight in liquid. While we didn’t even come close to testing this claim (that would be gross), the liner is extremely absorbent.
Before letting Winnie and Rosie try out the fleece liner, we were instructed to wash and dry the fleece at least three times before using. GuineaDad says this is necessary to allow the initial coating of the fabric to wear off. So wash and dry three times we did.
(Side note: After the liner was washed, it did shrink a bit – but the instructions said this could happen. We followed the care instructions and stretched out the fleece after it dried, and it mostly filled out to its original size.)
After washing and drying three times, we did a quick liquid absorption test. As you can see in the video, liquid wicks into the diamond-pattern stitching and immediately absorbs into the inner layer.
Rosie and Winnie tend to go potty when begging for treats. This was a good trial run. Plz don’t judge.
To be honest, we’ve heard a lot of claims from a lot of people about their cage liner products. GuineaDad was no different. But when it comes to claims of being super-absorbent, GuineaDad is spot on. This fleece is amazing! Once liquid hits the fleece, it immediately absorbs into the inner layer, leaving the top surface dry and soft. Usually, you’ll feel a little dampness…but this fabric remained surprisingly dry.
Thanks to the liner’s absorbent properties, it would be the perfect bedding solution for older guinea pigs, like Feebee, who tend to move only when they have to – and usually are content to lay in their wee. We are constantly drying Feebee’s bum area, so this fleece is a great solution for Feebee’s senior needs.
Absorbent cage liner = no wee in sight
And about the fleece pocket: Winnie and Rosie couldn’t get enough! It was plenty big enough for both pigs to hide together without starting arguments about who gets to hide and who has to wait. Even if the guinea pigs left poos in the hidey pocket, the bottom layer was soft enough that the poos didn’t get mashed when they were stepped on.
Winnie’s favorite part may have been the GuineaDad logo patch. A natural chewer, Winnie made it a game to see how fast she could gnaw out the stitching. Fortunately, she didn’t get far at all. Both the patch stitching and fibers are tightly sewn, probably for this very reason.
Final Score: 5 out of 5
That’ll do, GuineaDad. That’ll do.
GuineaDad’s cage liner is easy to clean, creatively made with a hidey pocket (or without, it’s up to you!), and lives up to its claims of being super-absorbent.
More Information
Check out GuineaDad, read their story, and check out GuineaDad’s super cute photos of Peanut, Tofu, and Dumpling on Instagram. Tell them HappyCavy says “hi”!
Tell Us What You Think
Have you used the GuineaDad fleece liner? What do you think?
Or maybe you have a question about our review? Let us know in the comment section below!
The best for your guineas!!!