Best Bedding for My Guinea Pig
A guinea pig wrapped up in a blanket
What to Consider When Looking for Guinea Pig Bedding
There are many factors to consider when looking for guinea pig bedding. Of course, the main factor is how comfortable the bedding will be for your guinea pigs. Guinea pigs have very sensitive feet, and a rough bedding can be quite irritating and can cause their paws to become sore and painful over time. They are also quite sensitive to strong smells and lingering particles in the air, so it’s important to find a bedding that has minimal odours and dust.
Not only do you want to consider the benefits for your piggies, but also how a bedding may benefit you too. You’ll want to ensure any bedding you use can be easily removed and cleaned. Beddings can harbour plenty of bacteria, fungus, or any other disease-causing pathogens, making it crucial to change them out regularly while cleaning.
How to Clean Guinea Pig Bedding
Before buying any new type of bedding, you should also look at the ideal ways of cleaning them. A guinea pig enclosure should be spot cleaned daily and deep cleaned weekly, so knowing the best way to clean the bedding is essential for helping the process go smoothly.
Most disposable beddings, such as paper and wood shavings, are made with the intention of being thrown away after use. For your daily spot cleanings, you should target any large poop patches or wet bedding and top off the areas with fresh bedding. For the weekly deep cleanings, you should completely remove all the bedding from the enclosure, both the dirty and clean, fully disinfect the area and then replace it with new bedding.
The process of cleaning reusable beddings, such as fleece liners, is a little different. These are able to be put in the washing machine on a heavy-duty wash or on the bedding setting with a non-scented detergent and no fabric conditioner.
Once washed and ready for drying, you can put most fleece liners in the tumble dryer on a low heat, and then hang up to dry if they are still a little damp after a cycle.
How Often Should You Change Guinea Pig Bedding
To keep up with general hygiene standards and your cleaning routine, all beddings should be fully replaced with clean bedding once a week. A constant change of bedding will help prevent the possibility of pathogens building up and will prevent your piggies from constantly walking around on soiled bedding. However, depending on the quality of your reusable bedding and their absorbency, you may need to change these out multiple times a week.
Different factors, like the weather, should also be considered when changing your bedding. If you have an outdoor piggy, then both reusable and disposable bedding may need to be changed more regularly as it may be building up more dirt and moisture.
How Much Bedding Does a Guinea Pig Need?
The amount of bedding needed will depend on the enclosure type and what bedding is being used. For most disposable beddings, generally you would want about 1-2 inches of bedding to ensure it’s nice and soft on your piggy’s feet, but also enough to adequately absorb any liquid.
Reusable beddings are a little different, however. Higher quality fleece liners are intentionally made to be thick to aid in absorbency and softness, meaning a single layer of fleece is required to make a homely enclosure. Of course, if your enclosure size requires more fleece’s side by side, then feel free to pop down another.
If fleece liners aren’t your style, then some people do opt for a simple soft blanket as their bedding. In this case, you’ll probably want to have several layers of blankets to ensure your piggies are completely comfortable running around their home, and that the blankets are able to absorb any liquids without making the floor underneath wet.
A guinea pig wandering around their enclosure
Bedding Options Best to Avoid
When it comes to finding the ideal bedding for your guinea pigs, there are definitely a few options you should avoid as much as possible. Guinea pigs are animals with very sensitive skin and lungs, and there are certain types of substrates that can provoke certain health issues.
The main bedding to avoid is wood sawdust bedding. Unlike wooden shavings, sawdust is much finer and floats around the environment a significant amount. The dustiness of sawdust can lead to serious health problems if enough of it has been breathed in. Sawdust beddings are also often made of cedar and pine derivatives, which in itself is harmful for piggies. Cedar and pine both contain strong oils that can eventually lead to liver disease if interacted with enough.
Another bedding type to avoid is anything with a strong scent. Some brands, particularly wood shavings and paper, infuse them with essential oils or treat them with chemicals to make them smell a certain way. While we may be inclined to pick a bedding with a sweet scent, these can be quite damaging to a guinea pig’s lungs and are best to be avoided.
Top 4 Types of Guinea Pig Bedding
If you’re looking to bring a guinea pig home, or wanting to replace your current piggy’s bedding, then trying to filter through all the bedding options can feel extremely overwhelming. All piggy owners have been there before at some point in time, so to lend you a hand, here is a compiled list of some of the best types of guinea pig bedding.
Best Fleece Liners
If you’re looking for fleece liners for your piggies, then GuineaDad’s fleece liners are the perfect choice. These liners are made from the highest quality materials, with multiple layers to ensure full urine absorbency and mask strong odours. The several layers ensure the liners are super soft on your piggie’s delicate paws and keeps them dry at all times.
Pros
Incredibly absorbent.
Great at masking strong odours.
Soft materials to keep sensitive paws safe and dry.
Allows piggies to exhibit natural burrowing behaviours.
Cons
Have been known to shrink in the wash.
GuineaDad's guinea pig fleece liners
Best Paper Bedding
Kaytee’s paper bedding is an ideal option for those looking for an affordable and disposable bedding option. This paper bedding is incredibly absorbent and lasts well in between cleans. It is also super soft on the guinea pig’s feet and is a great option for those with piggy’s extra sensitive skin.
Pros
Great at absorbing liquid.
Soft padding for delicate paws.
Easy to move and dispose of when cleaning.
Easily affordable.
Cons
Not ideal for masking odours.
Kaytee's guinea pig paper bedding
Best Wood Shavings Bedding
Small Pet Select’s aspen wood shaving bedding is a great option for those wanting a more natural look to their guinea pig enclosure. This bedding is kiln-dried and is completely natural, so there’s no need to worry about any dust or wood oils irritating your guinea pig’s lungs or skin. It works well at absorbing both moisture and bad smells.
Pros
Great at masking odours and absorbing liquid.
Compostable and recyclable.
Ideal for guinea pigs with sensitive lungs.
Cons
A little pricier than alternative wood shavings.
Small Pet Select's guinea pig aspen bedding
Best Hemp Bedding
Aubiose’s hemp bedding is the perfect hemp bedding option for most animals, not just guinea pigs. This bedding is made completely free of chemicals to guarantee the safety of your piggies, contains no aromatic oils and is dust extracted to remove all dust traces. Hemp bedding is super absorbent, and the top layer always remains dry enough for your piggies to run around without dampening their paws.
Pros
Super absorbent and great at making smells.
A poor taste deters guinea pigs from eating it.
Low dust levels.
Easily disposable and compostable.
Cons
Disposable bedding will need to be replaced when cleaning.
Not ideal for insulating heat.
Aubiose's hemp bedding
