Guinea pigs are a popular choice to be the first pet because they are beginner-friendly. Guinea pigs are easy to take care of. They don’t require complicated treatment, but definitely, you have to make sure they are happy, healthy, and comfortable in their home, right?
One important factor that can keep them happy in their cages is bedding. You have to choose the right and suitable material for your pet’s bedding. The materials should be safe which does not lead them to any health problem or certain illnesses. As for guinea pigs, you have to know that naturally, guinea pigs live in grassy habitat, which means at least the type of bedding for their cage should be something soft and secure. A good quality bedding usually comes with a high price. But, what makes a bedding material type can be called good in quality in the first place, anyway? Well, a good bedding material is the bedding with a good and high absorbent, with odor control.
Choosing the right materials can be a little bit tricky because there are a lot of types of guinea pig bedding, vary from materials, types, and prices. You probably get overwhelmed by those options! But before you get more confused, this article can help you out. Here’s the list about some types of guinea pig bedding that you may want to consider! Maybe one of them can inspire you to decide, somehow?
5 Great Ideas For Your Guinea Piggy Bedding
1. Fleece
Fleece is a suitable material for your guinea piggy bedding. It is soft and comfortable for them to nest and burrow. Usually, the fleece is made of cotton or polyester with many layers, from the upper soft layer, absorbent middle layer, and bottom layer with waterproof material. Fleece bedding is also quite cheap and it is reusable!
2. Paper bedding
Beside fleece, this type of material is one of the most popular choices among guinea pig owners. Paper bidding is soft and good absorbent. But paper bedding can be dusty, which may lead to respiratory problems to your little friend. But still, paper bedding can be an ultimate choice for your guinea pig’s main bedding as long as you keep on clean it up regularly.
3. Aspen
Aspen is another recommended type of bedding because it is safer compared to other wood shaving types. Aspen is highly absorbent and it has odor control, so it will not make your home smell weird. Yet, aspen is safe for your guinea piggy’s respiratory system because it does not contain dust or scent. The downside is, aspen is quite pricey especially if you have to change it up regularly.
4. Hay
Hay is a cheaper option compared to aspen, but it is better for you to not use hay as your main and only bedding. Hay is natural and provides the main component of guinea piggy’s food, but it is also rough and non-absorbent so you might want to use it along with other types of bedding
5. On budget? Then make your homemade bedding!
You can find all of these bedding materials easily and purchase the packaged ones from pet stores, or if you are on a budget, you can also make it by yourself at home! For example, you can use shredded paper to substitute paper bedding. But one thing that you have to ensure is that the paper that you use does not have toxic ink in it because it might be harmful to your little friend. For recommendation, to minimize the risk, just use this DIY bedding as an emergency bedding and not as a long term one.
As for the fleece, you can make by yourself from cotton clothes and cotton towels that are readily available at your home! It might take a little time and effort because you have to sew it by yourself, but it is quite affordable, right? Whatever the type of material that you choose, you have to keep it clean and maintain hygiene. If you have to, change the bedding daily or regularly. Remember that guinea pigs are not doing well in a humid environment and they might get sick because of mold or bacteria from wet bedding!
- A no-no for you guinea piggy bedding
Another thing that important to know is the type of bedding material that you have to avoid. Some bedding materials are toxic to guinea piggy, including cedar, straw, corncob, and cat litter. Cedar might lead to respiratory problems and even liver damage to your guinea piggies because of the allergic reaction from it. So try to avoid cedar material at all costs! So does with straw. Long and rough straw may hurt your little friends’ feet. It is also a bad absorbent! Corncob and cat litter, on the other hand, can put the risk of intestinal problems to your guinea pigs and lead to serious infection if your guinea pigs accidentally ingest the bedding.
- Tips about preparing guinea piggy bedding
Lastly, here are some quick tips about guinea piggy bedding:
- The bedding should be deep enough to let your guinea pigs burrow themselves in it. They love to do that, so you may want to ensure to make it as comfortable as you can!
- To maintain their health, you have to keep their cage and their bedding clean and dry daily. So maybe it will be helpful to have a reminder set up for changing the bedding.
- During winter months, ensure to provide extra bedding to keep your guinea piggies warm.
And that’s a warp about great ideas for your guinea piggy bedding! Hope this article may help you out to decide which type of bedding that you need. Whatever it is, make sure it is safe for your little friend. We don’t want them to get sick or injured, right? Good luck taking care of them, hope you guinea piggy is always healthy and happy!