Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

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Great question! Guinea pig respiratory systems are so fragile that sawdust is out of the picture, even spritzed I'm afraid. Straw is unfortunately too hard and stalky for piggies, who are at risk of hay pokes. You could, however, use big mounds of soft hay (so not timothy, more like orchard grass?) on top of shavings (pine is okay, as long as it's kiln-dried and almost no oils remain); it also keeps your little ones nice and warm. Hardwood pellets with fleece on top are a pretty good option -- I've seen some people stretch a bag to six weeks or more on guineapigcages -- but are very heavy when wet (I use them in my litter trays).

Use the option that's easiest for you! You can always try something else in future.
 
Danielle Smith said:
Great question! Guinea pig respiratory systems are so fragile that sawdust is out of the picture, even spritzed I'm afraid. Straw is unfortunately too hard and stalky for piggies, who are at risk of hay pokes. You could, however, use big mounds of soft hay (so not timothy, more like orchard grass?) on top of shavings (pine is okay, as long as it's kiln-dried and almost no oils remain); it also keeps your little ones nice and warm. Hardwood pellets with fleece on top are a pretty good option -- I've seen some people stretch a bag to six weeks or more on guineapigcages -- but are very heavy when wet (I use them in my litter trays).

Use the option that's easiest for you! You can always try something else in future.
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Thanks! Yes I may need to experiment to find the best option for me and the piglets. I like the idea of fleece over hardwood if it lasts such a long time (besides washing the fleece of course), but I also want them to have something soft and warm to snuggle in.

Do you think bales of hay of the type given to horses would be suitable? I can get that for less than $10 USD for a whole bale, and then they could have as much as they want, instead of paying more than that for a little bag of it from the store.
 
Just check the hay is soft enough -- horse hay usually is, as they can be fussier than livestock! I recommend that if you go for fleece try to have some way to contain the hay; for instance a large cardboard box or cat litter tray that you fill with wood pellets and put hay on top. That way you won't go crazy trying to get hay seeds etc off the fleece -- the litter in the tray won't last as long as they'll spend a lot of time doing their business in there, but you can dump and replace as needed.
 
Hi guys,
Thank you this feed is really helpful.
I have a quick question though... I use finacard for my African pigmy hedgehog. Is this any good for guinea pigs? It's a recycled card mix which is good for sensitive feet and lungs. Also the chunks are bigger and less likey to get stuck in orifices
It hasn' been mentioned here so I'm assuming not but always worth asking :)
 
Monk & Teddy said:
Hi guys,
Thank you this feed is really helpful.
I have a quick question though... I use finacard for my African pigmy hedgehog. Is this any good for guinea pigs? It's a recycled card mix which is good for sensitive feet and lungs. Also the chunks are bigger and less likey to get stuck in orifices
It hasn' been mentioned here so I'm assuming not but always worth asking :)
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I've mentioned finacard a few times. I used that before I moved to fleece.
 
Monk & Teddy said:
Hi guys,
Thank you this feed is really helpful.
I have a quick question though... I use finacard for my African pigmy hedgehog. Is this any good for guinea pigs? It's a recycled card mix which is good for sensitive feet and lungs. Also the chunks are bigger and less likey to get stuck in orifices
It hasn' been mentioned here so I'm assuming not but always worth asking :)
Click to expand...
Yes finacard is fine for guinea pigs.
 
Does anyone know what the most budget friendly mattress protector that can be used under fleece is currently?

I'm eyeing up some proper incontinence pads but i havnt tried by hooligans with fleece yet, and if they dont take to it i dont want to have spent too much really!
 
Lemmy said:
Does anyone know what the most budget friendly mattress protector that can be used under fleece is currently?

I'm eyeing up some proper incontinence pads but i havnt tried by hooligans with fleece yet, and if they dont take to it i dont want to have spent too much really!
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Are you looking for washable or disposable? I have used both. I am using disposable incontinence pads that I change every other day at the moment.
 
JenniferG said:
Are you looking for washable or disposable? I have used both. I am using disposable incontinence pads that I change every other day at the moment.
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Reusable preferably. I may have to just bite the bullet so to speak and reuse to change back to shavings, my boys have me round their little fingers though :p
 
I was under the impression from previous threads that an absorbant pad covered in fleece lasts up to a week depending on size and amount of pigs of course, is this not correct? The ones ive been looking at are on amazon (trying to post the link but its coming out funky!)which are the best cheaper ones so far...
 
Oh one of those fleece liner things...not all of us use those, afraid I don't.
 
JenniferG said:
These work well...washable and can go in the drier. You can get different sizes. I would change these every other day. FibreFresh Standard Chair Pads - LOW PRICES

If you really want to spoil them, buy them vet fleece or vet bed rather than regular thin fleece.
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I use proper incontinence pads, pricey but worth it.. work really well for me and my fleece cage liners I make..
 
I found that foraging for hay bedding is very effective if you want to save money. It takes some physical labor but it is worth it in the long run because it saves trips to the store as well as high prices on bedding (why pay $5 for dried grass you can find outside, afterall!). Basically, all you need to do is find a field with grass in it and you can use scissors to cut it and bag it. Some grass out there will usually be the color of straw, so they will not be the same color as the hay people usually buy for guinea pigs. However, I have found my guinea pigs don't get sick from eating this kind of grass, nor do they seem to dislike it. I personally prefer to gather the longer strands of grass. Around my area, I can specifically forage for timothy hay, luckily, since there is alot of timothy grass near my home. I have also found alfalfa hay and other common varieties. When you forage for hay for use as guinea pig bedding, another advantage is that you can pick whatever extras you want to put into the mixture! I personally liked to pick some lovely wildflowers such as clover and dandelion. Kitchen scraps, like sweet potato skins, can also be added to the mix. My guinea pigs will nibble on their bedding and scurry around in it at the same time. Now that the weather is getting colder and less sunny, hay is harder to make out of grass, however. Wet grass has to be put out in the sun and allowed to dry before using as hay. During the colder weather, it is possible to oven dry the grass, though the results aren't as good or aromatic as sun drying. Me, personally, I don't mind using the wet grass as bedding. I find that the grass gets messed up easier and the moisture causes my guinea pigs's poop to turn sort of muddy, so it can get messy. However, I figured that wet grass was healthier for my guinea pigs since in the wild they normally would have eaten fresh green grass and not hay. I do use fleece too, but I dislike the fact that the bedding requires alot of washing!
 
Has anyone use c&e cosies and Ziggys for cage liners?

How do they compare to one another
 
I have used Ziggys for stuff like pee pads and they are very good. I don't have indoor piggies but if I did I would go to Ziggys for them without a doubt. I love the fact that nothing is too much trouble and the prices are reasonable.
 
Betsy said:
I have used Ziggys for stuff like pee pads and they are very good. I don't have indoor piggies but if I did I would go to Ziggys for them without a doubt. I love the fact that nothing is too much trouble and the prices are reasonable.
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I can get 4 liners for around about the same price as 2 from CandE :)

Going to place an order
 
Tilly92 said:
Would puppy training pads work ? With something softer for sleeping on ?
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I buy incontinence pads as they're more absorbent. You would want a fleece on top that has been washed without fabric conditioner so the urine wicks through it.
 
I have always used wood shaving for my guinea pigs, and have never had any problems
 
MamaPiggy said:
I would like fleece bedding, but there are some problems. I have to go to school, which takes a lot of my time. And my mom is allergic to guinea pigs, we did not know this until after she gave me 2 baby boy guinea pigs. So after I play, cuddle, or take them out for floor time, I have to to take a shower. And I don't have time to take 2 or 3 showers a day. So if there any way I can do a poop sweep once a day? Or every other day? And what should I put under the fleece, towels or newspaper? I have a 2 by 4 ft c&c cage with 2 boys. And can I use a pillow case instead of a hoarse bag, because they are expencive.
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MamaPiggy, Did you ever get an answer to these questions? I’m curious about the same things. I’m wondering if once a day for the poop pickup is sufficient for the fleece bedding. I have plenty of puppy pee pads to put underneath so I imagine I’ll use those, but I’m curious about using the pillow cases instead of the horse bags, too.
 
A pillow case won't close up...a horse bag has a zip. I find puppy pads too thin, I use incontinence pads and change/wash every other day.
 
knot the pillow case or put an elastic band /tie with string
i have not put fleece on top of the puppy pads as it is so hot at present. Will any fleece material work or is it specialist like vet bed ?
 
You can use either. I use a polar fleece, it's quite cheap and lasts quite a while. Vet bed and vet fleece are thicker and mine can go 4 days between washes but the pads underneath still need changing every other day. I wouldn't worry about the heat, they will feel the moisture if only on puppy pads. Mine chew plastic whenever they can, too.
 
Thank you for the suggestions! We are getting ready to move, and it’s a long trip. We’re going to need something a bit cleaner and more convenient than hulling around a big bag of bedding that will get tossed out and spilled all over the car and in the hotel rooms.
 
Personally, i really like fleece bedding. I have tried so many other bedding types but just found fleece the best. Although there is some more maintenance that goes into it, my piggies love the softness and i like that little wood chips don't get all over my room, because somehow, they always manage to get ALL over the room, even when i am most cautious. :)
 
Can anyone give advice on what to use on my floor as i have a outside sheltered run which is about 8x5 ft and inside shed which is 6x4ft which has a big hutch in rased off the floor so they can use underneath aswell i have it all coverd with lino i have put some pics of it ,it has not been finished yet .but just cant decide what to use any advice greatful as want to get it finished as soon as poss
 

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egglayer1 said:
Can anyone give advice on what to use on my floor as i have a outside sheltered run which is about 8x5 ft and inside shed which is 6x4ft which has a big hutch in rased off the floor so they can use underneath aswell i have it all coverd with lino i have put some pics of it ,it has not been finished yet .but just cant decide what to use any advice greatful as want to get it finished as soon as poss
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My shed set up is similar. I have some plastic sheeting to protect the wooden floor of the shed, then a layer of newspaper so everything can be rolled up easily for disposal. I then use a layer of finacard all over the space and then hay. I tend to only put the hay under the hutch as that is where they tend to sleep. the hutch bedding it is weather dependent - at the moment it is finacard and hay but as the weather gets colder it’ll be an area of fleece/vetbed for extra warmth and loads of hay.
It takes a lot of finacard and hay but I buy from a local farm supply shop and their bales are enormous and incredibly good value.
My piggies outdoor run is on grass, so I can’t comment on that.

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