Shavings, Paper Bedding Or Bathmats/Fleeces?

Lucy_Piggie

Lucy_Piggie

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all! I was just wondering what to use for my guinea pigs' bedding, is shavings all right? I watch some YouTubers and looked at a couple guinea cages and they all use Bathmat/Fleeces and I wasn't sure whether wood shavings isn't good for them or something? Also was just wondering is paper bedding is also good/safe for them :)
Thanks Everyone 😄
 
Really it comes down to personal preference and what you can manage - there are pros and cons to all.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

My boys live in a hutch in my shed and free roam the shed floor. I use a mixture of bedding. In the hutch year round it’s megazorb topped with hay. In winter the shed floor is newspaper topped with hay. In summer for the shed floor I will sometimes use fleece to save on bedding costs. While the fleece is much easier and of course mess free, I find the fact hay sticks to it annoying
 
I liked to use fleece and bath mats when mine were inside. Much easier to keep tidy than shavings/disposable bedding. But they now live outside so I can’t use fleece. Apart from maybe in the summer but I haven’t done that in a while.

It depends on what works for you. If possible, try them out before you settle on one.
 
I use a layer of fleece, then puppy pads on top of that. I think it's much less messy than using wood shavings or shredded paper, but it can be hard keeping up with constant washing. Hence why I use puppy pads as a first layer, to cut down on the amount of fleece washing needed. Personally, I think that fleece and puppy pads is the best bedding as long as your piggys are kept inside. If outside, the fabric will get too cold.
 
my piggies live outside and i use a thick layer of newspaper then top with wood shavings! i think a lot of people who keep their pigs inside use fleece as its way less messier than wood shavings however i don’t believe it’s recommended if you keep your pigs outside (especially in the winter) but i could be wrong..
 
piggiemummy03x said:
my piggies live outside and i use a thick layer of newspaper then top with wood shavings! i think a lot of people who keep their pigs inside use fleece as its way less messier than wood shavings however i don’t believe it’s recommended if you keep your pigs outside (especially in the winter) but i could be wrong..
Click to expand...

You are right - fleece should not be used outside particularly in winter as it won’t dry properly and can wick moisture from the air.
I do use fleece on my shed floor only but only in mid summer and only when it is a nice, dry summer. If we have a wet summer, then I won’t use fleece outside as it’s likely to be damp too long
 
I use wood shavings as I found I couldn’t cope with the laundry for fleece.
As others have said, use what works best for you.
 
I personally use fleece as a base layer, and put 3 litter trays on top, all lined with shavings. But, it's really up to what works best for you x
 
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