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guinea pig bedding options

Comparing Guinea Pig Bedding Options

How to care for your guinea pig, , , , , ,

Using the right bedding for your guinea pig is something that is vital for their comfort.

They will love and appreciate it if you go that extra mile to prepare good bedding for them and maintain it so that they can sit and sleep in comfort.

So here is a guide to that looks at the different types of bedding that is out there.

 

1.   For any bedding that is laid down, this is the first layer that needs to be put down.

 

Newspaper

Use newspaper as the base material for your bedding. It is absorbent and also helps keep in the warmth and makes cleaning the cage a whole lot easier.

 

2.  Then there is a whole range of different types of bedding that you can use.

 

Wood shavings

Wood shavings are fine to use as bedding but must be cleaned up regularly. It is cheap to purchase but do watch what you buy.

Avoid any that has dust, as it gets in their eyes and can be very irritable for them.

Also don’t use cedar pine or wood shavings as it contains aromatic oils that piggies will find toxic.

Wood shavings than be purchased from any good pet store on

Aspen bedding

Aspen Bedding is manufactured from natural aspen shavings specifically made to eliminiate the dust and wood debris.

It comes from hardwood so eliminating aromatic oils that are found in other types of wood bedding.

Hay

guinea pig bedding optionsOne of the most popular forms of bedding because you can dispose of it easily .

My guinea pigs love to move it to one side especially in their pig loos so this will stop this from happening. It also makes for a really nice comfortable bed for them to sleep on.

However it does need cleaning out regularly at least a weekly basis.

For bedding, alfalfa hay is the best to use.

For eating, timothy hay is guinea pigs favourite.

Carefresh

Carefresh is a bedding that is specifically designed to get rid of any pet odour. It is very long-lasting and is absorbent with the ability to absorb up to 3 times its weight in liquid. It is also dust free and hypo-alergenic.

All that is needed is to add 1-3 inches at the bottom of a cage.

 Fleece

Some owners put fleece down for their piggies to bed on.

Fleece is a very popular bedding material as it is very warming for guinea pigs.

However, it does need maintaining on an almost daily basis as they are likely to pee and poop on it.

Therefore it is not a bedding that can be be left alone and needs to be washed often in a particular way.

This article on fleece is very informative on the subject of keeping it as clean as possible

‘Fleece should be washed with unscented laundry detergent. Using vinegar in the rinse cycle helps as well. Regular detergent may leave residue on the material and prevent the wicking action which is needed for a successful fleece bedding solution. It’s important to wash your fleece and absorbent liners in hot water in order to help kill bacteria and encourage wicking.’

So if you have the time and patience to maintain it, then fleece is a great bedding for your piggies and one that will find very comfortable.

Vetbed

Vedbed is a type of fleece that draws urine to the bottom layer so that guinea pigs can keep dry.

Just keep newspaper underneath which you can then change and clean out the poo. Your vetbed can then be washed as you see fit.

But make sure that you don’t use detergent or softener as it will ruin it. You can purchase it from any good online pet store.

Towels

Towels are a cheap way of providing bedding for guinea pigs. They are absorbent for guinea pigs but they still need to be changed almost daily to ensure that your guinea pigs are completely comfortable. You need not even buy expensive towels, very cheap ones will suffice. Make sure that the Towels are soft, and do not use any fabric softener when you wash them as it will reduce the absorbency of the material.

 
There are all kinds of bedding that can be used to put down for your guinea pigs. They do vary in price and in quality kits worth trying all the different guinea pig bedding options listed above to see what works for you. You may prefer one particular type to another.

If you can afford it, then do consider investing in good bedding, but guinea pigs will be more than happy with any of the options above, as long as it is maintained regularly.

bringing home a guinea pig

Bringing Home a Guinea Pig: Arriving Home

Making a home for your guinea pig, , , ,

In the second part of this series we look at what do before and after you arrive home with your Guinea Pig.

Before bringing home a guinea pig make sure that you have in place these essential things;

Being prepared for bringing home a guinea pig

Get a good Guinea Pig cage

Do you house the guinea pig in a cage or do you have a hutch that the guinea pig can stay in?

They will need about 7.5 square foot of space each, which is a rough guide to the kind of cage you need to think about.

Also think about where you want to put the cage.

Obviously it needs to fit around your family requirements but what also needs to be brought into consideration is that Guinea pigs are very social animals and being on their own is not good for them.

If you can, having them around your family will be very beneficial for them.

If you have any pets in your home , think about whether they can handle having another pet in the home. Some may feel threatened by this so do take this into consideration for the benefit of your guinea pig and the present pet.

Guinea Pig food

Make sure you get enough food in for the Guinea Pig.

What i have found with Guinea Pigs is that they are always hungry and never tire of eating. So it is worth having a stock of food to feed your guinea pig.

Get some guinea pig food from a pet store and a stock of vegetables such as carrots to feed your Guinea pig.

Lettuce is also a favourite and worth stocking up on.

Water for your Guinea Pig

Purchase a water bottle as one of the first thing s you do so the Guinea Pig does not get thirsty and fill it and attach it to the side of the cage in an accessible place that it can get to it easily.

Hay 

It is worth purchasing some hay to lay down in the cage for the Guinea Pig to eat and to make its bed on.

A Run 

Guinea Pigs need exercise and love to run. Have a place where they can run around in.

If you have the garden to do this in, it might be worth making an enclosed area where they can run around in.

You can also purchase large grids that you can place on grass that will allow the Guinea Pig to run around in.

What to do when you get your Guinea Pig home

When you get home and you have its cage all ready to go, carefully lift the guinea pig out of the carrier and give it a good cuddle.

Its important that it gets to know you and what you are like as its owner, building up the trust is important.

It may appear nervous and wriggle around but that’s perfectly normal as it will be nervous and its first instinct will be to go and hide.

After a few minutes of holding it, place the guinea pig in the cage and shut the door.

Believe it or not, talking to the guinea pig will help it acclimatise and get to know your voice. This is important for the guinea pig in getting to know its new surroundings.