Guinea Pigs - Rodents with Attitude

There are many types of bedding out there and lots of people - including me! - get terribly confused when trying to decide what to use. Depending on the health and lifestyle of you and your pet, you can find a suitable bedding with a bit of research and a bit of experimentation.

Cheap to buy
You can buy cheap fleece from markets and fabric shops.

Kind on paws
Fleece is nice and soft under paws.

Excellent bedding for freshly neutered boars
Freshly neutered boars must be bedded on something soft, such as fleece, to protect the wound and prevent discomfort from scratchy bedding.

Quick to change
Fleece used as bedding is very quick to change when cleaning out simply by swapping the soiled fleece for fresh fleece. You can then roll the soiled fleece up and shake it out in the garden before putting it through the washing machine.

Comes in lots of different colours
Says it all really!

Can clog up the washing machine
Soiled fleece needs to be washed in the washing machine and bits of hay and poo must be removed before putting the fleece through, or you may eventually clog up your washer and need to call the plumber.

No known health or respiratory risks

Quick to use when cleaning out
Hay can be easily rolled up and disposed of if you used a layer of newspaper underneath it. There are no messy woodshavings to deal with.

Kind on paws
Hay is very soft and is kind on tiny paws.

Bio-degradable
Hay can safely be disposed of and put out with the household rubbish.

Fun to play in
Guinea pigs love tunnelling and hiding in, and making nests out of hay!

Cheap to buy
Small bags of hay from pet shops and garden centres are usually good value for keepers of a small number of guinea pigs. For bigger numbers, large horse-sized bales of hay work out cheaper than buying several small bags.

Easy to find
You can easily find hay bags in small or medium sizes from all good pet shops and garden centres, and in the larger horse-sized bales from equestrian suppliers and animal wholesalers.

They need enough to eat and sleep on
Hay is always given as food as guinea pigs do not produce their own vitamin C and require hay as part of their daily diet. If you also use it as bedding, you will need to buy a lot of hay to make sure you have enough to feed and bed your hutch with.

Must be replaced twice a week or more
Hay used as bedding in a 2ft x 4ft hutch needs replacing at least twice a week. It must be replaced frequently to remove soiled hay as guinea pigs also eat it.

"It's wood pulp, it basically looks like a piece of paper
that has been through the washing machine and
dried in your pocket." - Emma (GuineaPigQueen)

Cheap to buy
I can get an 85 litre (20kg) bag for £6.99.

Bio-degradable
Because Megazorb is dried wood pulp, it can safely be disposed of and put out with the household rubbish.

Easy to find
Most wholesalers stocking bedding for horses should sell bags of Megazorb.

Low dust
Megazob has a very low amount of dust in it. This makes it better than woodshavings.

Safe to eat
Guinea pigs can eat this happily as it's made from natural wood pulp.

Blood easy to see
Megazorb is pale grey in colour which makes blood easy to spot.

Cheap to buy
Newspaper is cheap to buy, and different newspapers are better value than others!

Bio-degradable
Newspaper can safely be disposed of and put out with the household rubbish.

Easy to find
You can easily find a wide variety of newspapers from corner shops, supermarkets, and petrol stations.

No dust
Newspaper is not dusty, so will not aggrivate respiration.

Safe to eat
Newspaper, including the newspaper with ink that rubs off on your hands, is safe for guinea pigs to eat. Most guinea pigs rip and eat newspaper as part of their daily routine.

Better used with other types of bedding
Cages and hutches with newspaper as the only bedding can feel a bit bare, and once the newspaper has absorbed urine, it becomes damp and falls apart. Newspaper is best used with another types of bedding as a method of soaking up urine and adding protection to the base of the cage or hutch. Shredded newspaper will become trampled underfoot.

You'll need to use loads of it
Used alone, a lot of newspaper is needed to provide a cosy habitat. Shredding newspaper is a great idea to provide something to burrow in, but you'll need to use several newspapers to create a warm and comfortable environment.

Allows for better under-belly air circulation
Some keepers who show Rex use straw as bedding because they claim it allows for better under-belly air circulation, thus preventing the flattening of the belly coat. Although this is unproven, it's worth adding as a benefit to straw as there are enough people who claim to have discovered this particular benefit.

Cheap to buy
Small bags of straw from pet shops and garden centres are usually good value for keepers of a small number of guinea pigs. For bigger numbers, large horse-sized bales of straw work out cheaper than buying several small bags.

Easy to find
You can easily find straw bags in small or medium sizes from all good pet shops and garden centres, and in the larger horse-sized bales from equestrian suppliers and animal wholesalers.

Bio-degradable
Straw can safely be disposed of and put out with the household rubbish.

Guinea pigs can poke their eyes on it
Because guinea pigs are low-slung creatures that live close to the ground, they can easily poke their eyes on the straw in their bedding. Eye pokes usually result in a corneal abrasion and/or ulcer which require either a trip to see the vet or immediate home treatment if you already have the appropriate medication to hand.

Cheap to buy
You can buy cheap towels and towel bales from department stores and supermarkets.

Kind on paws
Towels are nice and soft under paws.

Comes in lots of different colours
Says it all really!

Excellent bedding for freshly neutered boars
Freshly neutered boars must be bedded on something soft, such as towels, to protect the wound and prevent discomfort from scratchy bedding.

Quick to change
Towels used as bedding are very quick to change when cleaning out simply by swapping the soiled towels for fresh ones. You can then roll the soiled towel up and shake it out in the garden before putting it through the washing machine.

Can clog up the washing machine
Soiled towels need to be washed in the washing machine and bits of hay and poo must be removed before putting the towels through, or you may eventually clog up your washer and need to call the plumber.

Please also see my guide on how to cut Vetbed to size.

No dust
Vetbed is not dusty, so will not aggravate respiration.

Machine Washable
Vetbed can be washed in a 40 degree cycle in the washing machine (we also use detergent and fabric softener with our Vetbed, and I always recommend using a non-biological detergent for sensitive skin). Ensure the Vetbed has been brushed down thoroughly before putting in the washing machine to minimise clogging.

Comes in lots of different colours
Says it all really!

Great winter bedding
Vetbed is a great option for winter bedding because it's thick and warm and will help to keep the weather out.

Easy to cut
Vetbed is easily cut down to size. Please see our guide to preparing Vetbed for use in your hutch or cage.

Less waste
The only waste you get using Vetbed is the debris you remove from the top each day (e.g. poo, dry mix and hay). No more huge bin bags of bedding waste!

Debris (e.g. poo, hay, etc) easy to remove
Top debris, such as poo, dry mix and hay can be easily brushed off the top with a dustpan and brush or vaccuumed away (vaccuum claners should only be used when the cage or hutch is empty, and some pigs dislike the noise so a dustpan and brush may be a better option).

Non allergenic
Vetbed doesn't cause or aggrevate allergies.

Blood easy to see
Especially on white Vetbed blood is very easy to see. We had a sow with cystitis who was passing blood with her urine, and it might have gone unnoticed for longer if she hadn't been on white Vetbed.

Expensive
Vetbed can be a bit expensive, but for single cage or hutch, it will soon pay for itself. However, Vetbed is very expensive to buy in bulk, and those with multiple cages or hutches may need to spread the cost. We paid £5.99 per foot from a roll when we bought ours in 2006.

Hot in summer
Because Vetbed is thick and fleece-like you should swap it out during the hotter summer months for something lighter.

Possible washing machine clogging
Before putting Vetbed in the washing machine, make sure you have thoroughly brushed off as much debris as you can otherwise you might clog up your washing machine. I often find bits of hay stuck under the rubber ring just inside the door which needs wiping out before the washing machine is used again. Although not a direct fault of the Vetbed itself, if you don't take care to remove as much debris as you can before washing, you could be calling the plumber!

Woodshavings are a by-product of woodworking industries. The general hard or soft feel of the woodshavings usually depends on what those shavings were a by-product of. Therefore you can't always guarantee a bag or a bale of softer shavings. Also, don't confuse woodshavings with sawdust - these are two different things and sawdust is not used for bedding!

Cheap to buy
Compressed bales of woodshavings from pet shops and garden centres are usually good value for keepers of a small number of guinea pigs. For bigger numbers, large compressed horse-sized bales of woodshavings work out cheaper than buying several small or medium sized bales.

Bio-degradable
Woodshavings can safely be disposed of and put out with the household rubbish.

Easy to find
You can easily find compressed woodshavings in small or medium sized bales from all good pet shops and garden centres, and in the larger compressed horse-sized bales from equestrian suppliers and animal wholesalers.

Dusty, can aggravate respiration
Cavies as a species have a relationship with respiratory disease, and this can be aggravated by dust. Even the "dust extracted" bales have a level of dust that can aggravate.

Messy
Woodshavings get everywhere, especially during cleaning out. The flakes stick to clothes, carpet and furniture, and turn up in every corner.

Can be hard
Woodshavings are a by-product of wood, and depending on what type of wood is used, bales can sometimes have very hard flakes in them.

Gets stuck in boars private areas
The flakes of woodshavings often get stuck in the private areas of boars, this being very uncomfortable and potentially painful for them.

Flakes get stuck to food
Woodshavings can stick to wet and watery vegetables.

Unsuitable for recently neutered boars
Never ever put a recently neutered boar on woodshavings. His wounds will be poked by the flakes, causing him pain and discomfort and possibly even infection.