Best Bedding for Guinea Pigs -
Key Things to Consider

In recent history, it is considered to be one of the best products for guinea pigs. Depending on where you buy it, it might be more expensive than budget material like cloth or wood shavings, but come with several advantages like being safer and cleaner than sawdust, extremely absorbent, and can be reused.

Even guinea pigs who live in the wild tend to prefer sleeping on straw or wood shavings of some kind. Although they don't technically need bedding to survive, it does help your guinea pig feel safe, comfortable, and at-home.

If you're going to be investing in loose bedding, you'll want to cover the bottom of the cage and make it deep enough for them to burrow. If you're looking for an estimate in size, it should be double the size of the fully-grown guinea pig.

Depending on the material used, you should be changing the bedding at least once a week but may require attention daily. 

As we mentioned in the article, there are particular materials that you should avoid when it comes to using as bedding for guinea pigs. In general, stay away from cedar and pine wood shavings, corn cob bedding, straw, and kitty litter. 

Yes, you can! However, make sure that you're going to be washing that blanket on a regular basis and make sure that there are not loose endings that your guinea pig can choke on while chewing. Although blankets are typically pretty absorbent, they can be quite smelly after a while.

You can also lay a towel down on the floor of your guinea pig's cage. They might be pretty poor when it comes to odor prevention, but they are generally quite absorbent.

This is no cause for alarm! Normally, guinea pigs are just looking for things to chew—and his bedding might be that particular thing. Like a chew toy, guinea pigs need a chewable item to wear down their growing teeth.

As we mentioned earlier on in the article, cat litter is bad for guinea pigs. It is highly indigestible and can get tangled in your pet's hair.

Potty training a guinea pig is a relatively easy task. However, patience is critical to achieving your goal. You must set a target period, say two months to get there! 

Start the training her from the cage to understand her behavior. In the first few days, you may need to observe how she likes to do it. Often, they love to relieve themselves at the corners of the cage.

Unlike some other pets, they usually choose their favorite spot. Because of their territorial nature, they keep going to a specific corner for calls leaving a unique scent in those spots.

Now place a tray stuffed with litter in the corner where they love to pee or poop. To attract them even more, swab the litter with fresh pee. This will trick the guinea pig into believing that that is the usual position.

Once they get used to using the tray, let them out of the cage. Allow the guinea pig to roam around the hallway and observe the corner of the house; they love to retreat for calls.

Take the litter tray to the corner they love and keep watching. Also, block off all other corners to make it difficult for them to have alternative spots. 

There are a few hacks to keep the guinea pig environment smelling nice. The number one trick is by cleaning. A guinea pig is like your baby; you should take a keen look at the bed area regularly.

The best way to keep the cage smelling fresh is to clean it once a week and change the bedding every time as well. Doing this should keep most of the nasty smells away.

Use mild soap and hot water when washing the cage to remove any odors. Remember to rinse well. Also, ensure that all its toys and accessories get a regular clean as well.

You can also use a pet-friendly disinfectant that will remove odor like this one.

Another idea for cleaning the cage is using white vinegar. Be careful about how you mix portions of vinegar with water. For a perfect mix, add one part of vinegar to nine parts of water.

You may as well consider using odor control bedding to block unpleasant scents. Wood shavings have great absorbency, too, but paper bedding is even better at absorbing pee and the smell that comes with it. You could also use towels topped with fleece bedding. The fleece will keep the surface dry while the towels underneath will soak up the moisture and are easy to change daily.

Another trick is to use a thin layer of pellet cat litter under the bedding for even better absorbency. Another trick is to sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottoms of the cage before adding the fresh bedding. The baking soda will absorb smells and help you keep the cage fresh.

Also, if your guinea pig gets dirty and smelly, you may need to bathe them too. Use a mild shampoo designed for the purpose and always dry your guinea pig carefully with a towel afterward to prevent them from getting a cold.

Baking soda is a great solution to bad odors in a guinea pig's cage since it absorbs smells and keeps the cage fresh. But you need to make sure you use it safely.

Baking soda is an irritant that inflames the lungs of your guinea pig when used in large quantities. If ingested, it may also result in serious bloating, hence causing much discomfort.

You should use baking soda in moderation. Be cautious about how you dispense it so that it does not come into contact with the pet's food.

The safe way to use baking soda is to sprinkle it on the bottom of the cage when doing the weekly cleanup and changing the bedding. After washing the cage, dry it up thoroughly and sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom. Add a generous layer of bedding (wood shavings or paper bedding) to cover the baking soda and to reduce the chances of it getting into contact with your pet.

To keep your guinea pig clean, first, you need to make sure their cage is clean. 

Start by ensuring that they have good absorbent bedding to sleep on. Highly absorbent bedding like aspen shavings or paper bedding will keep the cage dry, which is important as wetness in the cage will invite bacteria and bad smells. The bedding should be fresh and dry, and you need to change it at least once a week. Also, make sure you remove any uneaten fresh foods after a few hours. A clean and fresh environment will help you keep your guinea pig clean and smell-free, as well.

Another new trend is using fleece and towels as bedding. Placing towels at the bottom of the cage to soak up any moisture and using fleece as the top layer to keep the surface dry is a very easy-to-clean and hygienic solution for keeping your pet's cage clean. Just remember to change and wash those towels often to avoid the smells from building up.

You can also train your guinea pig to use a litter tray, which prevents their coats from getting dirty with feces and urine.

It is not necessary to bathe your pet regularly as that upsets biological processes in their bodies. Restrict bathing to 2 or 3 times annually for better health to your guinea pig.

But if your guinea pig gets its coat dirty, it may be time for a bath. Use a mild shampoo designed for small pets and make sure you rinse the fur thoroughly. Also, be sure to dry your pet with a towel to prevent them from catching a cold.

If, despite cleaning the cage regularly and keeping your pet's fur clean your guinea pig still smells bad, it may be a health issue.

Examine all body parts from time to time to identify any threats or signs of disease. For example, male guinea pigs may harm their genitals leading to swelling or inflammation, or your pet might be suffering from a skin condition. For further diagnosis, visit the vet.

It is not wise to use straw as bedding for your guinea pigs. Your pet has sensitive skin, and they may get pricked or poked in the eye with a pointy straw.

Another downside of using straws is its inability to absorb ammonia and moisture. Guinea pigs thrive when they sleep in absorbent bedding. Straws are also a perfect breeding ground for mites, and a mite infestation may lead to real discomfort and health issues.

Aspen wood shavings, paper bedding, and fleece are better options than straw. These materials are safer, softer, and more absorbent while also being just as inexpensive.

Yes, just like you wouldn't want to sleep on a hard floor, neither would your guinea pig. Bedding will offer your pet comfort while also giving them something to burrow in. As a prey animal, guinea pigs feel safe when they can hide, and fluffy bedding makes them feel safe in their homes.

Good bedding for guinea pigs should absorb any moisture to ensure maximum comfort and a clean, smell-free cage. Wood shavings, paper bedding, and fleece have excellent absorbency and are easy to clean.

Many guinea pig lovers don't like using shredded paper as bedding for their pets. Shredded paper is not absorbent and can't hold urine for long. Consequently, it increases wetness in the cage, which is unhygienic. You will have more work cleaning the cage as it gets soaked up fast.

Guinea pigs are sensitive animals, just like rabbits and hamsters. So, the ink in the paper may harm them when it mixes with the urine. Also, the shredded paper encourages bad odors since wet paper does not dry fast indoors.

When you are out of other bedding and have no other choice, try using plain shredded paper. That will avoid the mess that comes with inked paper.

Newspapers are not the best bedding for guinea pigs. You risk their health by using newspapers as it gets soggy real quick. 

Also, guinea pigs love to gnaw what is around them, and they won't spare the newspaper. With all the ink in the newspaper, there is no doubt that they are exposed to health risks.

But some pet owners use newspapers cleverly. It works well if you place them beneath the fleece. But you must keep replenishing the newspapers to maintain hygiene in the cage.

For safe newspaper usage, find out if the publisher uses vegetable-based ink or just synthetic types. Vegetable ink is quite safe and won't harm your pet. The best choice is the black inked newspapers, which is largely vegetable-based.

We don't recommend using scented bedding for your guinea pig.

Guinea pigs have a very good sense of smell, and what may seem like a mild scent of lavender for you may make them feel really uncomfortable. Just like people, guinea pigs don't want to live in a smelly environment, and for them, scented bedding is exactly that.

Also, because they have very sensitive respiratory systems, the added chemicals in these types of products may do more harm than good.

If you're looking for scented bedding because your pet's cage has a bad smell, try more absorbent bedding and changing it more often. You can also train your guinea pig to use a litter tray and spray the cage with odor-removing disinfectant when cleaning. With these tricks, you should be able to keep your pets cage smell-free even without scented bedding.

It depends on whether your guinea pigs are trained to use the litter pan, but you need to change and clean the fleece at least once a week.

You should scoop up the poop 1-2 times a day and spot clean a few times a week. If your guinea pigs are trained to using the litter tray, you may be able to change the fleece only once a week. But if your pets will urinate anywhere, then you should have some absorbent towels under the fleece, and they need to be changed 2-5 times a week depending on how many pets you have a how quickly the towels get moist and start smelling.

The point is that the cage should always be kept dry and smell-free - for your and your pet's comfort. Change the fleece often enough to have a clean cage that smells fresh.

Cleaning the fleece is actually pretty quick - just shake off any debris and throw it in the washer. You should also use a dryer if possible because it will kill the bacteria. Use vinegar or pet-friendly detergents to remove smells.