Have you ever walked into a pet store and wondered which type of bedding is the best type for your guinea pig? Well, I’m going to help answer that question for you!
Best Overall:
- Carefresh
- Small Pet Select Natural
- VitaKraft Fresh World
Paper Beddings:
- Kaytee Clean & Cozy
- Healthy Pet Critter Care Natural
- Small Pet Select Unbleached White Paper Bedding
- Kaytee Clean and Cozy Extreme Odor Control
Wood Shavings:
- Small Pet Select Aspen
- Rent-A-Coop Hemp
- Kaytee Aspen
- Living World Aspen
Fleece Liners:
- GuineaDad Fleece Liners
- Small Pets and Company Fleece Liner
- Piggy Bedspreads Fleece
Now, before we learn more about these bedding types, let’s learn more about things to consider in guinea pig bedding.
What’s the Purpose of Bedding for Guinea Pigs?
The main purpose of bedding is to absorb pee, and make it easier to clean the cage.
Do You Need to Have Bedding for Your Guinea Pig’s Cage?
Yes, you definitely should have bedding in your piggy’s habitat, as they will pee and poop in their cage often, and not having bedding will make it more likely for them to develop some kinds of health problems from walking around in a wet enclosure all day.
Can You Make DIY Bedding?
Yes, you can make your own bedding. But remember that if you make your own bedding, you will need to make sure that everything you use for your bedding is safe for your guinea pigs. There are several tutorials online to tell you how to fleece bedding, and also few on how to make paper bedding.
Things to Consider When Choosing Bedding
Safety
Whichever bedding you decide to use, you should choose a bedding that is safe. This means it should be free of any harmful chemicals, aromatic oils, etc. It should be also be unscented, non-toxic and mostly dust free.
Comfort
Of course, you will want your precious piggies to be comfortable on their bedding, since they will be on it most of the time! Also, some types of bedding are very hard or stiff, and these can hurt your piggies’ feet!
Absorbancy
Since your guinea pigs will be peeing on whatever bedding you line their cage with, it is important to ensure that the bedding is absorbent, as damp or wet bedding can cause health problems, such as bumblefoot.
Odor Resistant
Okay, this isn’t a necessary quality to have in your guinea pigs’ bedding, and guinea pigs don’t have a very strong odor, but you will probably want your bedding to at least somewhat control odor.
Temperature Controlled
If your guinea pigs are going to be living outside, you should consider having bedding that will keep them warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.
During the warm months, you should use a bedding that helps keep the piggies cool, such as wood shavings. When it is cold out, you should use bedding that will keep them warm, such as paper bedding.
Cost
Of course, the bedding you choose to use for your guinea pigs needs to fit your budget, otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to afford it!
Bedding to Avoid
Ceder and Pine Shavings
Ceder and pine shavings smell so good, and they are cheap, too; however, they are NOT SAFE for your guinea pigs! They contain harmful phenols (aromatic oils) that often cause severe allergic reactions, and respiratory issues!
Corn Cob Bedding
Corn cob bedding is not a good idea for guinea pig bedding. It is not very absorbent, and this makes it more susceptible to mold.
Straw
Straw is also a bad idea for guinea pig bedding. It is not very absorbent, which makes it more likely to get moldy. The stiff stalks of straw can also poke and cause injury to your piggy’s eyes, nose, etc.
Cat Litter
Cat litter is a horrible option for your guinea pigs’ bedding! The litter often contains chemicals in it, which are meant to control odors, however, these are super bad for your piggies!
The chemicals can cause allergic reactions, skin irritations, and respiratory problems. The texture of the cat litter is also very uncomfortable for your guinea pigs to walk on.
Also, if one of your piggies were to eat the bedding, it could be dangerous, or even fatal!
Best Overall
#1. Carefresh
Carefresh bedding is made from natural, reclaimed paper fiber. It is 2 times more absorbent than wood shavings, and controls odor for up to 10 days! Also, it is 99% dust free, so your guinea pigs will be less likely to develop respiratory issues!
It is very soft and comfortable, and your piggies are sure to love the feel of it. Carefresh also comes in different colors to match your pet’s personalty and/or your style!
Not to mention that it is also biodegradable and compostable, which means that rather than throwing it in the trash, you can use it in your flower bed, compost pile, etc!
It’s a bit pricey, but other than that, it is an amazing bedding option for your piggies!
Check Price on Amazon
#2. Small Pet Select Natural
This paper bedding is 100% natural, unbleached and sludge free! It controls odor well, and is very absorbent. Small pet select’s natural bedding also expands up to 3 times the packaged volume!
It is very soft and comfortable, and your guinea pigs will definitely enjoy the texture of it! It is also biodegradable, so you can still keep using it, even after your piggies have soiled it!
Some people have said that this bedding is a bit dusty, but this is pretty much the only problem with this bedding that I have heard of.
Check price on Amazon
#3. VitaKraft Fresh World
VitaKraft fresh world bedding is made of 100% recycled paper. It provides you and your pet with moisture and odor control for up to 14 days, and absorbs 3 times its weight of moisture, ensuring that your pet stays dry in the habitat!
The bedding is also very soft and is 99% dust free! Being compostable and biodegradable, this bedding can be used even after your pet has used it!
Check price on Amazon
Paper Beddings
Paper beddings are probably the most common type of bedding. They are often very absorbent and odor resistant, which of course, is something you want in a guinea pig bedding!
Paper bedding is also easy to clean and maintain compared to some other bedding types! It is also very soft and comfortable as well! There are also all kinds of colors, styles, etc of paper bedding!
However, you need to make sure that your piggies don’t eat the bedding, because if they do, this can be harmful, and you should switch over to fleece or wood shavings instead.
Also, paper bedding can be more expensive than other types of beddings.
Kaytee Clean & Cozy
Kaytee Clean & Cozy bedding is all-natural and unbleached! It absorbs 2 times more liquid than wood shavings, meaning your pet should stay dryer longer.
Also, it expands 3 times the packaged amount and controls odor! You can choose between white and natural-colored bedding. It is also biodegradable!
Check price on Amazon
Healthy Pet Critter Care Natural
HPCC natural bedding is made from recycled wood pulps and is biodegradable! It absorbs 3 times its weight in liquid, which helps your guinea pigs stay dry!
HPCC bedding also controls odor and expands up to 2 times its volume! The bedding is also soft and comfortable, so your piggies should enjoy it a lot, too!
This may be a bit dusty, but it is still an awesome type bedding for your furry friends!
Check price on Amazon
Small Pet Select Unbleached White Paper Bedding
Small Pet Select’s white paper bedding is 100% sludge free, unbleached and natural! It does not contain any chemicals or dyes at all, either!
Being 99% dust free, it helps prevent your precious piggies from developing respiratory issues! It is so soft and absorbent that your guinea pigs will love resting on it as well!
It does not have great odor control, but this is okay, as guinea pigs don’t really have a strong odor.
Check price on Amazon
Kaytee Clean and Cozy Extreme Odor Control
Kaytee’s extreme odor control bedding controls odor for up to 14 days. It is 2 times more absorbent than wood shavings, and absorbs up to 6 times its weight in liquid!
It is 99% dust free to help keep your pet healthy! It is also very soft and fluffy, so your guinea pigs should definitely enjoy its texture!
Check price on Amazon
Wood Shavings
Wood shavings are a great, natural bedding. It is very similar to what guinea pigs would use as nesting in the wild, not to mention it gives your piggies’ habitat a natural look to it! Wood shavings are also a cheaper option compared to paper bedding!
You will need to make sure that the type of wood shavings you use are safe. Aspen and hemp shavings are the only safe wood shavings for guinea pigs I’ve heard of.
Wood shavings aren’t very absorbent, however, and you will need to clean the cage more often.
Small Pet Select Aspen
This aspen bedding is 100% natural and sludge free! There aren’t any added chemicals at all either! It is also very absorbent compared to most wood shavings.
Also, it is totally recyclable and compostable, which means that even after your furry friends have soiled it, you can still use it (in a different way of course)!
Check price on Amazon
Rent-A-Coop Hemp
Rent-A-Coop hemp bedding is commonly used for chickens and the like, but it is completely safe for guinea pigs as well! The bedding is non-toxic and does not contain any harmful pesticides or insecticides!
It has a natural sent, which smells better most other wood shavings. It is pretty absorbent as well, and is decomposable, so you use the dirty bedding for a garden or something similar!
Rent-A-Coop hemp bedding also comes in a huge, 300L bag, which can cover a 8′ by 6′ enclosure with 1.5 inches of bedding! So, if you want to buy your guinea pigs’ bedding in bulk, this is an amazing option!
Check price on Amazon
Kaytee Aspen
This aspen bedding is all natural and free of any aromatic oils or inks! The bedding also somewhat controls odor. It does not contain very much dust, so your guinea pigs won’t be as likely to develop repository issues!
It is also biodegradable, so rather than throwing tons of bedding in the trash once your furry friends have soiled it, you can use it in your garden, flower bed, compost pile etc.
Check price on Amazon
Living World Aspen
Living world aspen shavings are scent free and do not contain any aromatic oils! They don’t contain large amounts of dust, which is great! They also absorb up to 4 times their weight in moisture!
It doesn’t have great odor control, but this is to be expected with any aspen shavings.
Check price on Amazon
Fleece Liners
Fleece liners are becoming a more popular type of guinea pig bedding. They are very long-lasting and reusable! They are also comfortable, absorbent, odor resistant and dust free! Fleece liners also come in lots of varieties, colors, patterns, etc!
However, they can be costly up front, and they require frequent spot-cleaning and washing. You also may need to buy more than one, so you have something in the cage while you’re washing the other one.
GuineaDad Fleece Liners
GuineaDad fleece is definitely one of the best cage liners out there!
It has a 3 layer design: First, the fleece liners have a layer of moisture wicking fleece; this layer keeps the guinea pigs dry. The fleece liners are also super soft and comfortable, and your piggies are sure to love them!
Next is the bamboo fiber filling, which is very absorbent and resists odors! The bamboo used is grown without any fertilizers or pesticides! The filling is sewn into the fleece, so it won’t shift or slid around inside the liner when the guinea pigs run around and play on it.
The last layer is a water-proof backing that keeps pee off of cages and floors!
These cage liners are also pretty easy to maintain. You can also buy them with or without a pocket! The packaging is also specifically made so that it doubles as a hideout!
I think the only con to this fleece liner is that it is costly up front, but it will last a long time, so that’s okay.
Check price W/pocket on GuineaDad
Check price W/O pocket on GuineaDad
Small Pets and Company Fleece Liner
This fleece liner is made from high-quality fabric. It also has a three layer design: A layer of fleece fabric, then an absorbent middle layer, then another layer of fleece fabric! It is pretty easy to maintain, and controls odor well.
It isn’t super absorbent, but that is pretty much the only problem with it.
Check price on Amazon
Piggy Bedspreads Fleece
Piggy bedspreads fleece liners are another great choice! They have, you guessed it, a three layer design: The first layer is fleece, the next is an absorbent middle, and the last one is another type of fabric!
These cage liners are very absorbent, and are pretty easy to maintain as well! They also are great at controlling odor. Also, these liners come in different colors and patterns!
Check price on Piggy Bedspreads
I hope this info has been helpful!
