If you’re lucky enough to own a Guinea Pig, you know they love to sleep almost as much as they love eating. So, it’s important that you furnish their cage or hutch with plenty of clean, good-quality bedding to keep your pet warm and comfortable. So, what is the best guinea pig bedding, and what should you avoid? Here is our guide to Guinea Pig bedding options, and our list of top buys.
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Introduction – Do Guinea Pigs need bedding?
Any responsible Guinea Pig parent knows that along with fresh food and water, bedding plays an important part of your pets wellbeing. In the wild, Guinea Pigs (or Cavys) live in temperate grasslands where they thrive on nesting and foraging.
Its important to provide a similar habitat and activities for captive domesticated Guinea Pigs to be happy.
Providing suitable quality bedding for your pet to burrow, nest and feel safe and clean does come at an expense, but will mean you have a stress free healthy pet that should live a long and happy life.
The Top 6 Guinea Pig bedding at a glance
- GuineaDad Fleece Liner
- Farmer Dave Pet Supply 3 Lb Second Cut Timothy Hay
- Carefresh Pet Bedding
- Anti-Pill Fleece Cage Liner
- Kaytee Clean & Cozy Scented Small Animal Bedding
- Small Pet Select 2nd Cut Timothy Hay
Note: Clicking the above links will take you to further information, current prices and customer reviews on Amazon.
Here we will discuss the best types of guinea pig beddings available to help you choose what’s best for you.
Best Guinea pig bedding – Reviews
GuineaDad Fleece Liner
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A great choice of fleece Bedding
Anti-bacterial and made from natural bamboo materials. Available in 8 beautiful pastel colors, and a number of different sizes. Thick, very well made.
A high quality product.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
Pros
- Zero dust – No more bumblefoot or breathing problems
- A number of colors and sizes
- Highly absorbent
- Waterproof bottom layer
- Pocket at one end for extra snuggles
Cons
- Care must be taking when washing
- Do shrink a little, bit seems to be on the large size to make up for that
Farmer Dave Pet Supply 3 Lb Second Cut Timothy Hay
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Farmer Dave’s Pet Supply’s Second cut Timothy hay is a high quality, low dust hay which is dried naturally to maintain its color, smell and taste.
It is completely Organic, which means there have been no use of pesticides during the harvest. this really is a top-quality product, which your pet will love as much as we do.
The packaging is reassuringly simple, low fuss and gets your hay to you in great condition. and then you can use it again or recycle!
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Organically Grown, No Pesticides
- Direct From Our Farm For The Very Best Quality
- Great Hay, Not Fancy Packaging
- Carefully Selected And Hand Packed
- Best of the Best 2nd Cut Timothy Hay Available
Pros
- Top Quality Hay
- Minimal dust
- Naturally dried for smell and flavor
- No wasted effort on flash packaging.
- Available online!
Cons
- Fairly expensive – definitely not a budget option
- Contains a low number of flowers
Carefresh Pet Bedding
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Carefresh complete comfort care provides all the features small pet parents should care about. It is incredibly soft and comfortable for your pet, and remains fresh for up to 10 days.
The product is very absorbent, with claims of up to twice the absorbance of shavings. This is great for the comfort of your pet and to help protect against infection.
The Product is very clean, and dust free which is great for owners with allergies.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Small Pet Bedding: Our clean, white natural paper fiber bedding makes the softest, driest most comfortable home for small pets
- Pillowy Soft: Comfyfluff natural paper bedding made from scratch is gentle on sensitive feet with perfect texture for burrowing, tunneling, nesting, or creating a hamster hideout; ideal rat, mice or guinea pig bedding, rabbit litter or for small pets
- Exceptional Odor Control: Ideal for use as hamster bedding, guinea pig habitat lining, or bunny bedding, our pet-safe, proven odor-control formula suppresses ammonia odors for up to 10 days
- Ultra-Absorbent: 2X more absorbent than shavings, our natural paper bedding keeps small pets and their homes warm and dry with no more soggy messes to clean up
- 99 percent Dust-Free: Free of harmful chemicals and synthetic dyes, our high performance bedding is virtually dust free so your pet can enjoy a cleaner, healthier home. Biodegradable and compostable means better for the planet too
Pros
- 99% dust free
- Super Soft Material
- Larger pieces for better burrowing
Cons
- Some pet parents report that the quality differs from batch to batch
- More expensive than so of the other brands
Anti-Pill Fleece Cage Liner
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Made in the US, and over sized to allowed for shrinkage.
Available in a number of colors, this is a great liner, and the patterns are a great feature for indoor guinea pigs. Designed to fit a number of popular enclosures and cages.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- BENEFITS: Heavy duty, reversible, thick, extra absorbent and reusable.
- MULTIPLE USES: Cage liner, lap pad, play mat, crate mat, furniture pad.
- EASY CARE: Machine wash in cold water with dye free/scent free detergent, dry low heat or air dry. Use vinegar in wash cycle to neutralize urine odor.
- HANDMADE TO ORDER: I make these myself in a clean, smoke free home in the USA after you order. As this is handmade, please allow a small difference in size.
Pros
- Made in the US
- Oversizded to suit popular enclosures
- Easy to wash and dry (instructions supplied)
- Made from premium anti-pill materials for extra comfort
Cons
- Expensive – But you get what you pay for
- Due to the long fleece pile, does need a good bursh before washing, to remove loose hair
Small Pet Select 2nd Cut Timothy Hay
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High quality second cut hay. The main issue with this bedding is your guinea pig might eat it all!
You can tell the quality as soon as you open the box. It smells amazing and is clearly very fresh and green
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- THE HIGHEST QUALITY - Premium Timothy hay For rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas.
- BY & FOR SMALL ANIMAL OWNERS - We're passionate about our pets, so we hand-select and package in small batches as only pet-lovers would do.
- DELIVERED FRESH & MINIMALLY HANDLED - Direct to your door in a high-strength corrugated box for easy storage.
- THE MOST POPULAR HAY WE SELL - Leafy with soft stems and adequate flower heads. The texture and fiber is in between 1st cutting and 3rd cutting. Many people consider 2nd cutting to be the best of both worlds.
- 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE! - For you and your pets.
Pros
- Fresh and clean
- Sweet smell
- Great packaging
Cons
- Quite messy so open the box outside if possible!
Kaytee Clean & Cozy Scented Small Animal Bedding
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A paper based bedding from one of the most popular brands. Different scents available, from Vanilla to Apple. Ideal for an indoor pet. Although the packaging is small, once opened the bedding fluffs up giving you value for money.
Manufacturers Specs and Features
- Naturally scented with real lavender
- Absorbs 6x its weight in liquid
- 99.9% dust-free for a cleaner cage
- Safe for all pets
Pros
- Low levels of Dust. 99% dust free
- A variety of scents available
- Highly absorbent
- Natural unscented bedding available
Cons
- Some users say it smells too strong!
How much bedding should a guinea pig have?
The amount of bedding a guinea pig needs depends on several factors. Are they indoors or outdoors. Is it winter or summer?
Most outdoor hutches will have two sections, and its the protected sleeping area that will need the most bedding. Plenty of hay, enough for your pet to arrange into a nest to snuggle into to keep warm on cooler nights.
In both sections a nice thick layer of absorbent paper or wood-based bedding will help keep the hutch clean and fresh. When using loose bedding, its always a good idea to put a layer of newspaper underneath.
Then, when it comes to cleaning, you simply roll up the newspaper and all the bedding and throw away.
For indoor enclosers, you need worry less about keeping warm, and more about keeping the area clean and odor free. If opting for a fleece liner then you wont need as much hay, just enough to keep your guinea pig happy snuffling around in, and should opt for eating hay rather than bedding hay.
If not using a fleece cage liner, you want to avoid too much loose bedding that will undoubtedly escape the enclosure and end up on the floor, although this is easily vacuumed up. Cages with solid sides are ideal, and you can check out our top guinea pig cages here.
Best Bedding For Guinea Pigs
When we first started parenting Guinea Pigs (a long time ago now 🙂 ) the choice was simple, hay, and lots of it.
Things have moved on since then, and now when choosing your guinea pigs’ bedding there are a number of options available, each with its own pros and cons. Location is also a factor with pets now being kept indoors, and there are options for both indoor and outdoor bedding also.
When considering what type of bedding to use, things to think about are odor control, warmth, cleanliness (dust etc) and ease of cleaning.
Fleece Bedding Cage Liners
A relatively new concept in guinea pig bedding, but is fast becoming the favorite type of bedding for many owners. Fleece Bedding Liners are the perfect choice for indoor guinea pig. They’re almost like a mattress for your guinea pig.
Typically made of 3 layers. A soft fleecy top layer, often quilted for extra comfort. Then, an absorbent middle layer that helps quickly wick away urine and water. Lastly, and a waterproof bottom layer that stops any leaks.
This all helps fleece liners provide soft, clean, dust free guinea pig bedding.
Super cute, and available in all different shapes, sizes and colors, many made to fit the top brands of cages and pens.
Washing a fleece cage liner
As much as they seem like the perfect bedding for guinea pigs, they do take a little looking after. They do need washing. One consideration is what will you use whilst your liner is being laundered. Many owners buy two liners, so one can be in use whilst the other is being cleaned.
They all come with instructions so please follow those. But, most are machine washable, although a pet-safe detergent is recommended. And, not use fabric softener at that will affect both the absorbent and waterproof layers, making them less effective over time.
And, if using your washing machine, make sure you dust off any loose food or hay/paper being you might use, so you dont clog your machine
Hay Bedding
Its clear that Hay makes up the bulk of a Guinea Pigs diet, but it does also make excellent bedding. However, there are different types of hay so its important to make an informed choice.
Many Guinea pig parents will get one type of hair for bedding, and then a different type for feeding, which is a great idea. The feed hay can be placed in hay rack or feeder, and then bedding hay places in the sleeping quarters. Its import and both hays are safe to eat. More information on hay, please do read our guide to guinea pig hays.
Make sure that the hay is dust and pesticide-free. Dust from hay is very bad for the guinea pigs breathing and can cause infections. Meadow or Timothy hay are great all-rounders. Even with dust extracted hays, do look out for dust when getting to the end of your pack, and discard any that looks a little dusty.
They are expensive initially, and some might bulk at the idea. But, when you add up the cost of bedding over the year, then you’ll definitely end up saving money in the long run. And, another plus side if you wont be constantly throwing away soiled disposable bedding or packaging, so good for the environment too.
Paper Bedding
Paper Bedding is an excellent choice as an all rounder. The best brands will provide soft absorbent beddings with great odor control, all of which are factors when considering guinea pig bedding.
Most are made from recycled materials which is great for the environment, and all are easily disposable, which is good news for the pet parents.
Other considerations are the dust content, which some being dustier than others. Less dust in bedding is always best, as too much dust is known to cause health issues.
They often come in scented varieties, which is really a personal choice. Some owners prefer natural brands to avoid any extra colorants or additives. Brands guarantee they are made from non-toxic materials, and we have never heard of any issues. If keeping your pet indoors, then fragranced paper bedding might be a good option.
Wood Based Bedding
The are a number of wood-based beddings on the market, but one feature you must look out for is a kiln-dried variety. Most woods, especially those used to make wood bedding, like pine, contain a degree of natural aromatic oil (which gives the woody smell)
These oils are known to cause breathing or respiratory problems for guinea pigs. One way to remove these oils it to kiln-dry the wood before its packaged. Now a bit of a science lesson. To kiln dry wood, the shavings are placed in huge ovens, or Kilns, where a set temperature, humidity and airflow is created to heat the wood and evaporate the naturally occurring oils and moistures, to create a safe bedding material.
Another option to pine is Aspen. Aspen is a hardwood that contains no oil, but being a wood, is not as absorbent as pine, and provides little odor control.
One note is that cedar is never to be used a guinea pig bedding. Cedar wood is considered extremely oily and unsuitable for guinea pigs.
What’s the best bedding for an indoor guinea pig?
Hands down, the best bedding for indoor guinea pigs is a fleece cage liner. Clean, hygienic, and dust free. The only down side is the extra laundry, but that more than makes up for not having to sweep or vacuum around the cage every day!
Best guinea pig bedding for odor control
Controlling odors is top of most guinea pig parents lists. The best way to control odors is to maintain a hygienic enclosure through regular cleaning. The right choice of bedding helps. The best types of bedding for odor control are absorbent bedding types, like paper based bedding, or a fleece liner.
Guinea Pig Bedding to Avoid
Whilst there are many great bedding options out there for your pet, there are some that you should certainly avoid. There are types of bedding that are advertised as safe for little furry pets, including guinea pigs, many contain chemicals that could be a problem for your pet. Others are just not practical or offer little in the way of odor control or absorbency.
Cat Litter
This is one such product that might seem like a good idea, particularly for an indoor guinea pig. However, these products are designed for toilet areas only, where a cat would come, do their mess, and leave. They are certainly not designed for sleeping in, or borrowing in. They contain chemicals that can be both harmful to the skin and cause respiratory problems. One to avoid!
Cedar Wood Chips
Cedar wood shavings contain a high amount or natural oils, that even kiln drying cannot remove. These oils can cause skin and breathing problems for your pet guinea pig. Please avoid these, even kiln-dried bedding. Pine shavings are not so oily, so if kiln-dried are not as bad as cedar, but in our experiences, there are better options out there, so why take the risk.
Saw Dust
Even the name gives it away. Dust! We should all know by now that dust is bad for your friend.
Straw
We have used straw in the past, normally as a base bedding, with a layer of softer hay over the top. Options seem to have shifted away from straw over the years, which is a drier version of hay.
Being drier and more brittle, with a coarse texture, keepers do say it can cause eye infections. This is not something we’ve never experienced, but again, with the wealth of better options out there, and the experience gained from connecting with other owners, maybe the time for straw bedding is dwindling. Also, straw provides no nutritional value.
