Bedding
ADMIN POST: BEDDING
Guinea pigs need some kind of bedding to line the bottom of their cage. Bedding absorbs urine and protects pigs' delicate feet. Good bedding and cage cleaning practices will help prevent conditions like urine scald and bumblefoot. There are a number of choices available that are safe and effective. You may need to try a couple of types or combinations before you find one that works for you. Regardless of the kind of bedding you use, hay should be placed in big piles around the cage.
Here is a breakdown of safe beddings and tips on what not to do:
BAKING SODA:
Baking soda is added to many kinds of paper and hemp bedding. It is also in laundry detergents. DO NOT USE PRODUCTS WITH BAKING SODA. IT IS A NATURAL RODENT POISON. It causes respiratory irritation when inhaled and internal organs to rupture if ingested. IT WILL KILL YOUR PIGS IF INGESTED. IT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE IF INHALED. Never use baking soda around guinea pigs or other rodents!
PUPPY TRAINING PADS:
These can be used under fleece or loose bedding like shavings or paper. Make sure they do not contain baking soda or other odor control agents. Baking soda is a natural rodent poison! It is a respiratory irritant and causes internal organs to rupture if ingested. It can kill your pigs. Many other odor control agents are irritants to pigs' respiratory systems. They also contain toxic substances that can seriously harm a pig if ingested. Puppy pads need to be completely covered by another bedding. Use at lease 2" of substrate or completely cover them in fleece/bath mats/whelping pads.
WOOD SHAVINGS:
Aspen and kiln-dried pine are two safe kinds of wood bedding. Aspen does not need to be kiln dried but pine does. Kiln drying is a process that extracts phenols in the wood. Phenols are aromatic organic compounds in conifer trees (softwoods) like pine. Phenols are irritants and will cause respiratory problems in guinea pigs. Using pine shavings that have not been kiln dried to remove the phenols risks the health of your pigs. Not all shaving brands will say on the packaging that the wood has been kiln dried. The company's website may have that information. Sometimes you will need to call the company to find out. If you can't find out for sure if pine has been kiln dried, don't use it. Use about 2" to 3" of shavings in your cage. These products can be purchased in bulk for lower prices at farm and fee stores.
Cedar should never be used because of the phenols in it! Even kiln dried cedar is unsafe as the process does not remove all of the phenols.
WOOD PELLETS:
They need to be made of a safe wood like aspen or kiln dried pine. Because they are hard, they are not suitable for pigs to walk on. If you use wood pellets just make sure you have something else like paper or shavings on top of them. Note, make sure you buy pellets meant as animal bedding. There are wood pellets meant for BBQs or some fireplaces. These are not safe to use as bedding.
PAPER AND HEMP:
Paper and hemp bedding are safe to use. Like shavings, you'll want to use about 2" to 3" of paper/hemp bedding in your cage. Do not use newspaper or shredded office paper as your only bedding as they are not absorbent enough. These are ok to use under other bedding. Hemp can sometimes be purchased in bulk for lower prices at farm and fee stores.
When choosing a brand of hemp/paper bedding, check over the packaging to see if there are any additives. Often companies will add an odor control agent to the bedding. These agents can be bad for guinea pigs for a few reasons. They can contain compounds that are irritants, particularly to the respiratory system. Avoid anything scented or containing odor control compounds. Avoid anything that uses baking soda because it is a natural rodent poison and can kill your pigs. Using these products can lead to health problems and vet visits for your piggies.
The other issue with scents and odor control agents is that they can encourage poor cage cleaning habits. Highly scented or odor control compounds mask odors but they do not affect the cause of those odors. When a cage smells, the smell isn't the problem. It's what's causing the smell that's the problem. You want to be able to tell when the cage needs to be cleaned because that will keep your pigs healthier.
STRAW:
Straw is not appropriate for bedding. It isn't absorbent enough and it's too stiff. Pigs are likely to get hay pokes from straw, which need vet intervention to treat.
CLEANING LOOSE BEDDING:
Loose bedding like shavings or paper should be spot cleaned often to remove soiled bedding in high traffic areas. The whole cage bedding should be replaced once a week. You may need to change it more if you have a smaller cage. If urine often seeps through to the bottom of the cage, you may want to use a thicker layer of bedding or spot clean more.
FLEECE LINERS:
You can use pre-made fleece liners or make your own. Fleece bedding works like a sieve to pull the urine away from the top of the fleece and into the absorbent layer below. This prevents urine from pooling on the top of the fleece.
Pre-made liners are typically ready to use when purchased but it's a good idea to check with the manufacturer to be sure. Home-made fleece needs some preparation before using. You will need two elements - fleece fabric (fleece blankets work) and an absorbent layer that will go under the fleece. Use anti-pill or blizzard fleece. The absorbent layer can be old towels, uhaul recycled denim moving blankets (not quilted ones), puppy training pads, wood pellets, etc.
WICKING FLEECE:
Fleece needs to be wicked before it can be used. Fleece fabric usually has a coating on it that makes it waterproof. In order to use it as a cage liner, you need to strip that coating from the fleece. This process is called wicking. What you do is wash the fleece a number of times in hot water and white vinegar until the coating is gone. Use about a cup of vinegar per load. Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets when washing fleece. They will re-coat the fleece and make it water resistant. The fleece has been wicked when water will run through it. It will take a few washes for the fleece to wick. You could wash and dry it a few times, and then test it. Use low heat to dry it. If water won't run through it, do the process again until water will run through it. This step is time consuming but do not skip it. If urine pools on the fleece, your pigs are at risk for urine scald and bumblefoot.
CLEANING AND CARE OF FLEECE:
You'll want to spot clean your fleece daily by sweeping up droppings. You can use smaller fleece liners (about a foot square) in high traffic areas. You can change these out as needed so you aren't washing the main fleece liner if only a corner of it is dirty, for example. Check your liners often to make sure the pigs aren't chewing on them.
When fleece is dirty and needs to be washed, it can be helpful to use a stiff brush to brush off the hay and hair from the fleece so that they do not get in your washer. You can also put the fleece in a pillowcase or buy washer bags. These allow the fleece to be washed but contain the hay and other matter in the bag so that it stays out of the washer. Use a laundry detergent that is dye and scent free, and do not use any kind of fabric softener. Avoid detergents that use baking soda because it is a natural rodent poison and can kill your pigs
BATH MATS:
Bath mats are similar to fleece but you do not need to wick them. Mats made of polyester, chenille polyester blend (that don't look silky/shiny), or microfiber noodle bath rugs work well. They are more absorbent. Mats that look more like carpeting do not absorb as well and may contribute to urine scald issues. If the mat is really absorbent, you might be able to use just the mat without an absorbent layer under it. If the mats get wet quickly so the pigs are standing/sleeping in their urine, you'll want to use something more absorbent under the mat. Avoid rubber backed mats as pee will pool on the surface of them. Check your liners often to make sure the pigs aren't chewing on them. Use a laundry detergent that is dye and scent free, and do not use any kind of fabric softener. Avoid detergents that use baking soda because it is a natural rodent poison and can kill your pigs.
WASHABLE WHELPING PADS:
Washable whelping pads are kind of like pre-made fleece liners but you don't have to wick them. They have an absorbent layer sown into the pad. So, they are one self-contained piece like pre-made fleece liners. They also tend to be made of a smooth polyester material. Hay is easier to brush off than fleece and they are easy to wash. They tend to potentially need changing a little more often than actual fleece but still work well. Like fleece the upfront cost can be a lot but they last a long time so they end up being cheap option. They are also less hot than fleece so they might be a good choice if you live in a climate that gets hot but do not have air conditioning. Check your liners often to make sure the pigs aren't chewing on them. Use a laundry detergent that is dye and scent free, and do not use any kind of fabric softener. Avoid detergents that use baking soda because it is a natural rodent poison and can kill your pigs.
Credit: Guinea Pig Advice And Support