Bedding for guinea pigs

[LyraBelaqua]

Hi
I’m just wondering what bedding you put your guinea pigs on in an indoor hutch? I’ve tried wood shavings, they spread and are quite smelly. I’ve tried burly bed as well, that it’s similar to wood shavings, it spreads and gets smelly. I’ve tried the paper stuff but found that the same and too pricey as I have a large hutch. I’ve also tried vet bed but find that stinks really quickly and it was ruining my washing machine with bits of hay I couldn’t get out of it and the occasional poop. I’ve heard fleece is really good but I’m reluctant to fork out to then find it’s no good and I don’t want to purchase it and find I’ve got the wrong stuff. Can anyone advise please? Otherwise it’s going to be a long smelly messy winter.

I use recycled paper bedding called Back to Nature and have found this the best for both dust and smell. It's not shredded paper which is really smelly, it's like concentrated pellets of paper, a bit like paper cat litter. It is more expensive than shavings but you don't need to use too much as it's very absorbent and you can buy in bulk online. The only downside is that it isn't very soft/snuggly for them so I give them lots of hay which they use to make beds, and then kick everywhere which is a bit of a pain! But then they do the same with any lightweight bedding like shavings too!

Others on here use Equizorb which is a horse bedding, or old fleece blankets which they then shake off and wash, but I find that too much of a faff dealing with the poo which rolls everywhere!

We use fleece and wash it inside a washing bag to keep the hay etc out of the machine - clean outs are really quick and easy.

Mine had hay as bedding and newspaper underfoot. Depends if you have a source of newspaper I guess!

We also use fleece and wash it in a washing bag. It works really well for us too. I pick up new bits of fleece from time to time from the cheap end-pieces bin at the fabric shop.

Please don't use fleece - it's terrible for the environment as it sheds plastic whenever it's washed plus there is the environmental energy cost of washing it all the time. If you must use fleece at least try and find some that are eco friendly and don't wash too often.

Aubiose is supposed to be good. Absorbs, not very dust creating. But has to bought in huge bag as used alot of larger animals like horses. But if you've somewhere to store it, it will be also be economical.

Guppyfriend Washing Bag to Reduce Microplastic Pollution
Product number: 53201 Lakeland Limited

You could use this to wash fleece, or there are the PetBags that will keep the denris in the bag to protect the machine .

If you do use fleece - you need a rough, wicking fleece (I got some from Ikea) that keeps the top surface dry and lets the pee through. You need something absorbant underneath. Don't use fabric conditioner . Use a bland non scented detergent ( I used Ecover or an EcoEgg)

I used loads of different beddings , there wasn''t one that I thought "Perfect, I've cracked it" because they all have pros/cons .

My pigs liked hay to sleep in, eat, pee in, pooh in. It gets everywhere though and needs regular changing.

I found ours needed daily changes of newspaper and hay (and fleece) . Guinea-pigs are messy but it really isn't fair on them to leave them in dirty cages . If you give them a fairly large cardbox box ( 2 doors for safety) , newspaper over a puppy pad and some deep hay , then its pretty much a roll up and replace effort .

I don't have guinea-pigs now but we kept our last three indoors 24/7 last winter from about October . They were all middle aged (nearly 5) and I didn't think it was mild enough to put them in the Pighouse . So they had huge C&C cages in the small bedroom .

Without fail, if we tried to replace the hay if they were in the cage , they'd run into it as it fell. Every Single Time
So DD did took them out to keep watch while I did the clean.
(They aren't the sharpest tools in the shed )

Thank you for all of your advice. It never occurred to me to wash fleece in a bag. The auboise looks like burly bed but made of hemp instead of miscanthis. I’ll give them all a try and see which the girls seem to like the best.

I use vetbed as it lets pee though, with cotton towels underneath in the pig's sleeping area. I have puppy pads covering the rest of the cage. The cage currently consists of a frame sitting on the floor, and the pigs are mostly free-roaming (they don't go very far though) in my living room. I am considering moving them (I have 5) to two large c&c cages so I can switch to using some of the other suggestions on this thread.

Why don’t you try wood pellets?
I use them for the pony and they work equally well for my 11 furries.
It’s dust-free, doesn’t smell at all and is environmentally friendly.
Look up Aquamax horse bedding. (Better than Verdo). You can buy single bags from feed and bedding merchants. A little goes a long way.

We use hemp from zoo plus. Have tried other stuff and this is the least smelly.