Guinea Pig Bedding - click here to buy SmartBedz from our online shop
Why Does Guinea Pig Bedding Matter?
Guinea pig bedding may not seem like the most important thing to worry about compared to food, cage design and so on, but what you choose to put on the floor of your guinea pig’s cage can have a significant impact on your pet’s health and happiness. Guinea pig bedding/litter is generally used to cover the entire floor area of your guinea pig’s cage. This means that your guinea pig’s feet will be in constant contact with it.
In addition, your guinea pig, being the rodent it is, will naturally forage around for food almost constantly. This means digging around in whatever is on the ground, sniffing and nibbling just about anything it finds. So what does mean for your choice of guinea pig bedding?
Above all, it needs to be non-harmful when in prolonged contact with your pet’s feet and skin,
and it needs to cause no irritation to delicate eyes and noses as a result of dust. It should go without saying that your guinea pig bedding should not contain any toxic ingredients. With these requirements, most owners will automatically start to look for a natural bedding, but is this sufficient?
Will Any Natural Guinea Pig Bedding Do?
Unfortunately there are many bedding and litter products on the market which, despite being comprised of natural materials, can cause harm to your guinea pig.
For instance, some products based on wood containing natural oils such as cedar and pine may smell good to you, but they are toxic to small rodents and many other pets too.
Other "natural" products have sharp points and edges (such as is found in untreated straw bedding, wood shavings or even worse in hemp bedding) which can cause discomfort or even serious injury to feet, eyes and other delicate skin.
And some "natural" products (e.g. sawdust and untreated hay) contain high levels of dust which is unhealthy for ground dwelling rodents to be breathing in on a regular basis.
In short, your guinea pig bedding should be safe for your guinea pig: comfortable to walk on or lie down on, dust free and non-toxic. SmartBedz pellets are rounded in shape and made from pulverised straw, so there are no sharp points or edges. Dust is extracted as part of the manufacturing process, resulting in a virtually dust-free product. And there are no chemicals, perfumes or additives of any kind added to SmartBedz, so it is completely non-toxic and is even safe for your pet to eat.
Guinea Pig Litter
But your guinea pig bedding also needs to work well as a litter. It is essential to your guinea pig’s health that its cage should be kept as dry and clean as possible - but guinea pigs cannot be toilet trained. Although they may show a preference for toileting in a specific area of the cage, this cannot be guaranteed and they may decide to urinate anywhere.
This creates two problems - the first is dampness, the second is odour, especially if your guinea pigs are kept indoors. So whatever bedding/litter you choose also needs to be absorbent and naturally odour suppressing.
SmartBedz can absorb 400 percent its volume in liquid, quickly pulling liquid away from the surface and into the centre of the pellet. This action also drastically reduces the contact time with oxygen, which is involved in the formation of ammonia, the main cause of unpleasant smells. This results in naturally low levels of odour, which can be further minimised through daily spot cleaning. Simply take out the wet pellets (easily spotted since they swell up) and replace with a few fresh pellets as necessary. You should also remove solids daily to keep down odour and for hygiene purposes.
Because spot cleaning is so quick to do, there is minimal disruption to your pet, as well as less work for you. And because you are only replacing small amounts of litter, a bag of SmartBedz will last a good while. A thorough cleanout will be needed sometimes, of course, but far less often than with other less absorbent types of litter.
Disposing of SmartBedz is easy, since it is organic and fully biodegradable. This means it can be added to compost or can even be flushed down the toilet in small quantities.
Guinea Pig Bedding - click here to buy SmartBedz from our online shop
What Sort of Cage Does My Guinea Pig Need?
Guinea pigs like to move around a great deal, and they will be spending a great deal of time in their cage, so it is important to choose one which will give them plenty of space. Guinea pigs like company, so it is best to keep at least two and buy a cage which has enough space for them all.
If you are keeping your guinea pig indoors choose either a traditional wire cage or an aquarium type cage with solid sides. However, wire cages are often too small, so it is better to opt for the aquarium variety.
If you are keeping your guinea pig outside, choose a hutch design with separate living and sleeping quarters. Split level designs provide guinea pigs with additional space and a more interesting environment. It should ideally include a run to allow exercise, but it must be fully enclosed, to give protection from predators such as cats, dogs and foxes. Outside hutches need to include some insulation from the cold, especially on the floor surface. SmartBedz provides good insulation compared to, say, paper, which is too thin, or hay which can be too easily pulled away to leave a bare floor.
Your cage should contain the following:
- Fresh water and food (see below)
- A layer of guinea pig bedding throughout, including the sleeping area
- Additional soft nesting material, especially in the sleeping area
- A variety of play objects such as cardboard tubes or commercial toys
- Something to gnaw on, such as wood, to help keep teeth from getting overgrown.
What Should a Guinea Pig Eat?
Grass and hay are the mainstay of a guinea pig’s diet in the wild and can be provided either fresh, dried or in pellet form. Commercially available guinea pig pellets are also suitable. However, if you use mostly pellets, you should still provide some fresh hay.
Your guinea pig will also benefit from fresh fruit and vegetables in order to get necessary levels of Vitamin C. Apples, carrots, celery, broccoli, and other green vegetables are all ideal.
Take care to avoid processed wheat based foods such as biscuits, bread, pasta which can be harmful. Chocolate should never be given to a guinea pig as it is poisonous to them.
With these foundations in place, your guinea pig can look forward to a long and healthy life.
Guinea Pig Bedding - click here to buy SmartBedz from our online shop
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