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The SmartBedz natural straw pellet is ideal for your pet as it:
  • extra long lasting
  • has up to 400% absorbency
  • is super odour binding
  • is dust extracted
  • is bio-degradable

Guinea Pig Bedding | Guinea Pig Litter

Guinea big bedding is important to get right for the comfort and health of both your guinea pig and you (especially if your guinea pig lives indoors with you, which many do). This is because guinea pig bedding serves not simply as a comfortable material in which to sleep, but oftentimes ends up as a litter base also, subject to soiling in all areas of the cage.

Opinion seems to be divided on whether guinea pigs can be trained to use a litter tray. Some are adamant that they have successfully trained their guinea pigs to use a litter tray. Others claim that they can train for urination but not defecation. But many, if not most owners, will say that guinea pigs cannot be trained at all and never attempt to train them.

This variation may be down to species differences, or the age at which guinea pigs are acquired, but it is the case that most guinea pigs, at least for part of their lives if not all of it, will be using the whole of their cage as a toilet area. This means that to maintain dryness and keep down odour, the base of all guinea pig bedding needs to provide a degree of absorbency. Using SmartBedz as the base for your guinea pig bedding provides exactly the type of dryness and odour suppression required, whether or not you decide to attempt toilet training your guinea pig.

Guinea Pig Bedding click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop

Caring for Guinea Pigs

A plastic cage of some sort is ideal and this should be located in a quiet place, out of direct sunlight and off the floor to make the guinea pig feel safer. A wooden box is generally to be avoided as it can harbour fungi or bacteria which are hard to eradicate once established, and can affect the health of the guinea pig. The larger the cage the better, to allow plenty of room for exercise and play. It should include a separate nest box for your guinea pig to sleep and hide in. Guinea pigs love to run and play, so in addition to the enclosed caged area, it is a good idea to also provide a run. They will happily roam the house but you will need to ensure that there are no wires, poisonous plants or other hazardous items they can nibble at.

The cage should be lined with guinea pig bedding, which consists of several layers of materials.

The first, optional, layer is flat sheets of newspaper. While providing an element of warmth and basic absorbency, this is main useful as a cleaning out aid, enabling the material and soiling to be easily gathered up at cleaning out time.

The next layer should be a litter layer. Traditionally this has consisted of different materials such as sawdust or wood shavings. However sawdust should not be used as it is very fine and can too easily be inhaled by guinea pigs foraging with their noses. Wood shavings are also not ideal since many have their own strong odour (e.g. pine or cedar) which guinea pigs find objectionable and can even be harmful due to the phenols they contain. Furthermore, sawdust and wood shavings have only minimal absorbency.

The ideal litter layer for guinea pig bedding therefore needs to be dust free to avoid respiratory problems, neutral in odour, and as absorbent as possible. Guinea pigs, especially older and larger ones produce large amounts of urine. If this is not cleaned out frequently it will break down and produce ammonia which can contribute to respiratory problems (not to mention being offensive to human owners).

SmartBedz litter solves all these issues. It is dust free, as all the dust is extracted as part of the manufacturing process, and its pellet form means it cannot be accidentally inhaled during foraging. It is no strong odour of its own, is highly absorbent (up to 400%) and actively suppresses odour. This reduces the amount of cleaning out required, while still maintaining a pleasant and healthy environment for your guinea pig.

Since guinea pigs are foraging animals, they may like to nibble on the SmartBedz pellets.  This is harmless as is made from natural straw and contains no chemicals.

The top layer of guinea pig bedding should ideally be hay, providing something which is fairly soft and which the guinea big can nestle into. Some owners provide alternatives to hay which have similar nesting qualities, such as towels or paper based materials. Guinea pigs also like to eat hay as part of their diet, so the cage needs to be topped up with fresh hay regularly in any case.

Guinea pigs have the most unusual sleeping habits of any animal and rather than have a prolonged period of sleep they survive by cat napping for short period. They also sleep with their eyes open so you may think they are quietly sitting down in a corner and staring but they are in fact asleep!

It is important to ensure your guinea pig has a fresh supply of hay, food and water at all times.

A water bottle should be fixed to the cage at the right height and kept topped up and a food dish provided. A few toys such as cardboard tubes for them to run through or an old shoe box with an entrance hole cut in are ideal.

Guinea pigs are sociable animals so it is best to keep a couple. Two males together will generally fight and it is not good to keep a male and female together as this will result in continuous breeding. The best option is to put two females together. Guinea pigs and rabbits should not be housed together as this can be very stressful for the guinea pig.

Benefits of using SmartBedz for Guinea Pig Litter and Bedding

Directions for use
Place a 1-3cm layer of SmartBedz pellets in the cage. 
Remove soiled pellets regularly and replenish as required. 
Empty and clean out when necessary. 
Some animals might also like a small area of soft nesting material on top of SmartBedz.

Disposal
Disposal of used SmartBedz pellets is extremely easy as they biodegrade very quickly when wet - much more rapidly than wood shavings or straw. They can be used in the garden immediately as mulch or can be added to compost and used as fertiliser.

Guinea Pig Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop