What To Use As Bedding Material For Your Guinea Pigs
Having a pet guinea pig is such a joy. Watching them play, eat, and scamper around in their cages is fun especially because they are so cute and cuddly. To keep your pets healthy and happy you should invest in proper bedding for them. There are many options for their bedding and this includes straw, paper, or even wood shavings.
Paper is abundant and cost efficient source of bedding. In terms of the comfort, paper is to guinea pigs, while feather is to humans. In addition, clean paper does not have dust and they absorb liquids easily. However, the only concern with paper is if it contains ink that is poisonous to guinea pigs.
Some may consider soft wood shavings as the best option for bedding. Shavings have a number of shapes depending on the order. Wood can be cut to look like pellets or actual shavings, or something complete different.
As we all know, shavings come from wood. Since wood carries a smell with it so does its shavings. Pine tree's shaving is an example of good smell and affordable materials. The only concern is that they can make dust.
However, if you are still decided in using the shavings, you should let the scent out of the system outside of the house and letting the wood shavings dry. Remember guinea pigs have allergic reactions to some scents. It would also help minimize the effect of the scent on the guinea pig if you would use cage instead of an aquarium.
The third kind of material is straw. With straw, the owner is hitting two birds at a time because the straw is used as bedding and as a source of nutrients.
Before using the straw, make sure it is dry and mold-free. The disadvantage of straw is that when it gets wet, say from water or urine, it can spoil easily and thus needs to be changed.
Avoid using sawdust as it can cause pulmonary problems with the guinea pig when they inhale the small particles of dust. Neither should you use materials that are hard because it can pierce through the eyes of the guinea pig.
Paper is abundant and cost efficient source of bedding. In terms of the comfort, paper is to guinea pigs, while feather is to humans. In addition, clean paper does not have dust and they absorb liquids easily. However, the only concern with paper is if it contains ink that is poisonous to guinea pigs.
Some may consider soft wood shavings as the best option for bedding. Shavings have a number of shapes depending on the order. Wood can be cut to look like pellets or actual shavings, or something complete different.
As we all know, shavings come from wood. Since wood carries a smell with it so does its shavings. Pine tree's shaving is an example of good smell and affordable materials. The only concern is that they can make dust.
However, if you are still decided in using the shavings, you should let the scent out of the system outside of the house and letting the wood shavings dry. Remember guinea pigs have allergic reactions to some scents. It would also help minimize the effect of the scent on the guinea pig if you would use cage instead of an aquarium.
The third kind of material is straw. With straw, the owner is hitting two birds at a time because the straw is used as bedding and as a source of nutrients.
Before using the straw, make sure it is dry and mold-free. The disadvantage of straw is that when it gets wet, say from water or urine, it can spoil easily and thus needs to be changed.
Avoid using sawdust as it can cause pulmonary problems with the guinea pig when they inhale the small particles of dust. Neither should you use materials that are hard because it can pierce through the eyes of the guinea pig.
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