| Here you can learn about the different kinds of beddings commonly used with
cavies, and which beddings to avoid.
The Good Here are beddings that are good choices for a cavy
Kiln-Dried Pine Shavings Pros: Inexpensive (around $7 for 10.5 cubic feet), soft, clean smell Cons: Bad for people with allergies, low absorbance Purchase at: most stores carry kiln-dried pine, but feed stores are much less pricey; can also be bought at most Wal-Marts. Kiln-dried pine shavings do not carry the same risks that cedar and non-kiln-dried pine shavings do. Kiln-dried shavings have little smell and do not irritate the lungs. We use Thoroughbed brand shavings, which we have found to work very well. They are a very light color, almost white, with little to no dust and scent.
Compressed Pine Bedding Pros: Inexpensive (about $7 for a 40 lb. bag), excellent absorbance rate, little to no smell (even when saturated) Cons: Heavy, not very soft on feet Purchase at: Feed store Pelleted pine bedding absorbs moisture very effectively while staying easy on the budget. Many longhaired cavies in show coat are kept on this kind of bedding, because it does not get caught in the coat like shavings. We use Woody Pet or Long Beach Pine Pellets underneath our Thoroughbed in the corners to keep the cages moisture- and smell-free. Used by itself it is very effective but can become rather heavy.
CareFresh (no picture) and other recycled newspaper beddings Pros: Good for people with allergies, used as an alternative to wood shavings Cons: expensive, gets wet fast, sometimes is smelly/dusty Purchase at: Pet Store Many rescues use Carefresh as it is a good alternative to pine or other beddings. I have never used this product for my cavies because of the price, but I did try it out with my mice and it seemed much dustier than my wood shavings. It also got wetter faster. It is still a good bedding for people with allergies, and can be combined with pelleted bedding to help absorption and keep odors down.
Fleece Pros: Not too expensive, good for people with allergies, soft and cozy for pigs Cons: Must be brushed off or vacuumed daily and washed every other day (or however soon it gets saturated) Purchase at: fabric store Many C&C cages use fleece as a bedding. The fleece is usually layered several layers thick, over towels and/or newspaper (or pine pellets). This bedding is cheap in the long run, as the initial cost is the only price you pay aside from the time you spend washing it. The fleece should itself should be discarded and changed every once in a while to ensure your cavy's home stays clean. The only way this bedding stays effective is to layer it over something absorbent that can be changed regularly.
The Bad and the Ugly! Here are some beddings to avoid
Straw Pros: cheap Cons: does not absorb anything, is poky and can hurt your cavy, has no nutritional value and is too large to be comfortable Straw is just not a good bedding. The urine and poos go to the bottom of the cage and just... sit there. The cavy will constantly be soaked from spilled water and urine, and the straw can easily poke their eyes or body.
Newspaper Pros: cheap Cons: does not absorb anything, no odor control, ink can be harmful, ink stains cavy Newspaper is ok layered over pine pellets or other absorbent material, but by itself is not a good choice. Newspaper has no odor-covering capabilities and gets soggy and gross. The ink must be soy-based and the paper non-glossy or it will harm your cavy. The print from the newspaper often rubs off onto the cavy's coat, giving them a gray coating.
Cedar Shavings Pros: Cedar smell Cons: the phenols are harmful The oils (or "phenols") in the cedar severely irritate and burn the lining of the lungs and trachea of small animals. Whenever you smell cedar, you know exactly what it is! When constantly breathed in, this causes respiratory problems in all small critters. Most stores no longer carry cedar, but it's still good to know!
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