Choosing a bag of bedding for your guinea pig seems like an easy task, but with all the small animal bedding and litter choices out there, it can get confusing. Is there a type of bedding that’s best for guinea pigs? What’s the safest and healthiest bedding? How about absorbency and odor control?
With so many options, even experienced guinea pig owners can use a little advice. These reviews will help you make sense of all the choices for your pet guinea pig.
Bedding can be made from a variety of materials, including paper, wood, straw, wheat, and corn. Paper tends to be the preferred material, and responsible guinea pig parents want natural, non-toxic bedding for their little piggies.
Let’s look at the best bedding to keep your guinea pig comfortable, healthy, and happy!
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites
Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall |
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Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding |
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Best Value |
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Carefresh Small Animal Bedding |
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Premium Choice |
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Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding |
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Check Price |
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Small Pet Select Natural Paper Bedding |
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FiberCore Small Pet Eco-Bedding |
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The 10 Best Beddings for Guinea Pigs – Reviews & Top Picks 2022
1. Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding, Natural – Best Overall
Material: | Never-printed paper |
Absorption: | 800% of its weight in moisture |
Odor control: | Natural odor control |
Our pick for best overall bedding for guinea pigs is Oxbow Pure Comfort. It’s quality natural bedding from a well-known small pet products company. It’s soft and made from pure, never-printed paper. There are no printing industry by-products and no odor control chemicals.
2. Carefresh Small Animal Bedding, Natural – Best Value
Material: | Reclaimed paper fiber |
Absorption: | More absorbent than shavings |
Odor control: | 10-day odor stop formula |
This is our pick for best bedding for guinea pigs for the money. It’s a popular and economical bedding choice. The paper fiber is compostable and biodegradable. Carefresh’s odor control formula is designed to suppress ammonia odors for up to 10 days.
3. Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding – Premium Choice
Material: | Paper |
Absorption: | 6 times its weight in liquid |
Odor control: | Odor control guarantee |
The Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding is a soft and fluffy paper bedding (good for nesting and burrowing) made from paper remnants and trimmings that would normally be discarded. It’s eco-friendly paper bedding with no added chemicals, by-products, or scents.
4. Small Pet Select Natural Paper Bedding – Best for Baby Guinea Pigs
Material: | Paper |
Absorption: | n/a |
Odor control: | n/a |
Soft, natural paper is a good choice for baby guinea pigs and their moms. This Small Pet Select premium bedding is made from unbleached virgin paper fiber. It contains no recycled newsprint or dyes. It’s highly absorbent with no added scent blockers.
5. FiberCore Small Pet Eco-Bedding
Material: | Recycled paper |
Absorption: | n/a |
Odor control: | n/a |
This unique bedding gets high marks from consumers for being dust-free. It’s made from 100% post-consumer waste and is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as 100% recycled. The packaging is cardboard, not plastic, as well.
6. Old Dominion Hemp Small Animal Hemp Bedding
Material: | Hemp |
Absorption: | 4 times its weight in moisture |
Odor control: | Odor-resistant properties |
Hemp is a trendy material for human products, so why not guinea pig bedding too? Old Dominion hemp bedding is naturally absorbent because it contains 75% cellulose (plant fiber). The structure allows for good airflow and heat retention. It’s biodegradable and can even go in the compost pile.
7. Geegoods Guinea Pig Cage Liners
Material: | Polyester fleece |
Absorption: | 4 absorbent layers |
Odor control: | Can be machine washed |
Many guinea pig owners like to use fleece as bedding. These fleece cage liners are soft and comfortable on those tiny feet, and the multi-layer design absorbs moisture and odors. They can be used alone or with other bedding materials on top, depending on what you and your guinea pig prefer.
8. ComfyCritter Small Animal Bedding
Material: | Wheat straw |
Absorption: | Expands to over 2 times its volume |
Odor control: | n/a |
This bedding is a soft, 100% natural wheat straw, made with no added chemicals. The straw is biodegradable and compostable. The manufacturer says the materials are processed on specialized dust-reducing equipment.
9. Kaytee Extreme Odor Control Bedding
Material: | Paper |
Absorption: | 6 times its weight in liquid |
Odor control: | 14-day odor control guarantee |
A good option if your primary guinea pig bedding concern is controlling odor. It is formulated to neutralize ammonia odor for 14 days. The Kaytee Extreme Odor Control Bedding is made from discarded paper remnants and trimmings. The bedding material is soft and colorfast.
10. Carefresh Small Animal Bedding, Confetti
Material: | Reclaimed paper fiber |
Absorption: | More absorbent than shavings |
Odor control: | 10-day odor stop formula |
A cute and colorful option made from soft and fluffy reclaimed paper fiber that’s biodegradable and compostable. The Carefresh Small Animal Bedding is a good choice for burrowing and nesting. Proprietary odor stop formula suppresses ammonia odor for up to 10 days.
Buyer’s Guide
What’s the perfect bedding for your pet guinea pig? Paper bedding gets high marks from consumers and pet care experts. You’ll find plenty of options to choose from in the paper bedding category. Here are some quick tips for finding the best bedding for guinea pigs.
Finally, the best bedding choice is one that your guinea pig likes and uses! Not every option will be a hit with your little one. There might be some trial and error before you find the bedding that satisfies both you and your guinea pig.
Conclusion
Here’s a quick summary of a few of the best picks from our reviews. Our choice for the best overall guinea pig bedding is Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding, Natural. Oxbow is a quality small pet products company. This paper bedding is labeled pure because it’s free from inks, glues, and other by-products of the printing process.
Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding is also a good paper bedding choice that’s very popular with guinea pig owners. It has a soft, fluffy texture that’s ideal for burrowing and it gets high marks for its good absorbency and odor control.