Guinea Pig Pages

Bedding and Furnishing

Once you've decided on a house for your pets, the next question is what to put down as bedding. We tried sawdust, pine shavings, newspaper and straw, but none of these was ideal. The material has to be absorbent so that it soaks up the urine and minimises odour; it should be dust-free so that it doesn't cause breathing problems; and it should be comfortable for your piggies to walk and sleep on.

The litter should also be free of chemical additives. Remember, unlike cats and dogs who might visit the litter tray only when doing their business, your piggies will live in the bedding all day, so those litters that contain chemicals to control odour and moisture are unsuitable. Our preference is to use a form of cat litter made from recycled newspaper. It comes in the form of greyish pellets and is marketed under a variety of names. Where we live it is sold as 'Breeder's Choice' litter.

We also place other furnishings in the house for our piggies -- a paving brick for them to lie on and climb over (it's cool in hot weather), assorted rocks, a chewing stick to keep teeth busy, and a heavy dish for grain. Our feed dish is a terracotta base from a plant pot: it's heavy enough not to tip over when the piggies lean on it. They have water bottle, too -- the kind with a ball-valve to prevent drips. This is better than a water dish, which will get walked through or filled with food and litter.

Cleaning

Regular house-cleaning is essential for the health of your guinea pigs, and for preventing smells. With the right preparation we have found that cleaning once a week is enough. To set up the house we put down sheets of newspaper before pouring the litter in to a depth of about 3cm or 4cm. The newspaper draws the moisture down and away from the surface, while also preventing salts from building up on the base of the tank.

To clean, we simply scoop out all the contents with a brush and pan (after first removing the piggies!) and lift out the newspaper. Then we just wipe the insides of the tank with an animal-friendly disinfectant (such as 'Hutch Clean') and it's fresh again. The advantage of a glass or acrylic house is that there are no disinfectant fumes left to harm your pets, and because the plastic is non-porous, there's nowhere for germs to hide. During the week we maintain the tank by removing any vegetable scraps after each feeding, and by scooping out most of the droppings. We keep a plastic throwaway spoon and a supply of small paper bags by the tank. It's easy to spend a minute or two scooping out the droppings into a bag, which can be popped in the bin. Just a few minutes each day ensures that the major clean needs to be done only once a week.

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