cat litter on the botton? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Herbie Girl** · #1 11-09-05, 02:57 pm

This might have been mentioned before so forgive me for asking again..My friend says she uses newspaper then kitty litter then shavings ect... Isn't kitty litter bad for guinea pigs?

Becky

**sooocute!** · #2 11-09-05, 03:11 pm

I was just going to post a similar question. I use "Yesterday's News" in the litter box. I think it is the only kitty litter that is recommended because it is made of recycled newspaper.

I like it, but I think it is kind of expensive. It seems to absorb well and does not get too smelly, I think it is fairly easy to work with.

I would like to know what other people use in the piggers' litter boxes, how expensive it is and how smelly etc...

Thanks for posting this Becky. I hope you get your answer.

**aqh88** · #3 11-09-05, 04:18 pm

Some cat litter is ok but no clay based litters, sand, or litters with very small pieces such as corn cob bedding size or smaller. Feline pine is a safe cat litter made of pelleted pine. Paper pellets are also safe. When I looked up a cat litter called Good Mews(paper pellets) I found the cat litter was scented with cedar oils which are not safe for guinea pigs but they also make bedding products that aren't scented if you can find them. It would probably be best to list the brand of cat litter your thinking of using.

I use aspen pellets in a layer under shavings for my nonfleece cages and by itself in the hay area and litter box in my fleece cage. It costs me $10 a 20lb bag.

**Herbie Girl** · #4 11-09-05, 04:24 pm

aspen pellets? Where do you find that and what brand?

Becky

**LBKK** · #5 11-09-05, 04:31 pm

I use Carefresh with a layer of newspaper underneath and it has worked great so far. No smell and it's very absorbant. Not only that but it looks sooo pretty because I bought a huge bag of white Carefresh and a few small bags of pink, purple, blue and green which I sprinkle on top just for looks!

**aqh88** · #6 11-09-05, 05:01 pm

There are several brands of aspen pellets but the one I mostly see and can get for the cheapest price are Aspen Supreme Pellets by Green Pet Products Incorporated. It's a green thick plastic bag with various animals pictured on the front. They also sell corncob bedding in the exact same package so you have to make sure to double check the bedding picture on the front and name before buying.

**Herbie Girl** · #7 11-09-05, 05:20 pm

Thanks, I just looked them up on the net. Does it have to be ordered or is it available at stores? Sorry for all the questions. The c&c cage is ALOT bigger so it will require alot more so I got to go the most economal way.

Becky

**aqh88** · #8 11-09-05, 05:30 pm

I ordered a few bags when I believe it was petsmart.com had that free shipping deal and was selling the 25lb bags for $9.99. After I found it works great I went hunting for it. Petsmart and Petco both carried the aspen pellets but one wanted $20 for a 25lb bag and the other only had 10lb bags for around $8-$9 I think. I just found it at a fish store that also sells a few other pet supplies for the $10 a 20lb bag. The fish store also had another brand of aspen pellets in a clear plastic bag at 10lbs for $5.50 but I didn't check the brand name.

**Jeanne** · #9 11-09-05, 05:55 pm

I used corn cob once before. I used it due to having no pet stores in my area (I live in downtown Toronto) and it was a holiday weekend. I didn't like it because it stuck to everything (including food). Is this why it shouldn't be used? Or is there some other reason?

**aqh88** · #10 11-09-05, 06:03 pm

Small particles like corn cob can get stuck in guinea pigs private parts and most notably in the anal sac of males. Then you get the fun job of cleaning it out. It also molds easy, is not good when ingested(swells, doesn't break down.. so on), and is not all that comfortable for bedding. Kinda like gravel but if you bury it under another bedding like you can wood pellets it ends up growing mold.

**pennick** · #11 11-10-05, 06:50 am

I switched from aspen to Carefresh on my Vet's reccommendations. I think carefresh is 100% better than any other shavings as far as mess, cleanup and dust goes.

What a pleasure it was to clean it out of the cage. Its all stuck together so you get a nice big chunk when cleaning it out and nothing goes flying. I was able to clean it out in 15 minutes compared to aspen which took about 45 minutes.

So it's now newspapers and then carefresh for me.

**Licorice** · #12 11-10-05, 11:22 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herbie Girl

This might have been mentioned before so forgive me for asking again..My friend says she uses newspaper then kitty litter then shavings ect... Isn't kitty litter bad for guinea pigs?

Becky

Hi:

I use Yesterday's News in the litter pan. In the cage itself - I use several layers of newspaper and then Aspen.

**Licorice** · #13 11-10-05, 11:24 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooocute!

I was just going to post a similar question. I use "Yesterday's News" in the litter box. I think it is the only kitty litter that is recommended because it is made of recycled newspaper.

I like it, but I think it is kind of expensive. It seems to absorb well and does not get too smelly, I think it is fairly easy to work with.

I would like to know what other people use in the piggers' litter boxes, how expensive it is and how smelly etc...

Thanks for posting this Becky. I hope you get your answer.

I buy Yesterday's News at the food store. I have found the pet store to be more expensive. I'm not sure of the exact size, but it's either a 8 or 10 lb bag for around $6.00. The pet store gets $8 for a 6 lb bag.