Bedding Does anyone use clumping kitty litter?

I don't think that would be a really great idea, because it seems like something the pig would try to eat and it might be hurtful to their feet. Guinea Pigs aren't really too smelly and they have a good-bye odor product you can put in their water that will reduce the smell, it works!
I use fleece, but I put litter boxes with aspen bedding in the corners and they are really good about using it to do most of their business. Their food bowl and water bottle are in the litter boxes, I think cavies like to poop where they eat, as strange as that is. I also put a towel under their hay rack, so it's easier to clean up that mess.
Also, if you want to get a guinea pig, really consider getting at least two because they do so much better with a companion and are really social.

Clumping cat litter is not recommended. It can be dangerous if ingested. It also has strong scent which can cause URI.

See these links for safe bedding.
Bedding
https://www.guinealynx.info/bedding.html

vania said:

I don't think that would be a really great idea, because it seems like something the pig would try to eat and it might be hurtful to their feet. Guinea Pigs aren't really too smelly and they have a good-bye odor product you can put in their water that will reduce the smell, it works!
I use fleece, but I put litter boxes with aspen bedding in the corners and they are really good about using it to do most of their business. Their food bowl and water bottle are in the litter boxes, I think cavies like to poop where they eat, as strange as that is. I also put a towel under their hay rack, so it's easier to clean up that mess.
Also, if you want to get a guinea pig, really consider getting at least two because they do so much better with a companion and are really social.

Click to expand...

Please don't put anything in their water, it's most likely bad for them, and can also make them drink water less than they should.

About the cat litter, no that's not a good idea, guinea pigs shouldn't have any sort of dust near them, kitty litter contains a lot of dust. You can try Aspen shavings or Carfresh.

Baloo said:

Hello There i'm thinking of getting a G. pig but was told that they smell more than other rodents.

Click to expand...

Whomever you are getting your information from is not a good source. Guinea pigs do not smell more than other rodents. I would say ferrets, with their musk gland are probably the much smellier of rodents.

I read some of the posts about using fleece but don't have a washing machine handy. I read on the net of someone using clumping kitty litter as bedding , therefore making easy scooping out urine etc.

Click to expand...

The internet is full of misinformation. Kitty litter is NOT a good litter for pigs. As others have said, its dangerous if they ingest it and the dust isn't good for their lungs. Also, because of the grainy nature of it, some could get stuck in their fur or stick to their skin if wet.

If you do not have access to a washing maching, try any number of loose bedding like aspen, kiln-dried pine or Carefresh.

vania said:

Guinea Pigs aren't really too smelly and they have a good-bye odor product you can put in their water that will reduce the smell, it works!

Click to expand...

Putting anti-odor drops in their water is not a good idea and not necessary. Doing daily spot cleaning and weekly clean outs is enough to keep the smell down. You can toss the drops.

I real a lot about this product and it's natural. It's not harmful to small animals and it has not affected how much water they drink at all. I also clean their cage daily, but I have four pigs, so things can get pretty smelly in just a couple of days.
Take a look for yourself if you want.
(broken link removed)

My mom wanted to get those drops, and I told her if she bought them they weren't going anywhere near the pig cage. They don't smell at all! She wanted to use them as a precautionary measure.
Kitty littler really isn't a good idea

@vania, the fact that it's "natural" doesn't mean that it's not harmful. Try eating enough peach pits and see how you like dying of cyanide poisoning.

A larger cage would go a long way toward keeping the smell down without additives in the water.

@Baloo, if you do get a pig, please don't add anything to its water.

CavyMama said:

Whomever you are getting your information from is not a good source. Guinea pigs do not smell more than other rodents. I would say ferrets, with their musk gland are probably the much smellier of rodents.

Click to expand...

Sorry to go off topic but I cant help it lol. Ferrets are not rodents. They are mustelids or weasels.

I agree. I wouldn't put anything in their water. I don't know whats in there or how it affects the animals but there is also just no need to use it. A large cage, with a good bedding thats kept clean will keep them from smelling.

bpatters said:

@vania , the fact that it's "natural" doesn't mean that it's not harmful. Try eating enough peach pits and see how you like dying of cyanide poisoning.

Click to expand...

(emphasis mine)
I am seriously stealing this line for future use.

As for the OP- This site has a lot of useful information for additional reading outside of these forums: https://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html

mmas4 said:

Sorry to go off topic but I cant help it lol. Ferrets are not rodents. They are mustelids or weasels.

Click to expand...

Haha fair enough lol I do know that ferrets are weasels (or relatives thereof). I think, sometimes, they all get lumped in together. The point was that of small animal (i.e. non-cat or dog) pets, a ferret would be more stinky than a guinea pig.

Here are the ingredients for Goodbye-odor:

Deionized Water, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylamine, Histidine, Lysine, Arginine, Cysteine, Proline. May or may not contain Sodium Bicarbonate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate.

I don't know that I would give this to my GPs!

that doesn't look very good, my motto is, if I can't pronounce any of the ingredients I'm not giving it to my pigs or myself, it's just safer that way

piggypuppylove said:

Here are the ingredients for Goodbye-odor:

Deionized Water, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylamine, Histidine, Lysine, Arginine, Cysteine, Proline. May or may not contain Sodium Bicarbonate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate.

Click to expand...

LOL doesn't sound very "natural" to me.

If your guinea pigs have an odor, you're not cleaning their cages enough. I use either Carefresh or Kaytee's shredded paper bedding and never, ever have an odor problem. I put newspaper under the bedding (which isn't necessary) and remove soiled bedding and the paper beneath it 1-2 times a day. That doesn't take long, and I never smell my piggies. There's no reason for a water additive. Just commit to cleaning diligently and you won't have a problem.

mufasa said:

If your guinea pigs have an odor, you're not cleaning their cages enough.

Click to expand...

This is not always true. Sometimes my pigs smell the most right after I clean their cage, due to stank/re marking territory. That being said, though, guinea pigs really are not a smelly pet. In my experience, rats and mice definitely smell more than guinea pigs. My 2 rabbits (also not rodents!) also tend to make more smell than my 7 guinea pigs. Guinea pigs themselves rarely smell, unlike a lot of dogs. And they'll never breathe stinky fish breath in your face, unlike cats!

If, however, your pigs smell due to build up of urine and/or poop, then you should definitely clean the cage more often and/or get a bigger cage.

There are some cat litters, which are made from recycled paper, which are ok to use with guinea pigs. Some are in a pellet form that may hurt their feet if used in the entire cage, though. Some people use the pelletised recycled paper cat litter with a layer of carefresh or other softer, safe guinea pig bedding on top. At any rate, the clumping type is definitely no good for pigs.

Well, It depends on what you mean by 'clumping kitty litter' I would NEVER use normal kitty litter (like ones that are those little balls), Right now what I use is Yesturdays News, Its completely safe aslong as its the scent free one, but I only use it in my pigs hay/litterbox , And It has hay on to so feet aren't touching it , I would not put it in a cage as bedding tho, cuz you would have to scoop it out everyday, (since it does get mushy) and it wont be very comfy on there feet , and would smell bad,.......

I definitely would not use litter, I would worry they would eat it.

On the topic of smell...I don't find the pigs to be very smelly. Although my Texel tends to be kind of smelly, and I have no idea why. It's like a musky human pee smell on his head, constantly. The Peruvian Mix never smells and sleeps in the kitchen area. They live in a 2x6 and are on fleece that is completely changed about every 5 days and I switch out cozies and sacks after a few days. I'm hoping it's adolescence, although it doesn't seem like the stank smell people talk of.