Bedding Pine pellet bedding?

[TheGirlWhoLived]

They sell this at my area Tractor Supply store and wondered if it was ok to use for guinea pigs? ((broken link removed))

There is a section at the bottom of the product that has a Q and A and they do say they are kiln dried but wondered if the guinea pigs might try to eat them if they look like pellets or if they are unsafe for other reasons?

I am still doing my research on guinea pigs and know that I do not want to use fleece. I am willing to spend more to have disposable bedding, but want to get the best deal that I can. A 40 pound bag for 6 dollars would likely last me a long time but they have similar deals on the pine shedding as well but this seems like it would be less messy and easier to clean.

Let me know what you think since I can't recall ever seeing another piggy parent mention using these! Thanks

 

[lissie]

Yes, they are safe to use. See this thread about wood pellets.
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107419

 

[TheGirlWhoLived]

Thank you! I went through a few pages and saw people mention putting them under fleece but would they work ok just by themselves? How would the sifting work with poop since there wouldn't be the fleece to catch it? Maybe I'll just use the shavings instead, lol.

 

[CavyTV]

Some people only use the pellets. However, it's a lot easier to clean with fleece which is why most people do it that way.

 

[Nikkipig]

I use wood pellets only (no fleece) in my kitchen area, and it works fine. I just scoop out any particularly dirty spots as needed.

 

[TheGirlWhoLived]

How do you scoop the poop out of the pellets without getting a bunch of the pellets too? Or do the pellets absorb it? Not sure how it all really works when you aren't using fleece on top to filter the poop out.

 

[bpatters]

If you don't use fleece over the pellets, you can just stir the pellets. You don't have to remove the poop. But if you do that, you have to do a full pellet change more often than if you use fleece.