Canada Need help with guinea pig bedding please give me any advice!

[Mlavers]

Hello!

So for the last 3 years I've used the aspen shavings from a local barn. I've liked them they aren't too bad to use but I've heard bad things about wood shavings. So I purchased a small bag of care fresh soft bedding from recycled news paper. I live in Nova Scotia and I'm just wondering if there's anywhere I can buy this in bulk. It's pretty expensive and it doesn't last too long. So I'd like to have a lot. Also, is there another type of this bedding that's better than carefresh or even maybe a bit cheaper where I can buy in bulk? If someone could point me in the direction of this I will be forever grateful

Thank you!
Love Miranda and Benny.

 

[bpatters]

There's nothing wrong with aspen shavings. It's cedar or undried pine that you have to look out for.

If you're able to get hardwood or kiln-dried softwood pellets like those used in horse and cattle stalls, they also work well.

 

[aqh88]

Pellets absorb more than shavings or loose paper beddings. Here you can get both wood and paper pellets but paper pellets are often more expensive and bit less absorbent. Aspen is fine if you are getting soft enough shavings. I always find hard splinters here. We got a hedgehog kept on aspen that had little splinters all over and had to tweezer them out with some requiring sedation to remove. If I could get soft aspen I'd probably use it over carefresh. I find carefresh is rather dusty and drying to the skin. I have no reason to use carefresh over wood pellets since even broken down wood pellets don't tend to throw so much grit into the air.

 

[miniver]

Carefresh is expensive and I haven't found any place that you can buy in bulk. Kaytee brand paper bedding is less expensive but I don't think it works as well. You could save money by using shavings in part of the cage and paper bedding in another, like a kitchen if you are using one.

If you've had no problems with the shavings then keep using them. I seriously doubt you will find anything cheaper that what you're getting from the local barn.

Another option is to switch to fleece bedding.

 

[lunarminx]

If you can use the wood stall pellets and fleece on top. The pellets last a very long time and you only have to sweep the fleece for poops once or twice a day and change as needed, depending on how many pigs you have and how large your cage is. I switched to a mini flake bedding which is a very fine shaving.

 

[mizzpiggie]

I second the use of wood pellets. I've used shavings, Carfresh, and Yesterday's News and I'll take wood pellets over them any day. I'm not in Canada, so I'm not sure what your options are in terms of farm stores, but if you can find something like (broken link removed) you won't be disappointed.