Credit for this pet hack goes to my mother-in-law. She heard me complaining one day about the cost of non-wood-shaving guinea pig bedding. The next week she brought a trash bag full of shredded paper home from work and gave it to me. I was skeptical to use it at first because it’s not fluffy like the bedding I buy from the store, but one late night I ran out of store-bought bedding and resorted to the shredded paper as a temporary solution. Days later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the shredded paper not only seemed to absorb moisture more effectively, the guinea pigs seemed not to discern a difference.
A caution to readers…
After about a week of using only shredded paper, I noticed my guinea pigs sneezing non-stop. I did some research online and learned that guinea pigs are sensitive to dust, and can quickly develop upper respiratory infections. I recalled noticing that the paper was sort of dusty (due to the shredding process – never, ever use old or dirty paper!). I immediately threw my laptop aside and scooped out all the shredded paper and replaced it with some store-bought bedding I kept as a back-up. It was a panicked, better-safe-than-sorry move.
I then went back to my research. I was happy to find that there is a way to eliminate the dust issue with shredded paper, and keep my guinea pigs dry and happy without the risk of a URI.
The key is water! It may seem backwards, but spraying the shredded paper with a thin mist of water will reduce or even eliminate the dust. I like to add a few drops of lemon juice to my water-sprayer in order to reduce residual odors from the cage. Keep in mind, you don't want to soak the paper, just mist it.
NOTE: After spraying the paper with water, let all the paper completely dry before putting your guinea pigs back in their habitat.
A caution to readers…
After about a week of using only shredded paper, I noticed my guinea pigs sneezing non-stop. I did some research online and learned that guinea pigs are sensitive to dust, and can quickly develop upper respiratory infections. I recalled noticing that the paper was sort of dusty (due to the shredding process – never, ever use old or dirty paper!). I immediately threw my laptop aside and scooped out all the shredded paper and replaced it with some store-bought bedding I kept as a back-up. It was a panicked, better-safe-than-sorry move.
I then went back to my research. I was happy to find that there is a way to eliminate the dust issue with shredded paper, and keep my guinea pigs dry and happy without the risk of a URI.
The key is water! It may seem backwards, but spraying the shredded paper with a thin mist of water will reduce or even eliminate the dust. I like to add a few drops of lemon juice to my water-sprayer in order to reduce residual odors from the cage. Keep in mind, you don't want to soak the paper, just mist it.
NOTE: After spraying the paper with water, let all the paper completely dry before putting your guinea pigs back in their habitat.