Can you use puppy pads for guinea pigs? The answer is yes, but with caveats. Read on to know more.
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Guinea pigs are messy creatures they can pee upto four times an hour and poop 100 times a day. One of the common questions asked by new guinea pig owners is what they can use to line their pet’s cages.
While there are many options available, the main problem is that cleaning between each replacement is time-consuming and messy if you use shredded paper or hay grass.
One of the best options for you would be to use an absorbent material so that it can bear all the pee and keep your pigs dry. One such absorbent is a puppy pad. But can you use puppy pads for guinea pigs? Let’s find out.
Can you use puppy pads as guinea pig bedding?
There are a lot of materials that you can use as bedding for your guinea pigs cage. One of the questions by new guinea pig owners is whether you can use puppy pads in a guinea pig cage as their bedding. So to answer this, yes, you can use puppy pads as guinea pig bedding.
Using puppy pads is safe for your guinea pigs as long as you switch them at a proper interval, as soaked pads can cause infection to your guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are active and like to run around their cage, so lining their cage with puppy pads can be a brilliant idea. A puppy pad is highly absorbent and soaks up pee fast, and is suitable for your guinea pigs as it keeps them dry.
Are puppy pads toxic?
Guinea pigs like to chew on things, and they have a habit of ripping off pieces from their bedding. If you use puppy pads in your guinea pig cage, make sure that you provide them with an abundance of other materials that they can chew on.
Suppose your guinea pigs start chewing on the puppy pads. In that case, some of the plastic material may end up in their stomach, and it can be risky since puppy pads are made with an absorbent material that expands when coming into contact with liquid.
So if your guinea pig ingested some puppy pad material, it can expand and might get stuck in their intestines. Make sure to notice your guinea pig closely, and if they chew on the puppy pads, do not use them.
What do you put at the bottom of a guinea pig cage?
Guinea pigs are tiny and need a lot of care. In the enclosure where you keep your pet, make sure that the bottom is solid floor and not cage wiring as that could hurt their feet. You would need to put soft floor covering on the cage floor as even hard flooring can cause harm to their feet.
There are a variety of options that you can use to cover the surface. Line the bottom with a newspaper, and above that, you should use at least five centimeters of soft, absorbent bedding. The bedding should be non-abrasive, nontoxic, inedible, and dust-free so that your guinea pigs are safe and sound.
You can use fleece fabric, grass hay, and paper shredding. You can also use puppy pads as they have high absorption capacity and are easy to discard and replace. Never use wood shavings, straws, or sawdust as bedding, as that can cause respiratory issues in your pigs.
How do you make a guinea pig pee pad?
You can easily make a guinea pig pee pad using fleece material, an absorbent pad, and a sewing machine. You don’t have to be an expert at sewing. Just basic sewing skills would be fine.
Take a fleece blanket and cut it according to the measurement of the cage. Lay down the bottom layer of fleece, add an absorbent pad, and complete with a top layer of fleece.
Sew the corners and leave some space to reverse the sewn pad so that all the cut edges are inside. Hand-sew the remaining hole once you have flipped the pad. Sew between the pad to keep anything from moving around, and you are done.
Here is a video to explain the process better:
Can I use pee pads in my guinea pig cage?
Yes, you can use pee pads in your guinea pig cage. Guinea pigs are tiny pet animals that you have to keep in an enclosed space most of the time. They are also timid, and even small things and sounds can scare them. You can not leave them out in the open as they will look for something to hide every time any unfamiliar thing happens.
The enclosed space or cage you use for guinea pigs would be where they will perform most of their routine activities like eating, playing, napping, and even peeing and potty. You need to add a layer of absorbent in the cage so that pee doesn’t leak to the bottom.
While there are several options that you go with for absorbing the pee, it is very common for a guinea pig pet owner to use pee pads as the absorbent layer in their cage. There are two different options of pee pads that you can go with.
One of them is washable pee pads that you can reuse, and the other one is a disposable pee pad that you have to discard after a single-use. Each of these pads has its pros and cons, and you have to decide which one is better suitable for your needs.
Washable Pee Pads
If you decide on washable pee pads, you can leave them in your guinea pig’s cage for a long time without the need to replace and clean. Washable pee pads are sustainable and cost-effective. They are also eco-friendly and don’t add on to the waste.
Disposable Pee Pads
If you choose disposable pee pads, then removing them is pretty easy, and all you have to do is throw the used one and replace it with a new one. While disposable pee pads are easy to replace and save you a lot of time, they are also costly and add to the waste material.
Are bed pads and puppy pads the same?
No bed pads and puppy pads are not the same. There is a vast difference between both the pads. Puppy pads are generally used for potty training puppies, while bed pads are used for a person who cannot get up and use the toilet.
Bed pads are very large as you have to line them on a bed used by an adult human. In comparison, a puppy pad is smaller in size than you can line in a crate.
Bed pads are highly absorbent when compared to puppy pads. On a measuring scale on how absorbent these pads are if a puppy pad is three, bed pads are a ten.
If you have the option to buy a bed pad, do that, as it will be much more cost-effective than buying puppy pads. Puppy pads are expensive, and some of the brands offer thin pads that don’t cut them.
Choose a bed pad, even a cheaper one would be far better than a puppy pad, and you can line them in your guinea pig cage quickly. What is even better is that usually, for a standard-sized guinea pig cage, you have to use two puppy pads or four if you double layer it. Whereas if you use a bed pad, you have to use just one or at most two.
Are puppy training pads a good idea?
Yes, puppy training pads are a good idea if you wish to spend less time cleaning after your pets are done with their daily routine of peeing and pottying. The one thing that is important and you need to spend some time on would be determining the best puppy pads for your pets.
Puppy pads are not only beneficial for a growing pup, but you can also use them for your smaller pets like guinea pigs or hamsters. You can use puppy pads to line their cage.
Some of the puppy pads are marketed with added scents of ammonia, grass, and pheromones. They might be overpowering for your small pets as they have sensitive noses. Try to go for more basic puppy pads.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that puppy pads add on the waste material, and since they have a plastic lining on one side to make them leakproof, they are also not biodegradable. Most of the puppy pads are disposable and have a single time use.
But if you want an eco-friendly and sustainable option, you can go for washable puppy pads that you can clean and reuse. You can also get some biodegradable pads that are made using recyclable materials.
Are puppy pads safe for hamsters?
Yes, puppy pads are safe for hamsters as well. You can lay a layer of puppy pads in your hamster cage and cover it with a layer of newspaper shredding.
Since hamsters like to burrow, you need to create a heap of napkins, newspaper, tissue paper, or toilet paper shreddings. Ensure that you dispose of the used pads and replace them with new ones at appropriate intervals.
Puppy Pads Are Safe For Guinea Pigs
In conclusion, the question “Can you use puppy training pads for guinea pigs?” The simple answer to this question is yes. You can use puppy pads for your guinea pigs cage as an absorbent.
However, there are some things like changing the pads at regular intervals and making sure that your guinea pig doesn’t consume any of the pad material, which are some things that you need to care for.
