Guinea pigs

I know guinea pigs are not rabbits but this seemed like the closest option to ask my question which is... has anyone used dry pine sawdust as guinea pig bedding and was it ok? If I don't get an answer, I guess I'll try it with one piggie and report back.

I have used sawdust at times, and it was no problem. It's probably not very interesting to them, because they can't gnaw on sawdust.

pine has a thing called phenyls or something like that, its what makes pine have that strong HEY-I-SMELL-LIKE-PINE!!! smell. its really bad for you to breath in, for any animal, and there is the chance of it causing them respiratory illness.

also you dont want to use anything "dust" because imagine you laying in that with your nose and mouth like a half-inch or inch away from it at all times. lots of breathing in dust.

that said i used the "equine pine pellet" bedding (40# bag at TSC for like $6) and put plenty of hay over it and make sure it doesnt start to show.


just more info, dont feed pine needles or anything else with phenyls in it because its been linked to birth defects, abortions, and a few other things i wasnt 100% bought on but wouldnt like to chance it. but definitely the birth defects and abortions. i talked alot with another person who was also trying to raise them for small meat production and they were feeding pine needles for the vit c (pine needles are high vit c) but they were having all birth defects and abortions and cannibilism,.....

hope you find a bedding that works for you!

Thanks for the information. Our sawdust is pretty coarse and some of it has sat around for a while. I'm thinking that maybe if I spread it out in a thin layer to dry thoroughly and lose that strong smell before using it as a base under other bedding, to soak up urine could be ok.

Kiln dried pine shavings are good if you want to use wood chips. The drying and sifting process removes the toxic stuff from the shavings for the most part.

I have been thinking about tractoring guinea pigs myself. They same to be ideal for small property people who want a completely self sufficient meat animal.

I still have to do more research on the subject as far as breeding them goes, but my guess is that you could leave them in a harem type group and just remove the babies as they get old enough to accidentally breed.

You can put them in grow out tractors by gender and have an endless supply of meat. The nice thing is that since it doesn't cost anything to feed them, you don't have a time table as for when you should slaughter them.