Guinea pigs make for great pets, but they require a lot of cage cleaning. In the past, the only option was some sort of bedding, from Aspen chips to paper. More recently, fabric liners have become a popular option.
Fabric liners are a great way to take care of guinea pigs without disposable bedding.
As far as the type of guinea pig cages we have, we use a Midwest Cage with cage liners. (affiliate links)
Here are some pros, cons, and tips!
Pro: Eco-Friendly
Fabric liners are first and foremost, very eco-friendly! Simply wash and dry and you’re all set. No throwing out garbage bags full of bedding.
Con: They can be expensive
Washable liners are much like cloth diapers for babies – they can be an expensive investment. You will want to change out the liner frequently, so more expensive liners like Guinea Dad cage liners (which run $55-75 each) can be a tough investment. We eventually accumulated more liners to make the process easier,
Pro: No mess around the house
When we used Aspen chips or paper bedding, I would find bedding everywhere. It tends to stick to fabric and get tracked everywhere. The pieces of bedding everywhere was so frustrating.
Con: They take work
While liners are a great idea and better for the planet, they do take some extra work. The liners have to be emptied, shaken, cleaned, and dried. We didn’t always have a lot of liners, so they had to be washed frequently. Even with shaking them out, guinea pig hair and hay tend to stick to the liners, so it can be messy in the wash.
Pro: No Buying and hauling bedding
Going to the pet store all the time for bedding is a hassle. Having to drag bedding home and store it somewhere is a lot of work. The liners are much easier.
Tips:
Try to get as many liners as possible. You can make some for cheap, or buy cheaper liners to pair up with better quality liners.
Shake out the liners as much as possible before washing. Otherwise you’ll end up with hair and bits of hay in the wash.
Use eco-friendly soap. I use a good powdered detergent that is fragrance-free.
I had never thought about using washable cage liners before! I didn’t even know that was a thing. My mom had a guinea pig before, but I had different rats throughout the years. I wonder if they would work for rats, too? It was definitely a pain and a mess dealing with the bedding all the time. And the smell? I hated it.
These liners seem like they will save money but the work is too much for me. I think that I will stick to the newspaper.
I think this is not a bad idea for anyone with a guinea pig but keep in mind it’s a little more work than using newspaper.
I love this idea and if I was a guinea pig…. I would prefer this liner. It looks so comfortable and really nice too. They must lover this sustainable and more eco friendly option!
I love this! Less expensive on the long run, and cleaner. Deposable is not good for our planet anyway!
We should have used these when we had guinea pigs. I know they are so much better. We did used recycled paper at least.
Yes, a great idea! I just received some like this today for my puppy! I hear they work well!
Nice read on washable cage liners for guinea pigs. You brought up the cleaning trade‑offs in a way that truly hits home.
I can certainly see the benefit of these reusable liners for pets cages. Even of they do take a little extra work it is definitely worth it in the long run.
omg Guinea Pigs are the cutest ever…I had one as a kid, used to love him so much…We were considering getting one but we weren’t sure how our cat would react.
Ooh. I like this a lot better than using shavings. It’s so much more eco-friendly and easier to clean.
I really love this idea! I used to have Guinea pigs, and the shavings were terrible. No matter how much I cleaned up after them, all the shavings stank so much.
I love this alternative because it’s so eco-friendly. It’s so much more sanitary, too. I had a friend with Guinea pigs, and she was constantly cleaning out the cage.
I am hearing about using washable cage liners for the first time. I don’t have a guinea pig, so I may not be able to say how useful they’ll be.
I did not know that there were washable cage liners for guinea pigs! Sounds like a fantastic way to save money and be eco friendly.