Bedding
There are many options for what to bed your guinea pigs on. Substrates, or paper-based bedding, are a great way to make your cage look clean because all the waste gets deposited at the bottom. Shavings make the cage have a more natural effect. And fleece is a great way to have cute themes and patterns while also having comfortable bedding.
Substrates
Substrates, like Carefresh, Megazorb, and Critter Care are loose beddings that are paper based. Some advantages of having substrates as bedding are that your cage looks neater because all the waste will be covered up. However, a disadvantage is that the bedding gets soiled easily and the moisture can be bad for your guinea pigs. Therefore, you need to spot clean the bedding at least once a day and replace the most soiled spots. Another disadvantage is that they can be very expensive and not very economical, since you just throw it away every week. Go to the bottom of this page for pictures of substrates.
Shavings
Wood shavings are another option for guinea pig bedding. They look nice and natural in the cage, and the waste sinks to the bottom and is covered up, making your cage look natural and clean. However, they aren't that absorbent, so the liquid waste may just be sitting there, and you don't want our guinea pig standing in it's own waste. Also, cedar and pine shavings have aromatic oils in them that are harmful for your guinea pig's respiratory system. Kiln dried pine and aspen shavings are safe, though. Another thing to note is that shavings aren't very soft for your guinea pigs to sleep in. Go to the bottom of this page for pictures of shavings.
Fleece
Fleece is a new, popular bedding. Fleece is commonly used in very large cages because it's cheap to buy in bulk even though it requires more maintainence than substrates. Fleece is also commonly used because it comes in many patterns and you can easily make themed cages with fleece. The only disadvantage is that you have to wash the fleece every week, either by hand or by machine, which can take some time. Another disadvantage is that waste just sits on top of fleece, so you need to sweep the fleece at least twice a day. Fleece wicks moisture through it, so you need an absorbent layer underneath it. Below are pictures of fleece.
