i know pine bedding is bad, but i was wondering is aspen bedding also bad for guinea pigs?
Yep, Aspen bedding is just fine! A lot of professional guinea pig owners use it to. For a giant bag, its about 10$. Its a great deal, and people have said its really absorbent, and doesn't get smelly. But in my opinion I like care-fresh the best! Its super absorbent and i get the kind that doesn't get smelly when the guinea pigs do their business. It comes in many colors and is eco :) Kiln-dried pine is just fine for guinea pigs tho.
I used to swear by Carefresh. I just recently found something I like better. It's SoftSorbent by Kaytee. It comes in a plain unscented type and now they have three scented ones. They've got rose, mint, and lavender. I personally don't like the smell of rose or lavender so I've only bought the mint. It smells really good, they all have actual bits of whatever plant they smell like in them. So you know it's real and not some chemicals. They also have bits of color, pink purple and green. It actually lasts a lot longer than Carefresh and absorbs the odor and wetness better. I tested it. Carefresh lasts about a week while this can go 2-3 weeks. And the scent lasts for a long time. Of course you should still change bedding every week, I was just testing the difference.
You're right..pine and cedar are bad for them. They both can cause upper respritory infections. Aspen bedding is the best by far. Aspen bedding isn't the cheapest, but safest. Plus it smells good and holds down on the odor. So I'd say yes use aspen. You can also get Carefresh or Critter Care. They are both safe as well.
I used pine bedding for many years and did not have any problems with it.I was careful that the cages had great ventilation and in 29 years i never had one illness that was attributed to the bedding. I have found the best bedding now though, and it is guaranteed that your guinea pig will star extra dry for 2 weeks. I put a layer of newspaper on the bottom of the cage, and put 2 of pine on top of the paper. On top f the pine i put 2 of Carefresh. Every 2 to 3 days i clean the potty spot, the rest of the cage can last up to 2 weeks with out odor or dampness.
