Can Guinea Pigs Eat Paper Towels?

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We all know that guinea pigs love to chew on things wherever they’re hungry or bored and since paper towels are often used to make beddings for guinea pigs, most times you’ll notice that a part of the paper towel has been eaten; leaving you to wonder if guinea pigs eat paper towels and if it has any effect on them. In this article, you’ll find out if it is safe for guinea pigs to eat paper towels.

Eating paper towel

Yes, guinea pigs can eat paper towels. It is okay for them to eat paper towels, but paper towels should not be considered to be among their diet.

What makes the guinea pigs eat paper towels (paper towels are used for beddings for the guinea pigs to sleep on) is because they either are tired of eating a particular food or, the vegetables and hays given to them do not taste good.

The digestive system of a guinea pig allows it to chew and swallow wood and wood-based product without it having any aftermath on them.

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Contents

What Are The Safe Foods Guinea Pigs Can Eat?

 Guinea pigs are animals that eat mainly vegetables (they are herbivores). They do not overeat. They need foods that are rich in vitamin C since they can’t produce their vitamins.

Hays, fresh vegetables, and pellets in the right proportion can help them in getting the vitamin they need and also keep them healthy. We will discuss the necessary foods a guinea pig needs to grow properly and also stay healthy.

Hays

These are grasses, legumes, and other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for animal feeding. It plays a vital role in a pet’s diet. For easy and proper digestion of food, hays should be provided for guinea pigs constantly.

The hays also help to wear the teeth of a guinea pig because they grow very fast and continuously. When buying hays, make sure they are very dry, mold-free, have high quality, and also smell nice. The Timothy Hay is one of the most recommended hay.

Vegetables

These are herbaceous plants that grow edible part that is usually eaten as a meal. They are very important to both humans and animals because they provide the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals needed to stay healthy and strong.

Fresh green vegetables should be introduced to guinea pigs one at a time. The following are the type of vegetables to give to a guinea pig.

  • Bell peppers
  • Carrots
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Dandelions
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Spinach, and zucchini.

Pellets

These are food manufactured by feed pellet mills to feed rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals. Some of these pellets are manufactured in such a way that they are used for beddings.

These types of pellets are gotten from wood and they’re not food-based. Pellets should be vitamin C fortified that do not contain seeds or dried fruits.

Feed your Guinea pigs about ⅛ cup of pellets then supplement it with fruits and vegetables since vitamin C degrade very fast and vitamin C is very important for guinea pigs. 

Fruits

These are sweet, fleshy produce gotten from trees and plants that contain all the necessary nutrients. Due to the high sugar content in most fruits, it is better to give fewer fruits and more vegetables to guinea pigs.

A small portion of fruits contains the vitamin C they need. The fruits guinea pigs can eat are Oranges, Apples, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, Kiwi, Bananas, Peaches, Cucumbers.

When introducing new fruits to guinea pigs, it should be done gradually to prevent diarrhea. Also, the fruits should be washed properly; if possible wash them with salt and do not serve guinea pigs cold fruits.

Note: Some foods should not be fed to guinea pigs due to various reasons that include food poisoning, high fat, and sugar content, some can cause choking and bloating, and some can have too much gas, and also they lack nutritive values.

The foods you should avoid feeding a guinea pig are onions, seeds, nuts, potatoes, avocado, cabbage, bread, meat, dairy products, anything that contains caffeine (for example, chocolates), peanut butter, garlic, mushrooms, and iceberg lettuce.

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Is Newspaper Safe To Use For Guinea Pig Bedding?

A newspaper is a printed publication that is usually issued daily or weekly made of folded, unstapled papers that contains news, articles, advertisements, etc.

People feel it’s safe to use newspapers as bedding for guinea pigs because paper bedding is often used, but the truth here is that using newspapers as bedding is not safe for guinea pigs and other animals.

This is because newspapers are not liquid absorbent. Also, the writings in newspapers are typed with a high amount of inks and these inks can cause health issues when the paper becomes wet and enters into their skin.

Moreover, guinea pigs eat their bedding sometimes, and since newspapers contain ink, it can harm them. Other materials that can be used to make good and comfortable bedding include Paper, wood shavings, clothes, and fleece cage liners.

What Are Things To Consider When Choosing A Bedding?

 People make wrong choices when it comes to choosing bedding that is suitable for their guinea pigs because they don’t know the things to consider. It is important to consider the following when it comes to choosing a bedding for your pets.

  1. Choose bedding that is soft and comfortable for the guinea pigs both on their body and on their foot. This will help to prevent foot lesions (abnormal change in an area of skin on the foot)
  2. Bedding that absorbs liquid properly should be used. This will help to prevent the guinea pigs from having wet feet and it will also prevent the place from smelling.
  3. Make sure that the bedding does not have any effect on the guinea pig. Just the way humans see allergic to certain things, guinea pigs can also be allergic to some types of things, and this may include the type of bedding used for them.
  4. Choose materials and bedding that are free from dust to prevent the guinea pigs from having any respiratory diseases and also reduce respiratory allergies.
  5. The bedding should be environmentally friendly, insulating (this will help keep the guinea pigs warm during very cold weather). Make sure that when choosing bedding they should be within your budget and also they should have the qualities listed above for the safety of your guinea pigs.

What Type Of Bedding Is Safe For Guinea Pigs?

Many guinea pig owners find it hard to choose the proper material to use as bedding for their pets. In This article, you will know the different types of bedding that are best for guinea pigs. They include the following.

Paper

When it comes to using paper as bedding there are many options like pellets, confetti, or shavings. The newspapers are not safe to use as bedding. It is better to look for the ones with less dust, free from ink, and made with natural materials.

Good paper bedding is soft, good liquid absorbent, and can also lessen odor. They are also environmentally friendly. This type of bedding needs to be changed frequently because it can contain dust.

Fleece Cage Liners

This is a type of guinea pig bedding that is made of several layers of material. Some are made to have the top layer attached to an absorbent layer while others are made to have a water repellent-based layer.

They are environmentally friendly, reusable, and washable. It is expensive but worth it because it is soft, free from dust, and it is reusable. 

Clothes

This is the cheapest type of bedding. It can be clothes or bed linen used to make bedding for the guinea pigs. It is advised to use cotton-made materials rather than using synthetic materials because cotton materials can easily absorb liquids compared to synthetic materials.

The cloth bedding needs to be changed frequently because they are not excellent at reducing moisture and they easily smell quickly. They are very cheap, environmentally friendly, soft, and dust-free.

Wood Shavings

They are obtained from processing woods in timber mills. This type of bedding is obtained from wood pulp. It is better to use the shavings from woods rather than sawdust because sawdust tends to have more dust compared to the shavings.

They are cheap, easily available, dusty, and they have low absorbent for liquids making it necessary to change the beddings frequently. 

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Paper Towels – Conclusion

It is okay if your guinea pigs eat papers and other wood products, but certain things must be kept away from their reach and also must not be given to them. Guinea pigs need enough vitamin C to grow properly and stay healthy.

Though the pellets contain vitamin C, it has to be supplemented with vegetables, hays, and a small number of fruits because most fruits contain a lot of sugar.

Some certain fruits and vegetables must not be given to guinea pigs too. It is important to choose bedding that is soft, absorbent, dust-free, odorless, and affordable. This type of bedding may be made from clothes, papers, wood shavings, and also fleece cage liner.

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