Wood pulp bedding is sometimes used as a bedding for horses but it is also one that some guinea pig owners use too. There are not many brands that offer wood pulp bedding, but Kaytee have a “Soft Granule Blend” bedding and there is a similar product in the UK that is called Megazorb.
As we are UK-based, we tested the Megazorb brand, and our findings are based on our experience of this particular brand. It’s worth bearing in mind that different brands will vary in quality so what we found with Megazorb may not be the same as other pulp beddings.
Wood pulp is usually a by-product of the paper making industry which is converted into a highly absorbent bedding.
Wood pulp bedding isn’t a soft, fluffy bedding like paper or wood shaving beddings and resembles more of a “litter” type substrate. The pieces in the bedding we tested are small and can be a little hard so it’s definitely not what you would call “cozy”. When we tested this bedding, we added to the sleeping areas to add some coziness and softness.
The wood pulp bedding absorbs guinea pig urine pretty well and the wetness tends to soak down into the lower levels of the bedding.
Wood pulp bedding seemed to be good at masking the smell of any urine and ammonia smells but something we disliked was the unpleasant smell of the actual bedding itself. Of course, this maybe personal taste, and you may not mind the smell, but it is something you need to take into consideration if you’re thinking of using wood pulp bedding. We don’t recommend buying a scented version as natural is always better for our small pets.
Whereas pine has a natural pleasant wood aroma and the aspen, hemp and paper bedding that we tested had a neutral smell, wood pulp did not. We found it smelt a little like dried cat food and this smell tended to permeate the whole room.
If you have outdoor guinea pigs, the smell wouldn’t be a problem but you may not like it if you keep your guinea pigs indoors.
We haven’t tested other brands of wood pulp fiber bedding, therefore we can’t say whether all wood pulp bedding has this particular smell, so it might just be the Megazorb brand which has this odor.
As with all bedding, daily spot cleans are necessary to remove damp or soiled areas.
Wood pulp bedding is easy to clean out as it tends to clump, so you can easily scoop out any areas that have been soiled in between full cage cleans.
Other than spot cleans, Megazorb seems to last for about 5-7 days between full cleans. This is about the same as aspen shavings and paper bedding. We found pine shavings and hemp bedding were a little more absorbent than Megazorb.
We found Megazorb to be quite dusty. This was surprising because of the fact that it is supposed to be good for horses with respiratory problems. The bedding didn’t seem particularly dusty to look at but when adding it to the cage and then cleaning it out again, there was noticeable dust in the air. It was the dustiest bedding we tested.
Wood pulp bedding can be put in your outdoor composter or compost heap and the piggy poops will add to the quality of your compost too!
However, do bear in mind that if using an outdoor compost bin, it will become full pretty fast with your weekly clean outs, especially if you have a large cage and a few guinea pigs!
We found wood pulp bedding to be fairly cheap and worked out about the same price as pine shavings and just a little less than hemp bedding in our test, but costs will vary depending on where you live and where you buy it from.
Remember that it’s important to weigh up all the pros and cons of an animal bedding and not just to pick the cheapest one.
There are advantages and disadvantages with any pet bedding and everyone has different ideas of what they like and what will work best for them. Here are some of the pros and cons we found with Megazorb bedding:
Megazorb was absorbent and was easy to clean out, especially when doing the daily spot cleans. It wasn’t too costly either. However, it has an unpleasant smell and is not a cozy or soft bedding. We also found it left quite a bit of dust in the air after adding to the cage and after the full clean. Wood pulp bedding isn’t one that we would choose to use but we do encourage you to try different types of bedding to find out what works best for you and your guinea pigs.