What guinea pig cage liners are the best ones out there? In this article we will come up with what we found to be the best cage liners for little piggie feet, and you will get an insight to all of them down below.
As you may have noticed already, guinea pigs are messy animals. They eat, they poop, they sleep, repeat. Sometimes they run around popcorning as well, adding to the mess they’ve already made beforehand.
With a proper cage liner you can prevent some of this mess. The cage liner gives your guinea pigs a more comfortable yet clean surface, which is easy to maintain and keep clean. All you need for your daily cleaning is a bit of outdoor space, where you can shake the yucky stuff off, and then it’s ready for another day in your guinea pig’s habitat. Just wash them every third or fourth day, in order to keep them odorless as well.
Cage liners work very well in all cages, especially those cages made for 2 guinea pigs and up – and YES! – Your guinea pigs need a lot of space.
We’ve taken a closer look at some of the best and most popular cage liners out there, and here’s our top picks.
GuineaDad Fleece Liners – the Rolls Royce of Cage Liners
GuineaDad Fleece Liner
- Stylish design
- Available with fleece pocket
- Semi-waterproof bottom
What we like: GuineaDad is the ultimate in guinea pig pampering and luxury, and should be mandatory on your guinea pig supply list. There’s probably no cage liner that meets the same high quality standards as this one. They’ve carefully designed this liner to be as sustainable as possible, which is why it’s made with a blend of bamboo fiber filling, which is both highly absorbent, anti bacterial, and odor-resistant. The backside of this liner is water proof as well, so you won’t see a lot of liquids leaking through the bottom. It isn’t completely sealed though, but it gets close. As a user of GuineaDad liners ourselves, we really treasure the quality of them. The fleece pocket is loved by our 3 piggies, and they LOVE to zoom around and popcorn on their cage liner. And we love it too!
Related: 6 Signs That Your Guinea Pig Is Happy
All you need to know: There’s an amazing history behind the founding of the GuineaDad brand. Basically Si and Sean, the founders of GuineaDad, became frustrated with the limited range of high quality products for small animals. As real animal lovers, they set out on a journey to improve the well-being of small animals across the globe. GuineaDad cage liners were a reality as a result of this journey, and more high quality products are regularly added to the GuineaDad range.
From top to bottom the GuineaDad cage liners are made from a layer of fleece covering a nice soft layer of bamboo fibers. Those fibers have the ability to absorb liquids from the surface before evaporating them, and the water proof bottom makes sure the liquids stay mainly in the liner itself.
You can get this liner with or without a fleece pocket in one end, and this is a great hideaway for your piggies. It does collect a bit of poop over time though, but you simply shake it and the poop will come out.
The GuineaDad liners are available in many colors, and fit most types of C&C cages as well as the MidWest cage. They suit most guinea pig cages for up to 2 guinea pigs, but if you have more you can simply buy additional liners and let them overlap each other.
Specifications:
- Materials: Fleece and bamboo fibers
- Sizes: C&C 2×1, C&C 2×2, C&C 2×3, C&C 2×4, MidWest
Beautiful Cage Liner Suitable for C&C and MidWest Cage Size
Small Pets and Company Liner
- Cute northern lights pattern
- Made in the USA
- Suitable for C&C cages
What we like: This cage liner is by far one of the most beautiful liners out there. It features a beautiful northern lights theme with a light blue color on the backside, and the liners are made in the US. The team behind Small Pets and Company actually makes these liners themselves from their facility in the Chicago Suburbs, which is great. It’s a local business, that actually cares about the animal’s well-being. It’s a nice, thick and comfortable cage liner, and it’s definitely among the best liners for any cage sizes out there. It consists of fleece on the outside, and an absorbent inner layer, which prevents odor as well as making sure the liner stays in place throughout the day.
All you need to know: The Small Pets and Company created this cage liner in an attempt to improve the life and well-being of small animals. Much like other small niche manufacturers in the US, they appear to be on a mission to keep the production local and make something of a higher quality than what’s already available on the market.
The cage liners fit a 1×2 C&C cage or a MidWest cage, more particularly these models: MidWest Guinea Habitat (as well as the Plus version), Living World X-Large Cage, and AmazonBasics Pet Habitat Jumbo Size.
The cage liner is quite thick and therefore it will stay in place throughout the day, as your piggies are unable to move it around on their own. It provides a soft and comfortable surface for your guinea pigs, and the material both absorbs liquids and prevents bad smell.
Specifications:
- Materials: Fleece
- Sizes: 1×2 C&C (24”x48”) and MidWest
Water Proof Cage Liner
What we like: While this is technically not a guinea pig cage liner, it sure works fine as one anyway. It is quite cheap too, and has a non-slip bottom that prevents it from sliding around the cage whenever your guinea pigs sense the need to run away from something oh-so scary. Like a bird tweeting outside, or you stirring a cup of joe while reading a book. The liner comes in a pack of 2 or 4 pieces, depending on which size you order. They are available in multiple sizes, so you can simply buy the amount that suits your needs. They are designed like plaids and consists of polyester, viskose, and polyurethane which in combination makes for a comfortable and waterproof cage liner.
All you need to know: The KOOLTAIL cage liner isn’t technically made for guinea pig cages, but it does actually work as such. Multiple buyers share their experiences on this product being used as a cage liner for various small animals, and they are quite happy with it.
It doesn’t do much against odor, but if you plan on using it in a playpen or has quick access to a washing machine, it won’t be a problem. Guinea pigs usually have their preferred spots to pee and poop, so for most people it’s just one single liner that needs to be changed frequently, while the rest of them are fine being left in the cage for several extra days.
This cage liner is made from non-toxic polyester knitting fabric, and the surface is both smooth and soft. The bottom layer is waterproof, making it a good choice for most purposes.
Specifications:
- Materials: Polyester, viskose, polyurethane
- Sizes: 18” x 24”, 24” x 36”, 36” x 41”
Pet Parents Pee Pads Work Well as Small Cage Liners Too
What we like: As the name suggests, these are actually pee pads made for small dogs. However, according to multiple buyers, they work quite well for guinea pigs as well. And since they are actually made from similar materials, we don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t use them for your piggies. They are messy animals, and by using these as cage liners, they get a robust base that is comfortable at the same time. The bottom material is waterproof and made from vinyl, which is tough, and the top is soft and absorbent. Great combo for guinea pig cages.
All you need to know: The Pet Parents Pee Pads are a great fit for guinea pig cages, and serve many purposes besides that. Use them anywhere around your house as a bottom layer for your pets, and you’ll make sure they won’t leak anything to your floors, scratch up the floors, or anything else. Use them in your pets playpen as well as in their cages, they are going to last for a long time.
One of the advantages of buying smaller cage liners like these, is how easy they are to change and keep clean. Guinea pigs usually prefer to pee in a particular area of the cage, meaning one area is usually more dirty than other areas. Using this pad as a cage liner, you only have to change the dirtiest part, while the rest of the pads are left in the cage until next time.
You can get this as a cage liner in various sizes: 18×24 inches, 24×36 inches, 34×36 inches, and a big 41×41 inches pad. All of them come in packs with 2 pieces each.
Specifications:
- Materials: Polyester and nylon
- Sizes: 18” x 24”, 24” x 36”, 34” x 36”, 41” x 41”
The Pros and Cons of Cage Liners
Cage liners are loved by your guinea pigs because of their soft nature, but also because they make it easy for your piggies to zoom around and have fun inside their cage.
In comparison to bedding made from cedar or pine wood shavings, you won’t have the same pleasant smell though, but in return you get a more comfortable environment for your guinea pigs and you.
Below is a walkthrough of the pros and cons of using cage liners versus other types of bedding:
Pros:
- Cage liners are super comfortable for your guinea pigs.
- The cage is easy to clean, just replace the cage liners and wash the old ones in your washing machine.
- They can also be used for a play pen or floor time.
- Cage liners are very decorative and cute.
- There’s no dust getting whirled up whenever you change it, and your guinea pigs won’t risk getting an irritated respiratory system.
- For skinny guinea pigs cage liners are very comfortable and gentle on their skin.
Cons:
- You do have to wash the cage liners in a washing machine… And some people may not like this.
- Guinea pigs will pee everywhere, and cage liners may start smelling sooner than wood shavings and other bedding.
- In order to keep your cage liners clean, you’ll have to sweep up poop and leftover food daily.
- If washed improperly, they may shrink and become less useful.
Life Hacks for Cage Liners
While there are indeed pros and cons for all types of bedding, I feel like the cage liners cons can be addressed and – for the most of them – resolved with a few clever hacks.
Lifehack 1: Create an eating area with separate bedding
With this lifehack you simply split up the cage with a small treshold, that your guinea pigs have to step over to get from one area to another.
It’s a known fact that guinea pigs will mess around with their food, so if you create a separate section for this, you can somehow encapsulate the mess into a small area. That way you’ll lower the maintenance of your cage.
The eating area could have a different type of bedding to absorb the pee and liquids from leftover food, such as wood shavings.
Lifehack 2: Try different hideaways
Trying different hideaways may cause your guinea pigs to pee and poop somewhere else. In my personal experience, guinea pigs have their preferred areas to pee and poop in, and if they are in an enclosed hideaway they may not feel as tempted to pee as if they are in an open shaded area.
Lifehack 3: Keep your cage well ventilated
If there’s one thing that makes a cage smell, it’s insufficient ventilation. If all sides are closed and there’s no airflow throughout the cage, it WILL smell quicker than if it’s an open C&C cage.
Lifehack 4: Change your cage liners frequently
Make it a habit to change your cage liners every other day. It may sound like a silly idea, but that way you’ll avoid strong smells from your cage – and the washing cycle doesn’t have to be as long as if it’s heavily soiled.
Lifehack 5: Use vinegar to get rid og bad smell
You should never use any kind of fabric softener or scented detergents when washing your cage liners.
Instead, you can use vinegar. Plain and simple. Vinegar removes bad odor, and as an added bonus it is mildly acidic and therefore helps remove urine stains.
Lifehack 6: Try wicking your cage liners if they aren’t absorbing liquids
Wicking is the process of making synthetic fabrics absorbent, as this isn’t necessarily a normal property.
For instance, fleece fabric almost seems to have a waterproof surface where puddles of liquids could be seen for minutes before they finally (but slowly) seeps into the fabric and passing through.
Learn how to wick fleece, if you want to make sure the cage liner is able to pass liquids quick enough to keep your guinea pigs’ bottoms dry.
Hello there. I need two bottom liners. That attach to the grid do you have them in this size or only 8feet across?
Hi Lillian,
Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately GuineaHub doesn’t sell anything, we review/recommend the best products.
I haven’t come across any liners that attach to the grid of a cage, the closest liner I’ve seen is the one that fits the MidWest cages: https://www.amazon.com/Canvas-Bottom-Replacement-Guinea-Habitat/dp/B001NJ0DRC
Sorry for the inconvenience.
All the best,
Thomas / GuineaHub