Is blanket bedding safe for guinea pigs or should I avoid it?

Generally you want to avoid pine and cedar shavings as they tend to have a higher dust concentration. Carefresh or aspen pellets are the best bedding for rodents in general. If possible, try to avoid the pine. You can always lay down a towel to wash daily or paper until you can get to the store and pick up more of your usual bedding. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Paper bedding such as Carefresh bedding or this type is currently recommended. There would be no greater issue with them ingesting the paper bedding versus the wood shavings bedding, as the paper bedding would actually be more easily digested (as paper is actually a product made from broken down wood!). The paper is more expensive but has less risk of causing wounds (occasionally the wood shavings can have sharp pieces and cause injury to the skin or eyes or mouth) and less risk of dust or other irritants to the respiratory tract.

Thanks for reaching out about Bo Linny. Coughing could be caused by multiple things but "dusty" bedding (such as wood products) or aromatic woods (cedar, redwood, pine) can cause respiratory irritation or inflammation, and therefore don't make to best bedding, especially if living directly on top. Recycled paper products seem to work the best, as being low dust and highly absorptive. Good luck.

You want to make sure to use a dust free bedding. The two that I recommend are Carefresh and Aspen pellets. Good ventilation and low dust are very important for the health of guinea pig lungs. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

I think that it is valid that you have concerns about your guinea pigs. There are always risks of intestinal obstruction when animals eat their bedding, and if this started when you switched the bedding, I would recommend switching it back. Also, make sure they have plenty of fiber around, including lots of hay. If you would like to add something into the cage for them to chew on, cardboard boxes with no labels or tape work great! I hope that gives you a place to start!

Thanks for reaching out about Sebastian. This seems to be an appropriate product for rodents and rabbits. A mild concern would be ingestions, although not toxic, not good to eat, but few beddings are. Good luck.

It would be safest to avoid all types of pine bedding. There are other options that are safer such as aspen shavings or any one of the recycled paper type bedding materials. The current bedding is fine to use as well.