Beds for guinea pigs: a soft place to rest

Guinea pigs do not sleep for long stretches at a time. They take short naps throughout the day and night, often only a few minutes long, and in between they like to stretch out for a while. A soft bed or sleeping spot gives them a comfortable place to do so. Older guinea pigs in particular, and guinea pigs in an indoor enclosure with a somewhat harder floor, are keen to seek out a soft spot like this. In the colder months, a bed with a thick rim makes a warm little nest.

In this category you will find soft beds in different shapes, plush sleeping houses, a tent, an igloo and a shelter with a hammock. Always see a bed as an extra resting spot, alongside the wooden houses and tunnels your guinea pigs use as hiding places. Place the bed in a dry spot and put some Zooply hay, our own premium brand, next to it. Guinea pigs like to have a nibble before they lie down.

In short

• ✓ A bed is an extra resting spot, not a replacement for a hiding house.
• ✓ Choose a size in which your guinea pig can stretch out fully.
• ✓ Guinea pigs also pee in soft beds: wash them regularly and keep a spare ready.
• ✓ Check soft products for loose threads and chewed fabric.
• ✓ Remove thick, warm beds on hot days; guinea pigs cope poorly with heat.

What will you find in the Beds category?

Clavio beds from Flamingo

The Clavio beds from Flamingo are soft plush beds with a thick rim, in cheerful colours. There is a round bed of 35 × 35 × 12 cm, an oval bed of 35 × 28 × 11 cm, a smaller oval bed of 25 × 19 × 9 cm and a rectangular bed of 28 × 22 × 6 cm. According to the product information they are easy to wash. For an adult guinea pig, the round bed and the large oval bed are the best size. Two guinea pigs sometimes lie together in the round bed.

Relax beds and small beds

The Trixie Sunny relax bed is a soft, flat bed in two sizes. There is also a soft reversible bed of 24 × 23 × 21 cm (grey), and the Zolux Neolife bed (25 × 20 cm, blue). Guinea pigs often like a flat bed: they lie softly and can still look around.

Soft sleeping houses

If you want a bed with a roof, there are the soft sleeping houses from Flamingo in the shape of a pumpkin, an apple (two sizes) and a pineapple, of around 23 cm. The Flamingo Clavio sleeping spot, the soft igloo from Zolux (23 × 28 × 21 cm) and the plush carrot sleeping bag (25 × 40 × 25 cm) also belong in this group. Larger soft hiding places are the plush houses from Beeztees (40 × 40 × 40 cm, in anthracite, beige and pink), the tent from Trixie (37 × 35 × 37 cm) and the triangular hideaway from Trixie (44 × 33 × 40 cm).

Shelter with hammock

The Trixie Sunny shelter is a small wooden shelter with a fabric hammock, in 28 × 24 × 28 cm and 37 × 29 × 27 cm. Guinea pigs hardly climb, so hang or place the hammock low, so your guinea pig can step into it without climbing. The larger model suits an adult guinea pig best.

Bed or house: what is the difference?

A house is a hiding place: closed, sheltered and ideally with two exits, so a guinea pig feels safe. A bed is a resting spot: soft and open, to lie in once your guinea pig already feels at ease. Both are useful, but they do not replace each other. An enclosure with only beds gives a guinea pig too few places to hide.

So place beds next to a few wooden houses and tunnels. Provide at least one hiding place per guinea pig and ideally one extra, and see the bed as an addition to that. Soft sleeping houses with a roof sit somewhere in between: they offer shelter, but often have only one opening.

Which size suits a guinea pig?

An adult guinea pig must be able to stretch out fully in the bed and turn around. Most adult guinea pigs fit well in beds from about 30 cm. The small beds of around 25 cm, such as the small oval Clavio bed and the Zolux Neolife bed, are better suited to young guinea pigs. If in doubt, choose the larger size: a guinea pig would rather lie with room to spare than be cramped.

Beds for older guinea pigs

Older guinea pigs become less mobile and lie down more. Some develop stiffer joints or pressure spots on the soles of their feet. For a guinea pig like that, a soft, low resting spot is extra pleasant. Choose a flat bed with a low entry, such as the rectangular Clavio bed or the Sunny relax bed, so your guinea pig can step into it without effort. Place the bed close to the hay and the water bottle. Keep a close eye on weight and foot soles in older guinea pigs; if you see sores or your guinea pig loses weight, contact a vet with knowledge of guinea pigs.

Beds throughout the year

In winter, or in a somewhat cooler room, soft sleeping houses and beds with a thick rim are a warm place to snuggle into. Put some extra hay in them during cold periods. In spring and summer you can replace thick beds with flat models or remove them temporarily. In warm weather, guinea pigs prefer a cool, open spot. A ceramic cooling plate next to the bed then gives them the choice between lying soft and lying cool.

Washing and hygiene

Guinea pigs are not litter trained and also pee in their bed. A soft bed absorbs this and will start to smell if you do not wash it regularly. Shake the bed out daily, remove droppings and hay and wash it at least weekly, or more often if it is wet. Use a mild detergent without a strong scent; guinea pigs have a sensitive nose and avoid a bed that smells strange. Let the bed dry thoroughly before it goes back into the enclosure.

It is handy to have two beds that you alternate. Then there is always a clean bed ready when the other one is in the wash.

Safe use

Some guinea pigs nibble fabric. So check soft beds and sleeping houses regularly. Loose threads can wrap around a little leg, and swallowed stuffing is not good. If you see a guinea pig gnawing holes in the fabric, remove the bed and choose a hiding place made of wood, cork or hay for that guinea pig instead.

Also pay attention to the temperature. A thick, warm bed is lovely in winter, but on warm days a guinea pig can get too hot in it. Guinea pigs cope poorly with heat; above roughly 25 °C, remove thick beds and sleeping houses and provide a cool resting spot, for example a cooling plate.

Useful combinations

A bed only becomes a nice resting spot in a well-equipped enclosure:

• Houses: wooden hiding places with two exits next to the bed.
• Tunnels: safe routes to and from the resting spot.
• Bedding: a dry, absorbent floor under and around the bed.
• Hay: Zooply hay close to the resting spot.
• Health: cooling plates as a cool resting spot in summer.

Frequently asked questions about beds for guinea pigs

Will my guinea pig actually lie in a bed?

Most guinea pigs discover a soft bed by themselves. Place it in a quiet spot along a wall, not in the middle of the enclosure, and put some hay next to it. Some guinea pigs lie in it straight away, others need a few days. A guinea pig that will not go in often prefers a closed hiding place; in that case put down a sleeping house or a house with a roof.

How often should I wash a guinea pig bed?

At least once a week, and more often if the bed is wet or smells. Shake it out daily. With two beds that you alternate, you always have a clean bed in the enclosure.

My guinea pig pees in the bed. What can I do?

That is normal behaviour; guinea pigs pee where they lie. Do not put the bed in the usual toilet corner, shake it out daily and wash it often. If you like, put some bedding or a towel under the bed, so the enclosure underneath stays dry.

Is a soft sleeping house safe for guinea pigs?

Yes, as long as you check and wash it regularly. Remove it if your guinea pig gnaws holes in the fabric or if loose threads appear. Also always provide wooden houses or tunnels with two exits.

Can two guinea pigs share one bed?

Guinea pigs that get on well sometimes lie together in a large bed, such as the 35 cm round Clavio bed. Do provide enough other resting spots, so nobody has to fight over the bed.

Can a bed go in an outdoor hutch?

A soft bed absorbs moisture and dries poorly outdoors. In an outdoor hutch you are therefore better off choosing a thick layer of straw and hay in the sleeping compartment and a wooden house as a hiding place. Use a bed mainly indoors, where you can easily keep it dry and clean.

Beds for guinea pigs at Knaagplaza

At Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, you will find soft beds and sleeping spots that give your guinea pigs a cosy place to rest. Place them next to the wooden houses, put fresh Zooply hay beside them, our own premium brand that we use every day for our own guinea pigs, and keep them clean. Then the bed will soon become a firm favourite.