Why is sawdust bad for guinea pigs?

Sawdust is not good for rabbit and guinea pigs respiratory systems as the dust causes the lungs to clog up, causing breathing difficulty, sneezing and running noses. The best bedding for small animals is straw in the place they sleep and a shaving or woodchip anywhere else.

Can sawdust kill guinea pigs?

Wood shavings / sawdust are not recommended, especially any that are scented (usually Lavender, Lemograss or Citronella) as these may cause allergies or skin sensitisation. Dust / oils in the wood can also lead to respiratory disease that can be fatal to guineas, and irritating to their Humans.

What can sawdust do to your lungs?

Wood dust poses the following risks to worker health: Inhaling dust into the lungs can cause breathing problems and lead to lung diseases such as occupational asthma and lung cancer. Breathing in dust is the most common type of exposure to wood dust. Getting dust in the eyes can cause irritation and damage.

Is wood bedding bad for guinea pigs?

But, due to the nature of wood shavings, they both contain dust. Even the smallest amounts of dust are proven to be harmful for your guinea pig. Research done by Wirth, Ewaldsson, and Burn shows that beddings must be non toxic and dust free, if they are to be truly beneficial to the animals and their health.

Is it safe to use sawdust for rabbits?

Sawdust has commonly been used in the past as an absorbent layer in rabbits’ sleeping areas. This not advisable; sawdust can irritate the skin and lungs because of the oils/phenols contained in the wood. These can be absorbed into the rabbit’s internal organs and cause low grade liver inflammation.

Do guinea pigs need wood shavings?

Whilst wood shavings are widely used as guinea pig bedding, be careful shavings made from pine and cedar may contain chemical nasties which can be toxic to guinea pigs. Untreated pine and cedar can cause guinea pig health issues including respiratory diseases and liver disease.

What kind of wood is safe for guinea pigs?

Among the safe woods are aspen, linden or basswood, poplar and kiln-dried white pine. In general, any soft, resinous or aromatic woods, such as air-dried pine, cedar, eucalyptus and redwood are not safe for your piggy.

Is sanding dust harmful?

Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles from processes such as sanding and cutting become airborne. Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, and cancer.

Can guinea pigs be allergic to sawdust?

Why not wood shavings or sawdust? Sawdust is far too dusty for guinea pigs to live on and can make them very poorly. Sawdust can also cause allergies in the household as they are so dusty. Wood shavings were a popular choice of bedding and are still often recommended and used by pets shops.

What materials are safe for guinea pigs?

Provide absorbent bedding: CareFresh (paper bedding), kiln-dried pine or aspen shavings (never cedar), or fleece are three top choices for guinea pig owners. Paper or shaving bedding is generally used in combination with a newspaper lining.

The reason sawdust is bad is that guinea pigs have a delicate respiratory system and saw dust is well, dusty… Hi i have used sawdust since i got my piggys and am not going to change now although i do put loads oof hay on top and lots of toys so i dont think theres a problem with using sawdust really it just depends entirely on your own piggy O0

Are wood shavings and sawdust safe to use?

Wood shavings and sawdust are not recommended for several reasons, including dust, which can cause breathing problems, rough texture (shavings), which can ulcerate the feet, oils (with a strong smell) that can affect the skin and respiratory system. There are still plenty of people that use wood shavings,…

Are Cedar shavings safe for Guineas?

(Red Cedar for instance contains certain terpenoid essential oils that have been shown to irritate the respiratory tract in guineas and bunnies – cedar shavings are not normally available in the UK but I would be wary of pine for similar reasons)