The Chipsi Classic Softwood Bedding for Small Pets is the unscented all-rounder in the Chipsi range: soft softwood shavings from local German forestry, in a small trial bag or the full-size pack.

Key Features

• Soft softwood shavings from JRS, the unscented all-rounder in the Chipsi range.
• Highly absorbent, so the base stays dry between changes.
• Binds odour without adding a fragrance.
• Soft enough for bare feet - it is the sort of bedding rats and guinea pigs sit on all day.
• Dust-reduced, which matters because ammonia and dust are what damage small-animal airways.
• Biodegradable and compostable.
• Suitable for rodents, small mammals and farm animals.

How To Use

• Clean the enclosure out, then spread a layer 5 to 10 cm deep across the base.
• Scoop out the wet and soiled patches every day and top the level back up.
• Strip and replace the whole lot at least once a week, and wash the base out before refilling.
• For a litter-trained rabbit, use it in the tray and put a hay rack right beside it.

Available in: 15 L (1 kg pack) and 60 L (3.2 kg pack).

Good To Know

• The same Chipsi Classic bedding in the 3.2 kg (60 L) size is also listed separately under the older pack design. It is the same product - check both prices.
• Unscented is the sensible default for any animal with a history of sneezing or breathing trouble. Chipsi Classic Citrus and Chipsi Classic Apple are the same shavings with a natural scent if you want one.
• This is kiln-dried, dust-reduced softwood shaving, which is not the same thing as the raw pine and cedar shavings exotic vets warn about. If your own vet has advised against wood bedding for your animal, use a paper or hemp bedding instead.
• No bedding is genuinely dust-free. JRS describes Chipsi as dust-reduced. Pour it in gently, and let the enclosure air for a minute rather than tipping the bag in with the animal sitting in it.
• Urine turns into ammonia, and ammonia is the main cause of respiratory disease in caged small animals. Scoop the wet patches out every day and strip the whole enclosure at least weekly - more often for rabbits, guinea pigs and rats, which produce a lot of urine.
• Lay it 5 to 10 cm deep. Hamsters, gerbils and mice burrow, and a thin scattering does not let them behave normally.
• Change bedding brands gradually. Small animals recognise home by smell, so when you strip the enclosure keep a handful of the old clean bedding and mix it back in.
• Bedding is not food. A little gets eaten during nest-building and that is normal, but a pet chewing bedding instead of hay is telling you there is not enough hay.
• Bedding does not replace hay. Rabbits and guinea pigs need unlimited grass hay in front of them at all times - it is the bulk of what they should eat and it is what wears their teeth down.
• This is small-animal bedding, not cat litter. It does not clump and it is not made for a cat tray.
• Keep the bag sealed, off the floor and somewhere dry. Bedding that takes up damp in a UAE store room can go mouldy before it ever reaches the cage.
• JRS states the bedding is biodegradable and compostable. Soiled bedding from herbivores composts well; it is not one for a wormery, and do not put it on anything you will be eating from this season.
• Small animals hide illness until they are very unwell. A rabbit or guinea pig that stops eating or stops passing droppings for 12 hours is an emergency, not a wait-and-see - gut stasis can kill within a day. Sneezing, laboured breathing or wet eyes and nose need a vet who sees exotics.