Resting Responsibly

Listen to this article

As the natural market continues to grow and expand, natural bedding has seen its segment get larger and larger.

Typically, natural bedding is made from either natural materials or 100 percent recycled materials.

Lisa Kniceley, inside sales rep for Vitakraft Sunseed, said they offer many eco-friendly and natural bedding produts.

“One of the natural products we currently offer is our Eco-bedding,” Kniceley said. “This unique, patent-pending paper crinkle is made from 100 percent recycled paper in the USA. Baking soda and Zeolite have been added for excellent odor control and absorbency. Eco-bedding is biodegradable, hypoallergenic and one of the best ever materials for rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters to use for tunneling, nesting and environmental enrichment.”

Kniceley said that eco-friendly products make environmentally conscious consumers feel confident that they are helping the environment when they purchase Vitakraft Sunseed’s Eco-bedding, which has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

“Founded in 1993, this independent, not-for-profit organization promotes responsible forest management and has earned the reputation for having the most rigorous and credible forest certification system,” Kniceley said. “By buying FSC certified products, we can all do our part to protect the world’s forests.”

CaribSea has two different types of natural bedding that are made from coconuts, the coco fresh for small animals and the coco soft for reptiles.

Their bedding products are made from coconut coir.

“Coconut coir can hold seven times its weight in water,” Jud McCracken, sales manager of CaribSea, said.  “The bedding is made differently than others. It is shredded mechanically instead of decomposed. It is a softer product.”

McCracken said the product has no environmental impact.

“It’s a waste product,” McCracken said. “There are no trees being chopped down. It’s completely natural, 100 percent safe for you to use.”

Kaytee  offers a pine small animal bedding and litter natural bedding. It’s manufactured with all-natural pine shavings, and provides an earth-friendly place for a pet to lie on and burrow in.

The natural pine oils suppress microorganisms and keep the environment clean and fresh. Earth-friendly, absorbent, and comfortable, Kaytee pine small animal bedding and litter is recommended for habitats that are open and well ventilated.

Another small animal bedding is Nodor Natural Bedding from Hartz. It is an ultra-absorbent, long-lasting cellulose fiber bedding for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice and other small animals.

It controls odors from pet waste and is powered by Nodor, their odor encapsulating technology.

Petell Pet Products offers a cedar bedding that is an all natural, absorbent, biodegrable bedding. It is meant for small animals and caged birds, as it provides a soft, comfortable and clean nesting area for pets.

Even non-traditional pet brands are jumping on the natural bedding trend.

Arm & Hammer natural pet bedding helps keep an odor free home. It’s compressed to six liters but expands to 14 liters. It controls ammonia and pet odors with pure and natural Arm & Hammer brand baking soda locked into absorbent cellulose fibers. This helps cages to stay drier, pets stay cleaner and homes smell fresher.