New and Have a Few Questions

[sus4rabbitsnpigs]

You can buy regular fleece blankets but you may need to cut them to size as needed. The fleece at Joanns and etc. tend to be prettier or have more patterns but you may not care about that.

Does the farm have other types of grass hay? It doesn't have to be timothy. Orchard is fine too.

[Feylin]

Here is a hay rack i made out of a bent grid:


You can use whatever hay rack you have (or end up buying), but it works really well to have a kitchen area under it that has some type of litter. I made my kitchen with extra coroplast, but other people have used kitty litter boxes. That keeps a lot of hay off the fleece.

[Babzy]

I'm not sure what type of other hay the farm my boyfriend lives on grows. He is just renting out a house there and helps out with the farm work, but I thought he knew more about it. I'll have to make him ask.

Those hay racks are awesome I just don't have a C&C cage (I bought a Midwest one). I think I will definitely do the kitchen idea though, very clever. Both of your guinea pigs are so cute! I'm going to look into the thread about hay racks now and probably purchase a safe one.

[Lynx]

You can also feed high quality orchard grass. See if you can find that locally (second cut, soft not stiff stems).

[Hunybee]

Mine get a mix of Oxbow hay. They love the seed pods that are found in Timothy, but lately it's been stiff and sticky and really hard, so I throw some really soft Orchard in with it.

[Babzy]

I already bought a whole thing of timothy hay from KM but I will look into local farmers (they're abundant in my area!) for the future.

I was wondering about what to bring them home in. I have a cat carrier that is really small that could definitely fit both of them but I wasn't sure about the spacing on the door, it's a typical animal carrier with the wire similar to the C&C cage grids. I figured I'd use that or a box. Also, what should I put in there? A towel and some hay? Maybe food? Water? I saw a post about someone picking up their pigs and I think I read that they just put hay in a box. The car ride shouldn't be any longer than 45 minutes.

[rshevin]

Cat carriers are perfect.

[jedifreac]

Usually pet store hay is more expensive. If you live in an area with a lot of farms and you have space, I would buy from a animal feed store or directly from a farmer. Feed stores usually sell big trashbags of hay.

If you do buy from a pet supply store know that most brands of hay they sell won't be as fresh or as affordable, so it is actually still cheaper to buy online from Kleenmamas if you do the math.

[codyNpatches]

Just curious, but which Timothy hay did you get? All her hay is amazing, but I was curious if you got 3rd cut? 3rd cut is worshipped in out house. I have a closet full of it! 2nd cut is worshipped too though!

[Babzy]

I read her descriptions on the webpage and bought the third cut, so hopefully my cavies will enjoy it as much as yours!

[Amy0204]

Third cut is awesome. I use a small ferrett litter box as a hay containor. If my pigs aren't eating it, they're just laying in it enjoying themselves. I use a cat carrier when I take my pigs to the vet's. I have a small piece of fleece that is folded to size. Since the trip is very short, I don't worry about water, but if the drive is longer, you may want to consider that. I do buy fleece from fabric stores then cut it exactly to the size of the cage. I find that's simpler for cage changes. Plus, I get a kick out of some of the fabric patterns!

[jedifreac]

We like to use kleenex boxes as hay holders. Neat, disposable, and fun. (Plus, we have allergies, so we always have empty boxes.)

[CavyPrincesses]

I just was reading about Midwest Cages and they actually have a divider for sale if you want a kitchen for you babies :) And you can always be resourceful and creative by finding some stuff in your home to make their hay rack :) A cardboard replica of this one http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/kj/091227/213r7/42259dm_20.jpeg that you can hang from outside for it to not take up space inside the cage :)

Congrats for the new babies and good luck!

[Babzy]

Haha jedi my family goes through tissue boxes pretty fast too, that's a good idea.

CavyPrincesses I think I have to buy a whole other cage to get the divider, at least on amazon, did you find it for sale elsewhere? I'm planning on buying another Midwest cage to attach I think but I want to see how things work out first.

[CavyPrincesses]

Oh yes they do have them dividers for sale Babzy :)
Here are the links (hope it works)
http://www.mightypets.com/subcat.asp?0=772

Divider Panel
http://www.mightypets.com/product.asp?3=2955#buy

Top Cover
http://www.mightypets.com/product.asp?3=2956#buy

Ramp Cover
http://www.mightypets.com/product.asp?3=2953#buy

Hope this helps :)

[caruba]

I have two Midwest cages too! They are awesome!

[Tuggell]

jedifreac- I use tissue boxes too! The hay makes me sneeze, and then, the hay goes in the empty box. It's a fantastic little circle.

Hunybee- I've been using Oxbow, but all those darn sticks are driving me crazy! I doubt I'm even able to use a whole bag.

[codyNpatches]

I am sure they will love the 3rd cut!

I am excited. I have been talking with my cousin about getting her pig out of a pet store cage and she finally bought the Midwest cage on Amazon. I told her all the cage options, and she decided that option was best. I want one just to have along with my C&C!

[Babzy]

I think I'm going to make my own kitchen section, those separate pieces are so expensive! I don't know why considering the price of the whole cage is a steal.

I'm glad to hear other people have the midwest cages I was nervous that everyone was going to tell me that they weren't good enough.

[rshevin]

We're big fans of appropriate space for piggies. As long as it's safely designed, we don't care how you do it. :) We don't have many members with the midwest cage though. I'm sure everyone would be interested in some pictures and notes on how you like or dislike it.