Hay trough versus loose hay pile
My pigs love playing in piles of hay, like I'm sure many of them do. Of course the problem is two-fold: hay getting everywhere and being hard to keep clean, and so much wasted hay when they soil it.
I currently have a set up where I have a utensil holder lying on it's side filled with hay and inside a little box (the utensil holder is secured to the littler box. There's a uhaul/fleece liner in the litter box that I change every other day or so.
I'm looking at hanging fabric hay troughs, and wondering if they would be a good thing for my pigs?
I guess I'm torn between wanting to let them roll around in a pile of hay, and wanting to not waste so much and keep things a little neater.
Opinions??
I currently have a set up where I have a utensil holder lying on it's side filled with hay and inside a little box (the utensil holder is secured to the littler box. There's a uhaul/fleece liner in the litter box that I change every other day or so.
I'm looking at hanging fabric hay troughs, and wondering if they would be a good thing for my pigs?
I guess I'm torn between wanting to let them roll around in a pile of hay, and wanting to not waste so much and keep things a little neater.
Opinions??
A few years back I had one of those fabric ones for my girls and they didn't last too long and were a waste of money; they began chewing the fabric lining around the hole to the point that they can pull the hay through in very large amounts and eventually made the hole big enough that they can climb inside thus defeating the purpose of keeping the hay clean and dry which bothers me so much at the thought of my piggies eating soiled hay or the thought of them getting stuck in there while i'm not home.
Right now for my boys I have one of those external hay racks that hangs outside the cage and i just sprinkle just alittle bit of hay on the floor; not enough to make a meal but enough to lay on if they choose. Since I have fleece as bedding for them and they're still a bit skittish when mommy comes to do the morning and evening check over, having the external one works best for me; i can just refill the bin and not send them scurrying into their house and it keeps the floor a bit neater :).
Right now for my boys I have one of those external hay racks that hangs outside the cage and i just sprinkle just alittle bit of hay on the floor; not enough to make a meal but enough to lay on if they choose. Since I have fleece as bedding for them and they're still a bit skittish when mommy comes to do the morning and evening check over, having the external one works best for me; i can just refill the bin and not send them scurrying into their house and it keeps the floor a bit neater :).
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- Let Sleeping Pigs Lie
There are some ideas for containing the hay on this link:
LINKS - Hay Racks and Kitchen Areas
I like the idea of the hay troughs, but haven't tried them. Not all guinea pigs are fabric chewers, though. If they do chew on fabric items, it's always best to be safe and remove those items from the cage.
LINKS - Hay Racks and Kitchen Areas
I like the idea of the hay troughs, but haven't tried them. Not all guinea pigs are fabric chewers, though. If they do chew on fabric items, it's always best to be safe and remove those items from the cage.
- MildredM
- The-Fairy-in-my-Heart
I love to see them enjoying burrowing in the hay, the mess far outweigh the pleasure they get (for me!). I line a large box, 30 inches by 20 inches with newspaper then add loads of hay. Some does get dragged onto the fleece area but I just shake it off.
Hahaha! I do seem to spend a lot on hay just for three though!
Hahaha! I do seem to spend a lot on hay just for three though!
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- Let Sleeping Pigs Lie
Mildred - I saw pictures recently of the "piggy palace" - I loved how you had everything set-up. I think i'm going to try the hay box idea. I have a 3x5 c&c cage and I think the box would be a great idea for them. I might even try it for the 7 special ones!!
I don't remember where I last saw pictures of "piggy palace" - are they posted/kept somewhere?
I don't remember where I last saw pictures of "piggy palace" - are they posted/kept somewhere?
Thanks so much Mildred! I think it's brilliant! I'm going to be giving it a try.
I know this is a little off from the original topic, but I would love to know and see more about your set-up. Do you have that in one of the threads here? Or in an one of fairy's newsletters?
I know this is a little off from the original topic, but I would love to know and see more about your set-up. Do you have that in one of the threads here? Or in an one of fairy's newsletters?
I use bent grids for hay in Buffy's and Ginger's cage. Tulip has a bent grid but I also put some on the floor for her to enjoy. She's getting elderly (she'll be 5 soon) and she really enjoys burrowing her head into the hay.
- MildredM
- The-Fairy-in-my-Heart
I have some pics!
The Piggy Palace, where they spend their mornings, is in the garden. It is an insulated, heated/cooled building:
The L shaped 'shelf' is waist level, lined with newspaper then fleece, with beds, tunnels and the hay box, with storage under:
In the afternoon and evenings they are in the kitchen:
Fairy has her own 'bedroom' for overnight. She wouldn't settle when she was younger and seemed to find being enclosed safer somehow. She certainly looks forwards to going to bed!
It is situated by the stove and has a heat pad under for cooler nights:
The Piggy Palace, where they spend their mornings, is in the garden. It is an insulated, heated/cooled building:
The L shaped 'shelf' is waist level, lined with newspaper then fleece, with beds, tunnels and the hay box, with storage under:
In the afternoon and evenings they are in the kitchen:
Fairy has her own 'bedroom' for overnight. She wouldn't settle when she was younger and seemed to find being enclosed safer somehow. She certainly looks forwards to going to bed!
It is situated by the stove and has a heat pad under for cooler nights: