Hay as bedding?

[lizzie_71]

My boys live in a two storey outdoor hutch at the moment. I use a layer of newspaper then a layer of woodshavings as bedding. In the bedroom compartment upstairs, I also put a large handful of hay for them to snuggle up in. Downstairs I put a hayrack but no hay as bedding.

The problem is that they invariably eat the hay in their bedroom. Which is fine, except that the bedroom is also their toilet, and seems to be the main place that they wee :o So the hay they eat probably isn't terribly clean. But then again, these are animals that eat their own poo, so maybe it's OK?

Should I stop using hay as bedding upstairs and just give them the hay rack downstairs? Or do you think they are OK?

Also, the boys are getting decidedly porky, so maybe I need to cut back their hay rations? Maybe only give them hay every 2-3 days?

 

[MemberX]

Pigs need hay all the time so I wouldn't reduce that. What do they weigh? Maybe just more exercise is needed. I'd still keep them on hay and give them hay in the dyay and for bedtime.

 

[maisynpoppy]

I agree with Louise, hay should be unlimited, do you weigh them weekly? what are their weights?

 

[KAZ]

Echo what the others have said, guineas should have hay 24/7.

I so know what you mean though about them eating it in the bedroom, I put up a hay rack for Bridget but she ignored it and ate the bedding hay whereas the hay rack contained timothy hay! funny little thing! ;D

 

[lawnmower piggy]

prehaps if they use this area for toilet, you could put some hay in a different corner for sleeping?

we too use hay for bedding.

Nx

 

[lizzie_71]

I weighed them once about 6 months ago and they were both 1.3kg. I have never weighed them since as it seems rather unhygenic to put them in the kitchen scales and I haven't thought of a better solution. They look big though!

They haven't had much exercise lately due to bad weather, they are pretty much stuck in the hutch all day. They did get out today, but that was the first time for about a week.

 

[caryl]

I ditto all wot was said

I put hay in there bed and in there eating area morning and i check they have it at night too


so they have 2 lots a day in both areas
xx

 

[LyndsayRDH]

Guinea pigs should never be limited hay. If all they ate was hay they wouldn't get porky. Usually it is overeating pellets or veggies. Cut veggies to 1 cup a day and 1/8-1/4 cup of pellets a day. Wet hay can be a problem b/c it can mold. If you use hay as bedding it needs to be changed frequently to be sure they don't eat moldy hay. I also might add that pigs don't usually die from being porky.

 

[MemberX]

A couple of mine are 1.3kg I have scales just for the pigs you can get cheap ones from Argos for £2.50 or an altrnative is get a different bowl just for the pigs and put that on the scales.

 

[Goldie]

Mine also have hay for sleeping on in their bedrooms. Yeap, they do sit and eat it and I top it up each evening before bedtime ... sometimes there isn't a piece of hay left to be seen the next morning.
They also have a hay rack on the side of the cage which they have fun with.

 

[CharlottiesPiggies]

Hay is very important for piggies - if you think of it, horses and other animals lay on bedding they sometimes consume

 

[Claire W]

I use newspaper with hay on the top for the bedding in the bedroom compartment, then in their living compartment I use a layer of newspaper followed by a layer of wood shavings followed by a layer of hay. They also have hay in a hayrack. My girls eat the hay from the floor and their hay rack. Like the others have said, do not limit their hay supply. Could you just do what I do and put hay in the hay rack and a small layer on the floor of their living space? O0

 

[starla]

they quite like having hay on the floor as they like to lie in it and eat it. As for porkyness they probably aren't as fat as you imagine, and I'd rather have fat pigs than thin ones.

 

[BubbleSqueak]

I used to have this problem too, where they ate all of their hay bedding. Now, i use shredded paper for them to sleep on and put some hay in for feeding and this works for me.

 

[misspiggy64]

mine have hay throughout the hutch as well as in the bedroom they also have a hay rack but this seems to be ignored so the hay from this gets put in the bedroom each morning then the hayrack has its hay replaced just in case. I use p@h hay in the bedroom & the other half of the hutch S(mall thin strands) & a hay with bigger thicker strands in the rack.