Hay there

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Alejandro232

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Any recommendations on transitioning our piggies from eating hay from a bowl to a hopper?

We’ve been serving hay to our new piggies from a bowl, because that’s what their previous owners had done and we didn’t want to confuse them since we only adopted them about 4 days ago.

Refilling it hasn’t been too bad, but we’d like to switch them over to a hopper attached to their cage which is one of those MidWest Habitats.

Any thoughts as to whether it’s worth the trouble, how to handle the transition and on a hopper compatible with the habitat?

Thanks!
 
Thy will eat hay no matter how you serve it so don’t worry!

I do find though that my piggies prefer their hay to simply be in piles on the cage floor or in a tray. They will eat hay from the hay rack (and I put their Timothy hay in a rack to prevent hay pokes) but they tend to eat more if they are just surrounded by it rather than having to go to a hay rack.
 
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I give my hay in hay bags. Personally, I find mine won’t really eat hay off of the floor. This is unfortunate considering I have one pig who pulls the hay out with his paw whilst he eats from the bag, everything he pulls out is just completely disregarded by both pigs 😂
But, pigs will generally eat hay regardless of where it is. Whilst I do a cage sweep and hay bag refill in the morning, the boys will suddenly decide to eat the floor hay, simply because the hay bags aren’t there anymore. So, I think that pigs will have a preference, but if there is no other alternative, they will just eat the hay however it’s given, eating hay is pretty much instinctual as they can’t really survive healthily without it
 
Little Ones said:
I give my hay in hay bags. Personally, I find mine won’t really eat hay off of the floor. This is unfortunate considering I have one pig who pulls the hay out with his paw whilst he eats from the bag, everything he pulls out is just completely disregarded by both pigs 😂
But, pigs will generally eat hay regardless of where it is. Whilst I do a cage sweep and hay bag refill in the morning, the boys will suddenly decide to eat the floor hay, simply because the hay bags aren’t there anymore. So, I think that pigs will have a preference, but if there is no other alternative, they will just eat the hay however it’s given, eating hay is pretty much instinctual as they can’t really survive healthily without it
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When you say “hay bags” do you mean the plastic bags they come in? Or something else?
 
Hay bags are bags specifically made out of fabric with holes in them and hooks, not the plastic bags hay comes in
 
This is a hay bag, behind my lovely guinea pig! Sorry I should’ve been more clear about it.
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You can make them yourself if you sew, or you can make it with hemming web (this is what I do). I’m sure you’d be able to find a tutorial online or on YouTube with a guide of how to make them, I’m pretty sure I followed a guide I found online. You just get fabric, cut out holes the right size and then sew/hem the sides up to make a bag shape and then clip it onto the cage. I’m sure you could also find some online to buy, like on Etsy or somewhere like that if you didn’t want to make them
 
I give mine hay in large hay racks which are just those draws that you get for hanging underneath shelves turned on their side. I find this better than normal hay racks as they are a good size with large holes and the piggies love to hide under them.

that said the piggies daily routine is pull a load of hay out, build a nest, pee on the hay, wheek every time a human moves until they give them more hay, repeat.
 
We have recently adopted 2 from a rescue - they were bonded with my recently bereaved pig Winny.. They were used to a cage full of hay where as Winny has had it in a cat litter tray since we adopted her last May... So I bought a 32 litre clear storage box and cut an entrance in the front ( covered the sides with tape so not sharp at all ) FILLED it with hay..... They all love it! I still have the cat little tray near it as with 3 the box can get crowded lol!
 
Swissgreys said:
Mine have large plastic trays that I line with newspaper and fill with hay - they love them. They eat the hay, sleep in the hay, burrow in the hay and throw hay all over their cage.
Hy is probably the best enrichment they get.
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I also feed hay in a tray, As Swissgreys has said mine also love to sleep, burrow and eat it. I really do think it’s the best way to feed hay.
I use cat litter trays from cheap stores..

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My lot get the hay dumped on 2 large piles on the cage floor.
There’s also a paper bag filled with hay and hay stuffed into the carrot cottage.
They love playing with the hay as much as eating it
 
Little Ones said:
This is a hay bag, behind my lovely guinea pig! Sorry I should’ve been more clear about it.
View attachment 131258

You can make them yourself if you sew, or you can make it with hemming web (this is what I do). I’m sure you’d be able to find a tutorial online or on YouTube with a guide of how to make them, I’m pretty sure I followed a guide I found online. You just get fabric, cut out holes the right size and then sew/hem the sides up to make a bag shape and then clip it onto the cage. I’m sure you could also find some online to buy, like on Etsy or somewhere like that if you didn’t want to make them
Click to expand...
That's brilliant... love it!
 
I just use a cardboard box & fill it with hay. :) My piggy doesn't really waste as much as if it were in a pile & she doesn't pee in the box (but even if she did, I can always get another).

Here's a picture so you can see. :D She loves to play in it lol.
 

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