How much hay?!

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Just a quickie! How much hay should I be giving our piggies? At the moment, I give them a handful in the morning when I take them their veg and food, and another handful in the evening. Is this enough? They're in an outside hutch so today I've lined the 'sleeping' area with newspaper, a layer of wood shavings and a load of shredded newspaper. Do I need to put hay in there too? Do they use it for snuggling and eating? Sorry if I'm asking silly questions but I read on here everyday and want to make sure I'm doing this right!

Do you think that a litter tray would help them? They seem to do most of their 'business' in the area that they sleep in. Is that common?

Kelly
 
They do use the hay for snuggling as well as eating so being outdoors i top up the hay in their bedrooms of an evening and give them enough to burrow in for warmth.
You could try using a litter tray it's pot luck. I have heard of people who seem to have trained theirs but i've had no such luck with my grubby boys:)
 
my piggies have a litter tray and they use it all the time! they do a few poos here and there and a couple of wees but each day the litter tray needs cleaning cos of the wee and poo!

piggys do like to bury in their hay as well as eat it, so i would put some in their bedding area for when they sleep. its natural for them to hide as in wild they are easy targets, so its instinct for them.
 
I give mine tons of hay and they whhek when they hear the bin bag just like when they have veggies ,,, i give mine masses every night when i clear out the old stuff.
 
They should have it on constant supply. It helps keep their teeth down and its fibre for their digestive system.
I always give it to them over their floor to they can snuggle and munch at the same timed :)) But also some in their hay rack to keep it off the floor to keep it fresher.
Hope i helped :)p
 
Yep, my four go through masses of the stuff...mind you, they don't eat it all, it goes into the hayrack, but in the end the whole cage floor is covered! I normally top it up three or four times a day and like Clare's piggies, Ben and Dave popcorn like mentalists when they hear the hay bag...crazy pigs!rolleyes:))
 
Hay is 80% of their daily diet intake 15% veg 5% dry food. Mine have access to hay 24/7.
I would be constantly refilling hay racks so bedroom is full of hay along with the rest of the hutch floor.
 
Thanks for your comments. Very helpful.

I don't think I'm giving them enough then! What's the best hay to buy? I've been giving them timothy hay with herbs. That's quite a small bag so doesn't last very long. Any recommendations, or are they all much the same?

kelly
 
i've just brught a bale from ocal feed store usually pretty good quality but check for quality as have had poorer stuff from another mill but thats country living for you!:))
 
I get mine from my local farm shop it's £1.25 for a big bag and within walking distance of my house. However as long as the hay isn't dusty and smells kind of sweet i think it's all much the same.
 
I get mine from a farm shop too I usually buy it by the bale As long it's kept off the floor and dry it will keep for ages and for £4 a bale its well worth it
 
My two girls can get through about 3 hay racks full a day, they seem to prefer the posh dandelion stuff. I think its multi purpose for them I've seen Fran and Daisy make little hay bed as well as just chowing down on it
 
I keep my girl's hay rack with a constant supply of hay - normally they have Excel herbage in the rack and just plain hay on the cage floor (which they eat too - manky girls!). Just tried them with mountain hay from PP for a change but they don't seem to like it.
 
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So another hay question for you all! I'm so new to all of this piggy keeping! If I get a hay rack, firstly where's best to put it? At the top of the hutch, or down the bottom. They still spend an awful lot of time in the 'sleeping' area of their hutch? And as well as the rack, is it best to spread it all around the hutch too? I've tried clearing some of it out in the mornings before I put another handful in. They don't seem to be eating loads of it though. I'm putting it down to the fact that they've still only been with us for 3 weeks so perhaps it's still early days.?/
 
Don't worry about it - my guinea pigs go through stages with hay. Sometimes they demolish it all, other days its hardly touched but as long as it is always there for them to have.

My hay rack is positioned so that they just slightly have to reach up for it - this is good excerise for them as well as running about. Just be careful not to put it too high for them though. Mine is positioned at the opposite end to their sleeping quarters so that again it makes them come out and walk for it - otherwise they would hardly move as one of them is really lazy.
 
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