Loose Hay Vs Cubes.

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7squeakers.

7squeakers.

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I am thinking of changing my pigs from loose Ings hay to Naturals Meadow hay cookies. The main reason is because they waste so much of their loose hay. Once it has fallen from the hay rack and into the litter tray it is ignored.
Advantages with cookies: 1: There is much less waste, 2: easier to store 3: may be cheaper in the long run (though not sure yet).
Disadvantages; 1; the pigs usually eat them all in one go, (though this may be because they don't get them very often). 2; they get dragged all over the floor and leave a trail of fine hay that can be difficult to get out of fleece.
Is this change a good idea? Do other members feed hay cubes at all?
 
I feed hay cookies as a treat, unfortunately I don't think their teeth would benefit if they were a permanent part of their diet with no proper hay - I don't think the cubes would wear their teeth down which is one of the reasons for hay being part of their diet :/
Maybe instead try different varieties of hay if they are ignoring their current hay? :)
 
Hay cookies are a treat and can't replace hay as you need loose hay for their teeth as said above.

We have to keep switching hay from time to time to keep them interested. Ours never enjoyed Ings also...
 
I use two different types of hay - Timothy Hay (which is harder) and hay from the States (which is much softer). I usually mix it up daily so they don't get bored with their hay (although they do seem to prefer Timothy)

I agree there's a bit of waste but not much in my case where I'd feel the need to change.

Anyway, I agree with what other members have stated already
 
:D Thanks, guys. Yes, I do agree that loose hay is probably better for their teeth. I believe that these cubes are supposed to be a permanent fixture in their diet like loose hay and not just fed as treats. But, yes, it does seem too soft to do their teeth any good. One good thing about cubes is that there are no long stalks to poke in the eyes, which is one reason why I liked the "cube" idea. My herd DO eat plenty of their Ings hay, but, as I said, an awful lot ends up in the litter trays.
 
Never tried them myself , l,d be a bit concered about what is used to bind them together ?
 
7squeakers. said:
:D Thanks, guys. Yes, I do agree that loose hay is probably better for their teeth. I believe that these cubes are supposed to be a permanent fixture in their diet like loose hay and not just fed as treats. But, yes, it does seem too soft to do their teeth any good. One good thing about cubes is that there are no long stalks to poke in the eyes, which is one reason why I liked the "cube" idea. My herd DO eat plenty of their Ings hay, but, as I said, an awful lot ends up in the litter trays.
Click to expand...

If you're worried about the eye poking thing, you can try an American brand of hay. It's reaaallly soft (feels like grass) and it's cut really short so you don't have to worry about that. However, as far as the waste problem I'm not sure if it'd be much different. That would depend on your piggies
 
I am still thinking about the cube idea. Bonnie has a cube all the time because she does not eat much Ings hay and I have noticed that she does not eat many of her Bunny pellets either. Probably because the cubes and pellets have much the same ingredients. I will be changing the litter trays tomorrow, but here is how much loose hay is in the trays at the moment;

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I think when you have hay in racks and it drops you've got to expect some waste. The hay on the bottom is not going to stay fresh very long when they are sitting on it and toileting on it, where as in the rack it stays fresher for longer. I wouldn't think the cubes will have enough in them to wear down back teeth so you could potentially end up with dental issues x
 
My piggies like jumping around in their hay.They can't do this with cubes.I have meadow hay in the litter trays and Timothy hay in the racks.The wastage is worth it to see them popcorning round the cage
 
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