Bedding for outdoor hutch

Monykutzu

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I kept my piggies indoors until now but I want to offer them some outdoor time as well, maybe a few days a week for a few hours whilst I also potter around in the garden. They have fleece indoors and I give them plenty of hay, charging it twice a day. If I put them outside what kind of bedding can I use? I can buy bedding hay, but it's a biggish hutch so I would probably go through a bag in a couple of outings if I change it daily. Can I leave it in for a few days? I am concerned it might go damp or even worse mouldy...
 
Your post reads as if you are planning on them living them indoors still - their time outside will be limited to when you are out there. If so, is it possible/have you thought about putting them in a run while you are out there rather than in a hutch? That way, you don’t need bedding (just a handful or two of hay available while they are in the run) as they can be directly on the grass (once tummies are used to it)

I have outdoor/shed piggies and rabbits - but they are permanently out there. They are in three hutches (two of which are 6 foot hutches (one is a double storey), one is a 5ft) . Mine are bedded on an absorbent layer of megazorb (although i also like aubiose), and then all topped with hay.
You don’t need to change out all the bedding hay daily. Simply poop pick and remove wet areas once or twice a day, and then throw in a handful to replace it (while ensuring there is plenty for them to eat). The whole of the bedding hay only needs to be replaced once a week (twice at most if they are very messy).
As a rough guide , I use 15kg of meadow hay for bedding and eating, plus a further 5kg of soft timothy for eating, every three/four weeks between three hutches (five animals). (With less thick amounts of bedding hay being used in summer when their need for the extra warmth is less)
 
Your post reads as if you are planning on them living them indoors still - their time outside will be limited to when you are out there. If so, is it possible/have you thought about putting them in a run while you are out there rather than in a hutch? That way, you don’t need bedding (just a handful or two of hay available while they are in the run) as they can be directly on the grass (once tummies are used to it)

I have outdoor/shed piggies and rabbits - but they are permanently out there. They are in three hutches (two of which are 6 foot hutches (one is a double storey), one is a 5ft) . Mine are bedded on an absorbent layer of megazorb (although i also like aubiose), and then all topped with hay.
You don’t need to change out all the bedding hay daily. Simply poop pick and remove wet areas once or twice a day, and then throw in a handful to replace it (while ensuring there is plenty for them to eat). The whole of the bedding hay only needs to be replaced once a week (twice at most if they are very messy).
As a rough guide , I use 15kg of meadow hay for bedding and eating, plus a further 5kg of soft timothy for eating, every three/four weeks between three hutches (five animals). (With less thick amounts of bedding hay being used in summer when their need for the extra warmth is less)
Thank you for you reply, I do have a run as well but I also have a cat (and my neighbours have quite a few as well) so I don't think a run on grass is a good idea, especially if they are not supervised. I trust my cat as she sees them indoors too, when I put them out in their run but I won't trust others. I will have to get some more hay and try and leave it in, for a few days at a time with only spot cleaning after they are in.
 
I get a bale of local farm hay and keep it in a Garden Storage bin, it’s only £5 for a big sized bale
 
i also use farm hay though its £8 a bale.i use orchard grass hay on line for feeding hay.i have a small number of piggies that live outside all year,hay is the main insulator and eating for winter.Piggies and buns has given you some sound advice.
 
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