Best Hay Rack/set Up

[Sara’s Piggies]

Help! I've been trying to find the best way to keep hay in my piggies cage. I've always just done big piles of hay with my previous piggies and is what I'm currently doing with my new one. I know the piggies like the big piles of hay but unfortunately it's just end up getting very messy. Eventually they hay spreads around the cage/gets poop and pee on it. This of course means the cage gets messy faster and I have to change out the poop/pee hay this wasting a lot. I have played with a few different options for hay in there cage but haven't quite perfected it. I feel like a good hay rack or something similar would be the way to go. I have also hear horrible stories about hay racks but I'm sure they can't all be bad. Basically I just need people's opinions on the cleanest,least wasteful and safe options for hay storage in the cage I would love to hear what works and doesn't work for people.

 

[Sara’s Piggies]

Help! I've been trying to find the best way to keep hay in my piggies cage. I've always just done big piles of hay with my previous piggies and is what I'm currently doing with my new one. I know the piggies like the big piles of hay but unfortunately it's just end up getting very messy. Eventually they hay spreads around the cage/gets poop and pee on it. This of course means the cage gets messy faster and I have to change out the poop/pee hay this wasting a lot. I have played with a few different options for hay in there cage but haven't quite perfected it. I feel like a good hay rack or something similar would be the way to go. I have also hear horrible stories about hay racks but I'm sure they can't all be bad. Basically I just need people's opinions on the cleanest,least wasteful and safe options for hay storage in the cage I would love to hear what works and doesn't work for people.

I should add that I have considered getting this as I have heard good things about it and it's seems safer than some wire ones pigs could get caught in. Thoughts?

 

[unkinz]

I should add that I have considered getting this as I have heard good things about it and it's seems safer than some wire ones pigs could get caught in. Thoughts?

View attachment 61556

Is it made of cloroplast? If so your piggies might chew it up a bit, otherwise it looks fine.

Some more ideas: Here is a hay rack I used to have, it worked for well. (It did snap eventually, but that might have been my fault. )
Grreat Choice® Hay Rack Small Animal | small pet Food & Water Accessories | PetSmart

A hay rack that looks pretty awesome that's for sale on Esty, though it's kind of expensive, especially since you are in the USA:
Hay Rack, Hay Feeder, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Small Animal, Hay Dispenser, Guinea Pig Feeder, Rabbit Hay Rack
Or you could sew your own. This helpful video was made by Sugar & Spice Piggies from Youtube.

Another idea you could consider is switching to fleece bedding. It makes cleaning hay much easier, and I love it, though the washing machine may or may not agree. Hope this helps you some.

 

[Tim]

One of the best ones I've seen around is used by @Flutterby I've tagged her to see if she has any pics of it to post on here

 

[Sara’s Piggies]

Is it made of cloroplast? If so your piggies might chew it up a bit, otherwise it looks fine.

Some more ideas: Here is a hay rack I used to have, it worked for well. (It did snap eventually, but that might have been my fault. )
Grreat Choice® Hay Rack Small Animal | small pet Food & Water Accessories | PetSmart

A hay rack that looks pretty awesome that's for sale on Esty, though it's kind of expensive, especially since you are in the USA:
Hay Rack, Hay Feeder, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Small Animal, Hay Dispenser, Guinea Pig Feeder, Rabbit Hay Rack
Or you could sew your own. This helpful video was made by Sugar & Spice Piggies from Youtube.

Another idea you could consider is switching to fleece bedding. It makes cleaning hay much easier, and I love it, though the washing machine may or may not agree. Hope this helps you some.

Thanks for the ideas that was helpful. I think the hay bag idea seems safe and clean. I do use fleece bedding in most of my cage but the kitchen area is Carefresh or paper pellet type bedding. I find the hay sticks to the fleece but if i find a hay situation that works I will most likely switch to all fleece.

 

[unkinz]

Thanks for the ideas that was helpful. I think the hay bag idea seems safe and clean. I do use fleece bedding in most of my cage but the kitchen area is Carefresh or paper pellet type bedding. I find the hay sticks to the fleece but if i find a hay situation that works I will most likely switch to all fleece.

Oooh having bedding in the kitchen area sounds fun. I've heard of it before, I'll have to remember to try it sometime! Glad I was of some assistance.

 

[Sara’s Piggies]

Oooh having bedding in the kitchen area sounds fun. I've heard of it before, I'll have to remember to try it sometime! Glad I was of some assistance.

I like the bedding in that area as we all know they poop while they eat. Excuse the mess in the kitchen area, you can see my hay problem lol

 

[unkinz]

I like the bedding in that area as we all know they poop while they eat. Excuse the mess in the kitchen area, you can see my hay problem lol

View attachment 61557

Such a large cage! What happy piggies you have. Mine is the same, but only one cage, not two like yours. I am planning to upgrade to a C&C this summer.

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

I like having a coroplast "kitchen" which keeps the hay contained. In addition, I use hay bags. I've tried racks, but bags are my favorite.

 

[TheBoarsBaggins]

I purchased this colorful, large wooden climbing ladder and bent it into a gentle slope and put my hay on top of that. (It looks sloppy right now because I didn't tidy the hay today but usually the hay stays on top of it very well.) I find very few poops at the bottom of the hay and haven't had them pee on it yet. If they have peed on it, it must absorb really well because there's no odor whatsoever. I've had it about 2 months. I've tucked it between their cozy and their litter pan. They also use it as leverage to get up on top of their willow pigloo that covers their litter box. Multipurpose!

 

[Flutterby]

One of the best ones I've seen around is used by @Flutterby I've tagged her to see if she has any pics of it to post on here

This is what I use. You can order them from zooplus or amazon.

They are used upright, but this pic shows you can flip them over if you don't have anything to hang them off.

This is them the right way up.




Here's the link:

 

[flowerfairy]

Mine have a 32litre underbed storage box with hemp bedding and hay one end of their cage and a wicker tunnel from zoop!us stuffed with hay at the other end. I clean up stray hay every morning.

 

[Skoskia]

what i am using is a cloth hay bag. i sewed it myself and it is super easy to make. i highly recommend it, this way you can choose exactly how big you want the bag to be, and the size of the holes for your guinea pigs to eat the hay from. this way will help reduce the mess and is soft so it will not harm your guinea pigs

 

[Wookey78]

I love that wooden one. Wonder if I can use it in a hutch. Or maybe just in their outdoor run.

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

Another plus with hay bags is that all of the little short bits, the ones the piggies don't want, gather at the bottom of the bag and can just be dumped out (or used to prop up the longer, more desireable hay.

 

[Sara’s Piggies]

Update: I got them a hay bag and so far a success at first I was worried because Phoebe (my naughty curious one) figured out that she could push they hay and get in the bag. She quickly learned inside the bag is no fun and hasn't done it since. They seem to like it and it keeps the hay much cleaner.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I like having a coroplast "kitchen" which keeps the hay contained. In addition, I use hay bags. I've tried racks, but bags are my favorite.

Is that a weeping angel?!

 

[Gizmo&Darwin]

Is it made of cloroplast? If so your piggies might chew it up a bit, otherwise it looks fine.

Some more ideas: Here is a hay rack I used to have, it worked for well. (It did snap eventually, but that might have been my fault. )
Grreat Choice® Hay Rack Small Animal | small pet Food & Water Accessories | PetSmart

A hay rack that looks pretty awesome that's for sale on Esty, though it's kind of expensive, especially since you are in the USA:
Hay Rack, Hay Feeder, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Small Animal, Hay Dispenser, Guinea Pig Feeder, Rabbit Hay Rack
Or you could sew your own. This helpful video was made by Sugar & Spice Piggies from Youtube.

Another idea you could consider is switching to fleece bedding. It makes cleaning hay much easier, and I love it, though the washing machine may or may not agree. Hope this helps you some.

I have made two of these hay bags designed by Sugar amd Spice Piggies and my 11 year old sewed one by hand using a fabric quarter purchased at Walmart for less than a dollar in under two hours (kept her busy and quiet for a while). This is easy, easy, easy to make and keeps the hay (most of it) clean and off the floor of the cage. We use fleece bedding, too. I love the wooden racks, too, and wish I knew a bit about woodworking, as buying them is bit expensive for me. Crafting isn't for everyone, I know. I have been learning to sew since I got my piggies, and have recycled old bed linens and fleece blankets to make all kinds of stuff for the cage.

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

Is that a weeping angel?!

You like that, check out the two liners I sewed for the cages! Cheesiest fleece ever, but obvs. I've got this Doctor Who thing going... I think I really started to LOVE the Weeping Angel theme with the guinea pigs because... THEY DON'T BLINK! Squee!

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

I have made two of these hay bags designed by Sugar amd Spice Piggies and my 11 year old sewed one by hand using a fabric quarter purchased at Walmart for less than a dollar in under two hours (kept her busy and quiet for a while). This is easy, easy, easy to make and keeps the hay (most of it) clean and off the floor of the cage. We use fleece bedding, too. I love the wooden racks, too, and wish I knew a bit about woodworking, as buying them is bit expensive for me. Crafting isn't for everyone, I know. I have been learning to sew since I got my piggies, and have recycled old bed linens and fleece blankets to make all kinds of stuff for the cage.

I LOVE that your child sews! I started early, too; I think I did my first embroideries at eight years old (my mom would sew clothes for my brother and I when we were small, so I had more access than some kids).

 

[Gizmo&Darwin]

She is crafty and has amazing patience. She also has a great big head start over me. I did not sew much at all (except for buttons and maybe a skirt or pants hem here and there) until 3 months ago, but I've done a lot of other crafts for a very long time (offloom bead weaving, crochet and knit - none of them handy for guinea pig stuff). I've asked for a sewing machine for Mother's Day so I don't have to bother my friend anymore to use hers. I love Doctor Who, too!

 

[Gizmo&Darwin]

Oops. Will try again on my pc

 

[EverythingGP]

We've used both the external hay racks and hay bags and find both to be effective. For some reason piggies seem more inclined to pull hay through the bars from the rack just for the sake of it but are more content to eat it from the bag and not pull it around, we're not even going to try and understand the piggy logic there!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

You like that, check out the two liners I sewed for the cages! Cheesiest fleece ever, but obvs. I've got this Doctor Who thing going... I think I really started to LOVE the Weeping Angel theme with the guinea pigs because... THEY DON'T BLINK! Squee!

Omg I love it! I'm quite jealous! I want to get a Harry Potter theme fleece but can't seem to find one I like. Where did you get yours? They're fab!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

You like that, check out the two liners I sewed for the cages! Cheesiest fleece ever, but obvs. I've got this Doctor Who thing going... I think I really started to LOVE the Weeping Angel theme with the guinea pigs because... THEY DON'T BLINK! Squee!

Omg I love it! I'm quite jealous! I want to get a Harry Potter theme fleece but can't seem to find one I like. Where did you get yours? They're fab!

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

Omg I love it! I'm quite jealous! I want to get a Harry Potter theme fleece but can't seem to find one I like. Where did you get yours? They're fab!

Thank you! They're not perfect; they're my first. I found the fleece online and forced myself to fix the sewing machine. That's really it... I had to decide I was going to make them myself. It's actually not difficult, because really you're just making giant rectangles. I got "Uhaul" filler blankets in a pack of twenty and those are what I use for the absorbent layer.

FYI, licensed character fleece is tough to use bc even though it measures 60" about 1-3" of that is a label on the fabric of the company that owns the license. Grr. Doctor Who fabric is even worse than Disney this way.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Thank you! They're not perfect; they're my first. I found the fleece online and forced myself to fix the sewing machine. That's really it... I had to decide I was going to make them myself. It's actually not difficult, because really you're just making giant rectangles. I got "Uhaul" filler blankets in a pack of twenty and those are what I use for the absorbent layer.

FYI, licensed character fleece is tough to use bc even though it measures 60" about 1-3" of that is a label on the fabric of the company that owns the license. Grr. Doctor Who fabric is even worse than Disney this way.

I'm not always that handy haha yours are brilliant and I'm jealous of your skills!

I don't think I can get uhaul here (UK) but it sounds the best absorbant layer!

 

[SkinnyPigRiver]

I'm not always that handy haha yours are brilliant and I'm jealous of your skills!

I don't think I can get uhaul here (UK) but it sounds the best absorbant layer!

The Uhaul I use is off-brand that I got through Amazon, that might be available in the UK. The stuff stinks like factory, though, you definitely need to prewash it!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

The Uhaul I use is off-brand that I got through Amazon, that might be available in the UK. The stuff stinks like factory, though, you definitely need to prewash it!

Thanks, I'll have a look! Need to find a more absorbant layer than towel for my urine filled creatures

I'm determined to look for unusual fleece now too