Best Type Of Hay Dispenser.

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Alex2016

Alex2016

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Hi guys ,

I've been looking for a neatly way to feed my piggys hay I wondered what everyone else did, I have compiled pics of the most common I've encounter in pet shops when I've been looking around I'm not sure with things like the hay cube weather toes and feet may get caught, same with the spinning hay wheel ?

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The hay wheel is dangerous. Piggies can get their paws stuck. If the wheel rotate while their paws are stuck, they could break their legs.

The one in the second pic is also dangerous. There have been multiple incidents where pigs got their heads trapped.

I think the safest one would be the hay bag.

I make my own hay rack from C&C grids. It hold a lot more hay. I've also made some from coroplast.
 
lissie said:
The hay wheel is dangerous. Piggies can get their paws stuck. If the wheel rotate while their paws are stuck, they could break their legs.

The one in the second pic is also dangerous. There have been multiple incidents where pigs got their heads trapped.

I think the safest one would be the hay bag.
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Great advice from @lissie . There have been numerous incidents of serious injuries and even death from hay racks, wheels and balls where piggies have got their heads or other body parts stuck inside them. I would avoid them at all cost. The hay bags work well but I find a big pile of hay in a hay tray is the safest way to feed it to my piggies. Messy hay is a fact of piggy life, I'm afraid.
 
lissie said:
I make my own hay rack from C&C grids. It hold a lot more hay. I've also made some from coroplast.
Click to expand...

Would you mind posting a pic of what they look like?

I actually use these ones which I find keeps minimal hay from getting stuck in the fleece.

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I make sure it is at a sufficient height that they have to reach for it and can not stick their heads in or anything. The most they will do is hold the middle bit so they can pull the hay out but I didn't think it would cause any injury? Only thing is that if you are going away for more than a day then you will have to likely use two or leave a pile of hay in the poo box in case they run out.

I am considering lining hay on top of the Easibed bedding in their poo box as they like to forage and eat it when it drops on the floor.
 
I don't have any of these but if I had to pick one it would be the hay bag, it seems the safest.

My piggies have a wooden house with a built in hay rack. I can fit loads of hay in it which you can't do with most shop bought hay racks.

I'm actually planning to add a hay loft to my cage so the piggies can play in the hay and I can give them loads!

I wouldn't recommend the hay ball posted above, apart from how dangerous it could be you also can't put a lot of hay in it. My rabbits have them but they are never used because the hay would only last about 20 minutes. I prefer putting loads of hay in their litter trays. :)
 
PiggyOinkOink said:
Would you mind posting a pic of what they look like?

I actually use these ones which I find keeps minimal hay from getting stuck in the fleece.

tr6104.jpg


I make sure it is at a sufficient height that they have to reach for it and can not stick their heads in or anything. The most they will do is hold the middle bit so they can pull the hay out but I didn't think it would cause any injury? Only thing is that if you are going away for more than a day then you will have to likely use two or leave a pile of hay in the poo box in case they run out.

I am considering lining hay on top of the Easibed bedding in their poo box as they like to forage and eat it when it drops on the floor.
Click to expand...
There is a very distressing picture of a piggy who got their head stuck in one of those and broke their neck, so I wouldn't use one of those either,
 
VickiA said:
There is a very distressing picture of a piggy who got their head stuck in one of those and broke their neck, so I wouldn't use one of those either,
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Oops..Tbh, as I said, I place it quite high up that they can't actually put their heads past the half way mark. No offence to others but most people likely don't take care thinking these things and just hang the ball from its clip. The chain is so long that it will come down to the floor and that's how the piggy got its head stuck in. I have shorted the chains on mine so that they loop 3 x between the ball and the clip thus hangs about 2/3 of the way up the cage.

luckyandsammy said:
I wouldn't recommend the hay ball posted above, apart from how dangerous it could be you also can't put a lot of hay in it. My rabbits have them but they are never used because the hay would only last about 20 minutes. I prefer putting loads of hay in their litter trays. :)
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The ball only lasting 20m is incorrect. If you pack it out tightly/densely then it lasts all day even 2 days for 2 adult piggies. You probably just packed it lightly or had very hungry rabbits - rabbits are much bigger animals than piggies from what I see so would logically need more hay.
 
Everything is potentially dangerous, and I think it is easy to over engineer what should be a fairly simple task.
Give them nice hay.
Put a pile of it in the floor.
Stuff it in a tissue box.
But just give them nice hay.
I find that a simple cardboard box stuffed with hay (big entrances and exits) is very much loved.
Or a paper bag stuffed with hay is also good.
Basically guinea pigs like nice hay, so give them lots and make it easy to access.
 
PiggyOinkOink said:
Oops..Tbh, as I said, I place it quite high up that they can't actually put their heads past the half way mark. No offence to others but most people likely don't take care thinking these things and just hang the ball from its clip. The chain is so long that it will come down to the floor and that's how the piggy got its head stuck in. I have shorted the chains on mine so that they loop 3 x between the ball and the clip thus hangs about 2/3 of the way up the cage.



The ball only lasting 20m is incorrect. If you pack it out tightly/densely then it lasts all day even 2 days for 2 adult piggies. You probably just packed it lightly or had very hungry rabbits - rabbits are much bigger animals than piggies from what I see so would logically need more hay.
Click to expand...

Maybe I didn't put it in tightly.
They are useless for my pets, maybe they work for others :)
My rabbits always dive straight into fresh hay even though their shed is always full of hay so yeah, it only lasts about 20 minutes when I put it in the ball. It's quite a small thing.
Lucky, my guinea pig, also used to have one of those, there really wasn't enough in it to last a day. Maybe my pets just eat more hay than others? I'm not sure :) I know that they do like digging through hay and getting it everywhere so I wouldn't torture them with a tiny ball. :D

I'm glad your pets enjoy it though. :)
 
Hmmm they are some great ha dispenser lissie - I'm not keen on putting it in the corner of the cage it's hard enough to keep clean as it is there we be gay everywhere after 10 min plus with some forum of dispenser you can app a hay tray to try to encourage them to defecate and urinate in one spot (hit and miss )

Thanks for all the replies guys !
 
I use hay trays. So it contains the hay but still allows them to burrow and play in it :)
 
i like the three trays with racks,maybe this gives piggiees a chance to use tray or rack,i use big cat litter trays with bedding and fill with a pile of hay.they rummage around hay and play in it,paper bag with hay filled is a big hit with mine,take the handle off to prevent any accidents.
 
Ive got one of those clippy on the outside things with a hay tray underneath. Best of both worlds
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Then an all you can eat thatched cottage arrangement at the other end of the run, again with a hay tray in. Doubles as a cosy bedroom
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I recently bought a shower basket to use as a hay rack as i didn't like any the petshop sold. I thnk it was b&m i got it from for about £3 but i've seen them in pretty much every homestore type of shop. I also have a big pile of hay on the floor of the top level of my cage.
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