Hay And Fleece Or Just Fleece?

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piggylover213

piggylover213

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Hi, I've bought some fleece blankets for my piggies hutch and I was wondering if I should still use hay or not? They live in an outdoor hutch and seem very comfortable, I was just thinking it would be easier to clean out as I am a little bit lazy(I still do everything I can for my piggies though). Also if anyone has any outdoor runs (for when I clean them out and put them on the grass) as the old run I was using is a bit small and the door has broken.

Thanks

Max
 
:D Personally, if I was going to use fleece and hay in the hutch, I would try to keep them separate; use the fleece in the open area of the hutch and the hay in the sleeping compartment. You could line the sleeping compartment with newspaper, to make it easier to clean out. Some people put a bit of lino or similar on the floor to keep it dry. There are some bits of hay that you will never get out of the fleece if you put hay on top of it.
 
Hi Max
Piggies still need hay as the majority part of their diet.
I use fleece but keep hay in trays for my piggies -you can use cat litter trays or garden seed trays. I line the tray with newspaper the. Some shavings and then a mountain of hay. Unfortunately they do still drag hay onto the fleece, but you can shake it off before the fleece goes in the wash (in a horse base or an old duvet cover to keep the bits out of the drum).
Hope this answers your question.
 
Thanks, although my friend tried newspaper and said it just ripped and was a nightmare. Should I have hay fleece AND a thick layer of newspaper under everything? We don't mind getting hay in the fleece as its machine washable.
 
I use puppy pads under the fleece to catch the wee as it wicks through the fleece. Those just go into the household bin at cleaning out day. You can put towels under the fleece.
I wouldn't put newspaper under fleece as it stays wet and smells. You don't need paper on top of the fleece. I only use newspaper in my hay trays to catch the wee as it soaks through the hay. I use hay trays to limit the amount of hay in the fleeces before they go through the machine.
If you,aren't worried about the mess I would just put hay onto the fleece in a pile for your piggies to eat.
 
Anyone got a sewing machine that you can borrow? I made liners from 2 layers of fleece cut roughly to size and then sewn together. Nothing fancy at all. I also have some fleeces not cut to size. For those I just fold over the edges to make the best for possible,
 
I do have a sowing machine actually! What a great idea! I'm afraid I'm not very imaginative, or when I am everything goes terribly.
 
Best way is to make a template using newspaper, pin it to 2 layers of fleece, cut a bit extra all round to allow for the seam. Then sew together and turn inside out so seams are on the inside. If the hutch is difficult size/ shape you can make 2 or 3 smaller fleece liners to fit rather than 1 big one.
My home made ones are all a bit irregular in shape/size but the piggies don't care!
 
Lol thanks for the advice, before breaking up from school I recently finished my term of DT textiles for the year so I think my teacher equipped me with lots of helpful knowledge. I'm probably going to order some fleece when I get the rest of my pocket money tommorrow(I've already spent £8 on four 70 by 73 cm fleece blankets for my piggies, should I cannibalise those?)
 
Sounds good to me. I have bought cheap fleeces from IKEA, Primark, Home Batprgains and B&m Bargains. Most of them end up chopped up and sewn into rectangles. Leftover bits make neat little pads for them to sit on, or as liners for your pet carrier.
 
No -cotton wool degrades. If you want to line them you will need to use some form of non degradable wadding. I've never lined mine so can't offer advice but other members on here make beds and cosies so may be able to advise you better if you ask on another thread.
 
Hi there & welcome to the forum,

when mine were out in the shed in their hutch i used to use a thick layer of newspaper about 20 or so pages deep, all along the bottom of the hutch, if you layer it slightly overlapping, i would then use about an inch thick or more of short cut, shredded paper & then topped it off with a couple of big heaps of hay. (where i work they have cheap looking recycled paper shredded& not the bright white stuff, but it's more absorbent so better for the piggies & i can have it for free :D)

its easy to spot clean with the short shredded paper & then when you do a proper clean just roll the under paper up towards you & it all rolls into a big sausage that can be easily put into the bin (easy lazy way :nod:)

if you wanted to use that method in the open area of your hutch & then use the fleeces on an absorbent layer in the bedroom area, you could save on the fleece & it would keep their bedroom warm & cosy :)

also for the open end if you could find a large piece of polythene or tarpaulin to go over the mesh just to stop the wet getting blown in or too draughty it will help too. (make sure there's enough ventilation though)

some supermarkets or businesses have pallets covered with thick polythene (not cling film) that they usually just dispose of, try asking if you could have some. cheaper than buying it & recycling/ecofriendly too :D
only ask for polythene off of piggy friendly pallets (food or fabric etc pallets, not chemical pallets in case anything has got from the pallet to the polythene).

i wouldn't use cotton wool as it would go lumpy when being washed, if you can get some wadding or just fold over old towels to use as filling to your fleeces.

But hay is essential at all times for their dietary requirements, they must have it to provide the fibre they need & also to wear down their teeth & help keep dental issues at bay :nod:
xx
 
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Thanks guys
GPTV said:
also for the open end if you could find a large piece of polythene or tarpaulin to go over the mesh just to stop the wet getting blown in or too draughty it will help too. (make sure there's enough ventilation though)
Click to expand...

I'm a little bit worried if they decide to chew on the plastic stuff and I probably won't be able to keep it in place so it will probably fly away which would be bad. Could I stuff hay through the gaps? It would provide a snack and (temporarily) stop the draft. I would invest in an indoor hutch but we have nowhere to put it.
 
If you stuffed hay through the gaps of the hutch there wouldn't be much ventilation in the hutch
 
piggylover213 said:
Hrrrrm I'm at a loss then.
Click to expand...

Aww bless ... You could try putting an elastic bungee rope over the top or some thick string.... Or just put the paint pots on top of the plastic on the roof. Have a piece of wood/plank & attach the polythene with drawing pins to the plank. It would look tidier but be enough to weigh down the polythene&not damage the hutch :)

The overhang from the roof should stop the plastic going up too close for the piggies to nibble through the mesh. Also the water bottles would help it being too close too.

This would keep it well ventilated but less draughty :)

Me thinks these piggies are sent to try us!?!
I had an old heavy duvet thrown over my hutch-but it was in the shed so it didnt get wet so wouldn't work with your set up :(
Xx
 
I suppose i hadnt thought of it like that. Yes my piggies are very trying!:nod: I'm probably goint to ask my dad for a tarpulin when i get home from school. Oddly enough my dad has completely ramdom pieces of wood scattered around the garden ill borrow one for the hutch.
 
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