Hay and natural behaviour?

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lovelygirl

lovelygirl

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Well I have been wondering about hay and hay rack and hay trays, well guinea pigs are ground feeders they eat grass which grows on the ground. We all know that guinea pigs do not have flexible spines so i am worried about any damage that may occur to their necks by having to pull hay from a hay rack. It is now well known with the horsey community that horses much to prefer to eat off the floor and rummage through their hay and it is good for natural behaviours and thus their mental health! I also find that my guinea pigs like to rummage through the "bedding hay" and I always just put the readigrass loose on the floor. So having hay in the expensive hay rack is not a mess saving device for me and in my head it is a money saving as it does not get wasted but could this be at detriment of their health?

Any ideas? if this has been covered in another thread please send me to link
 
I don't use hay racks (too much mess) and put my good quality fresh hay in one end of the toilet trays - and found that my piggies never pee into what they love to eat. They have their established peeing corners even in the trays.

Whether stretching for hay is detrimental, I don't know. I have watched my piggies roaming freely in the garden happily stretching up and pulling down leaves of plants they liked, however!
 
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It was just a thought because i am pretty sure since moving to fleece as a preferred bedding the chances for natural foraging through the hay has reduced in comparison to traditional type bedding and in hutches where hay is used as an insulator.
 
I really think that it's nice for them to forage. Hence having the hay loft on one cage and then a massive hay box in the other.

They go in and eat hay from the floor the cheap stuff and I often mix the readigrass into it too to encourage foraging. That's the place I remove, empty, wash and fill up again every day because they DO wee on it.

I also have the hay racks - I like your point. Can you put the hay racks down lower so they don't have to stretch too much?

On the other hand it could be good for them to get on their back legs and reach - good for muscle tone?

I'm not sure?

One way of combatting the problem (or non-problem) would be to make a 'trough' from correx, make it a tad taller than the hay box and situate it behing the box next to the grids? The slightly taller hight and narrow-ness would discourage sitting in it but it would allow your expensive hay to stay fresh and not get wee'd on?

Just a thought. I may trial it actually see if it works.
 
Mine don't seem to have a problem, but then again they do pull the hay racks off. I worry they won't eat enough hay because it's to much effort to get too the hay, but saying that every morning I get up all the hay is gone.
 
I don't have a strong opinion on the topic, but it's in my rescue contract that I will not use a hay rack because the rescue has strong opinions on it :)

I often put a stick bridge in my hay crate and put hay both over and under it, just to keep at least some hay fresh until I get home from work and can top up again. My piggies are not as hygienic as Wiebkes, unfortunately...

I know Eleanor and I have a similar solution to fleece and hay - a hay crate
 
skrikopanik said:
I don't have a strong opinion on the topic, but it's in my rescue contract that I will not use a hay rack because the rescue has strong opinions on it :)

I often put a stick bridge in my hay crate and put hay both over and under it, just to keep at least some hay fresh until I get home from work and can top up again. My piggies are not as hygienic as Wiebkes, unfortunately...

I know Eleanor and I have a similar solution to fleece and hay - a hay crate
Click to expand...

I realise you don't have a strong opinion but could you tell us what the rescues opinion is and the reasons please!:(|)
 
They say it's because the piggies mouths are on the underside of their heads, they are made to eat stuff off the ground and even though they may find it worthwhile or even fun once in a while to stretch for treats the bulk of their food should be available in a way that is easy and ergonomic for them to access.

So much of a piggys health depends on how much hay he eats. It helps with teeth problems, gut problems, boredom and all sorts of stuff. The more hay they eat the better really, and if they have to work for it, or if it's uncomfortable they may eat less.

I like the trough idea, Lisa!

I find my piggies LOVE burrowing in the hay. To have hay under you, over you and in your mouth seems to be piggy paradise. I know it wouldn't work with the oxbow stuff, you'd be ruined, but I wonder if the piggies prefer fancy hay or loads of farm hay? Then you've got all other things to take into consideration too... I've understand you often have problems with bugs in farm hay in the UK? And skin conditions may be worse than not having hay to roll in.... ans so on in all eternity!
 
Well you have to decide whether the chance of them catching parasites/fungal which is relatively easy and cheap to treat is better for them that allowing the natural behaviours and better mental health and stimulation.

Now do i bite the bullet and remove the hay rack and just pile the good stuff in with the cheaper? and hope i do not throw too much out...
 
I do not use hayracks at all, mine have loose hay to forage in and I put their veg amongst it or under it too.

I went through a phase of only using Readigrass, which I fed in bowls, when I kept getting lice problems last year. It solved the problem but the difference in their behaviour was so marked and they definitely seemed withdrawn, so I went back to hay and decided to just treat any insect nasties if they arrived. They didn't, luckily, but the pigs were instantly more active and popcorning when they had hay again.

There is a good train of thought on natural behaviour/ foraging vs. fleece and hayracks somewhere that said about keeping guineas on fleece is not letting express normal 'burrowing' type behaviour, esp. if hay is in racks - made me think! Annoyingly I can't remember where I saw it now!

Sophie
x
 
Very interesting topic and different slant on the hay rach issue. Well, I use a variety of feeding methods. In most of the shed and hutches I use hay racks but I have bricks under that hay racks in the shed and I put igloos near the racks. The girls climb onto the bricks, top of the pigloos or they stand on their hind legs to reach the hay. They have no problems accessing it. In the hutches the racks are lower and again never seen any problems getting to it and they eat it at a good rate.

In one of my hutches I have nowhere to hang racks so use a litter tray with an equine bedding for pee absorption and then put hay in a pile on top of it. I get a lot of hay wasteage in the tray - the boys tramp it down, lie in it and pee in it and then leave some that they won't eat. They still eat a lot of hay so not concerned from diet point of view but it's the only house I have to throw hay out off.

I do feed Just Grass as well and I do just put it on the ground of the house so they forage through it.
 
Very interesting topic and different slant on the hay rach issue. Well, I use a variety of feeding methods. In most of the shed and hutches I use hay racks but I have bricks under that hay racks in the shed and I put igloos near the racks. The girls climb onto the bricks, top of the pigloos or they stand on their hind legs to reach the hay. They have no problems accessing it. In the hutches the racks are lower and again never seen any problems getting to it and they eat it at a good rate.

In one of my hutches I have nowhere to hang racks so use a litter tray with an equine bedding for pee absorption and then put hay in a pile on top of it. I get a lot of hay wasteage in the tray - the boys tramp it down, lie in it and pee in it and then leave some that they won't eat. They still eat a lot of hay so not concerned from diet point of view but it's the only house I have to throw hay out off.

I do feed Just Grass as well and I do just put it on the ground of the house so they forage through it.
 
Yes, I throw away almost as much hay as they eat, but I don't consider it wasted... I see hay as a universal toy, food, cushy bedding and hidey and compared to a lot of pet shop stuff it's both environmentally friendly, cheap and very piggy appropriate.

I love fleece bedding and the hay crate alternative works really well for us as a "best of two worlds". The crate I use for hay is IKEAs "Slugis" which is 73x55 cm (outside measurements). It worked fine for 4 piggies and is even better with three. If I had more piggies I would have two hay crates to make sure everyone could always get to the hay.

Even if piggies have no problems acessing the hay (which I don't think any have as few people would put the hay rack out of the piggies reach...), you don't know if THEY find it as easy as eating it off the ground. It's impossible to measure what would have been eaten either way.
 
I have several toilet corners (Fflur loves to sleep in the upstairs one), one crate (the bottom of an old small cage) in the cage and one big correx tray with hay unter the tv cabinet - my piggy paradise!

IMG_5451_edited-1.jpg
 
This topic is something I pondered for a while. For the past week or two I have given lots of hay to forage in (as well as fresh in the hay racks as normal) and I can say two things:

1. Their hair is "grubbier" but...
2. They smell nice (it's true!)
3. They are happier.

In my mind, the biggest issue is parasites on the hay and it remains a tricky point. However, if it is a case of allowing them natural behaviours vs. the risk of parasites, I'd rather let them forage and simply bath and worm them frequently.

It was through talking to Karen at RGPR (link Sophie added) that I started to think about the importance of foraging and rethought my opinion of it, decided to give it a go and began putting huge handfuls in. My pigs are happier, and I'm happier. Pandora & Harrison really couldn't care less about foraging and diving in, but the others do enjoy it.

I still have hay racks and I still believe hay racks have their place. I would rather know that my pigs have the option of fresh, unsoiled hay to eat instead of relying solely on the hay they are peeing and pooping all over. I feel that allowing them to forage and get lost in a pile of hay is important, but ensure the hay quality is good and focus on the routine bathing and worming to balance out the thoughts on foraging vs. risk of parasites.

With regards to hay quality, I feed a variety of the most reputable hays. An Oxbow hay, Dust Free Hay - and a bit of anything else that looks, feels and smells very fresh. (I just ordered six different types of hay today :red) It's true quite a lot gets wasted, I change out the soiled hay and newspaper daily, but I mix the Oxbow hay in well, in smaller quantities; none of this Oxbow hay is wasted when fed alongside other hays.

I put more of the cheaper (Dust Free) hay in and mix in the more expensive ones like Oxbow, Alfalfa King and Vitaverde...they have fun foraging, I have fun watching them!
 
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very interesting thread! I recently put in a flat box filled with hay in and they loved it - they did however poop in it, but it didnt stop them eating it lol (the hay i mean, not the poop)
which is why i always like to have some fresh hay in a hayrack anyway just incase x
 
hay and foraging

Yes it is an interesting topic and I have noticed that my piggies seem to eat more hay when it's on the floor so this what I do. Mine are indoor piggies and they have a cage plus an indoor run. The cage is lined with inco pads and fleece and the hay is in racks. However, they spend 3-4hrs evey day in their run which I just line with a thick layer of newspaper and then place hay on the floor in one corner which they do keep fairly clean and tend not to wee or poop on. They like to run around in it first and then they tend to sit in and munch away :)
Jude
 
i have decided to put the "premium" hays in a large flat dish in the hope that it will remain cleaner but get rid of the hay racks the more i think about it the less i think it is a good idea.
 
Bo does... :) His little belly seems to be in the way! I have houses or a stick bridge by it so that Bo has at least two entries/exits. The girls just jump :) I've been thinking about cutting out entries, but it would also mean that hay would not stay in as well. When they get old I will probably do a floor level entry of some kind.
 
Because there's bedding and hay in the crate the sides are not as high on the inside so he just jumps up on the house and then down, or walks over the bridge. He just can't jump "hurdles". I'll see if I can show pictures.
 
Please do pictures would be nice... what kind of bridge?

I know Fred could do it ok, but hmmm Pebbles... urm her tummy may get in the way and Wilma has very pampered paws...

soo... not sure. High maintenance pigs! If ever!
 
Interesting thread! mine are on fleece with inco pads under in their c&c.
i treid out a hay loft but both were reluctant to use the 'upstairs' i put it down to them being so young so abandoned that idea for the time being knowing that they must have loads of hay i opted for this: i bought a tray from wilkinsons (it was labeled a gravel tray i found it with the seed trays and gardening equipement fairly good size for two little piggies ) i line this with newspaper and fill it with cheap hay (dust free) i plonk their food bowls in. one bowl for dried pellets & one for veg with a good stack of the more expensive excel hay in between them to keep it together in a heap thus cleaner, their water is also available in the corner in a feeder bottle. i also tend to throw a stack of the cheap dust free hay into the c&c and stuff their cube full to the brim the night before cleaning out day so they can have a mad one in that that way we all get the best of both worlds! :(|) the other advantage to the gravel tray /hay trough is that they tend to do 95% of their poop and wee in there as that is were they are eating and drinking, so i change it daily (sometimes twice if its looking very poopy!) we never ever have an issue with smell and mine live indoors in our kitchen.
 
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