Hay Tray Thoughts Please

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elle100

At the moment my girlies are living in a 5 X 2 C&C with a litter tray but they both like to think they know better than me where said tray should live and indeed where the hay should live. They think it should be spread over the entire floor and the tray should be somwhere in the middle of the cage, preferably blocking off something important like their water etc rolleyes.

So I have come up with a cunning plan...I've got some Correx from teacrate packaging to try and make them a tray to fit one end of the cage, so a 1 X 2 grid area. Was thinking of how to safely secure it to the existing Correx, but still allow me to lift it out occasionally for a good scrubbing, and if it would be ok to leave the Correx 'exposed' or are they likely to munch it? I haven't really worked out the finer details yet, although I have promised to sort it tomorrow mallethead so does anyone have any ideas of how to go about it or are there any potential fatal flaws in my plan I haven't thought of! Does a hay tray technically reduce floorspace? Am I being cruel trying to stop them being 'creative' with the interior designing?

Any ideas gratefully received...
 
you could put holes and tie it too grids, If they can get in it, I wouldn't say it is reducing floor space!
 
We use the long plastic cable ties to tie a large corner pan to the wire top of a Nero 400 when we have indoor piggies come to stay, so it might might work to tie to your grids
 
I'm looking at doing the same thing today when I finally build my permanent c & c. I want to be able to lift the hay tray out to clean it better so don't really want to fix it to the cage. What about making a fixed correx 'wall' the same height as the tray which will stay in place when you lift the tray out and mean it can't be dragged about in the cage?
I also wondered about them chewing the edge. Can you line the top edge with a couple of layers of gaffer tape to make it less chewable? Or is that more worrying for them to chew? My girls are currently only interested in chewing cardboard but they haven't come across correx yet. It's difficult to decide what to do until I actually have them in it.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Would be interested to know how you get on.
 
my pigs DO eat correx! one of them especially has an obsession with it and would eat 4 inch sides down to nothing.

I sorted the issue by cable tying tile edging all the way round. It stops them chewing AND looks attractive.
 
I'm not sure if this will help, but I don't use a hay tray I use a piece of fleece.

I use vetbed for their bedding and in an area 28" x 14" I have a piece of fleece laid on top of the vet bed which I pile their hay onto.

They don't move the fleece about and strangely they don't seem to drag the hay about all over the place either, they all sit together munching, pooing & peeing away happily. inbreeding

Also having the fleece means I can take it out to wash it and just replace with a another piece, I find it's less time consuming and doesn't take up any space.

I'm still trying to put on some pics, so when I finally manage it I'll post one. ")

Good Luck :)
 
I have done what you are talking about and I have just put the box inside the existing correx box and filled it with hay.

They don't move it and I just lift it out for emptying and washing every day.

You could do as Joanne has said and poke holes in and twist tie it to the sides. That would also work.
 
Is this what you mean?

roommovecageopen.jpg


Mine is on the front side and is a 2 x 1
 
If you want to reduce the hay going everywhere you could have full sides and use bulldog clips to secure it in place and then remove and lift out when needed - you would need to leave a gap to get in and out obviously but not sure it removes floor space
 
Well I've done it at last, its not the prettiest thing ever but its working well I think and the girls seem to be very impressed :)
 
I extended mine too to allow all of them in at once. It's a squeeze but they did it last night and it has massive amounts of hay on the floor and in racks.

Again same as you Elle not pretty but as long as they like it eh?

(got any photos?)
 
I will try to get some pictures up over the next couple of days, but just needed to say how much I am loving this tray! Normally the cage is like a bombsite by the morning after cleaning day and I got up today to no hay on the floor, no pee on the floor and hardly any poops :). They seem to be doing all their business in the tray and do love being in there too. There's plenty room for them both to hay-bathe so it's a big success all round (so far at least :)))
 
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