I need help with my guinea pig situation

[Princess_Harriet]

Hello everyone,
I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what to do about some issues I've been having with the guinea pigs lately.
Every room in my house has basically no space leftover, so the guinea pigs, their cage (2 adjoined Midwest cages), and ALL their stuff are in my bedroom. I was originally ok with this, because I thought it'd be nice to spend some extra time with my fur babies. However, I now spend as much time out of my room as possible. My main issue is the smell-- my room now smells like peed on hay and guinea pig poo. I clean the cage everyday, but it doesn't really help. The poo smell isn't so much of an issue, as, like I said, I clean the cage everyday, but I have no clue how to keep away the scent of the peed on hay. I can't afford to switch out the hay all the time- even doing it once a day is already costing me $30+ every week just buying hay.
Then there's the hay itself. They kick it and their poo all over (and I mean ALL over) my room. I sweep the room like 10 times a day, but I still have hay all over my feet just from walking across my room to go to bed at night.
The only option I can think of is to move them to a roomy closet that I have downstairs, but I don't really want to do that, as I don't think they'll get enough attention if they're just in a closet a floor away from me. I don't want to rehome them. I agreed to care for them when I bought them, and they're my responsibility. I don't want to give them up just because things are tough.
I need help seriously. Any help is SO appreciated, thank you.

 

[Adelyn]

What bedding do you use in their cage?

 

[HeatherW]

Could you get a hayrack (like a curved C&C grid) from which they can eat their hay instead? I don't use mine anymore because my piggies love burrowing in the hay, but it certainly helped to reduce wastage and will stop them peeing on so much of it - and you can compensate with extra hideys.

Also, you could try putting pee pads in the areas they soil the most and remove them more frequently instead of cleaning out the whole cage.

 

[Deleted member 148738]

I have a hay rack in my cage. I know some on here are not keen BUT it keeps the hay at one end of their cage. They still pull it out and a lot ends up on the cage floor but all in one area if that names sense. Also 30 dollars a week for hay! That sounds like a lot. Have you looked around at cheaper places. I get a big bale for a few pounds here in the UK and will probably last 2 weeks x

 

[Princess_Harriet]

What bedding do you use in their cage?

I use a fleece liner!

Could you get a hayrack (like a curved C&C grid) from which they can eat their hay instead? I don't use mine anymore because my piggies love burrowing in the hay, but it certainly helped to reduce wastage and will stop them peeing on so much of it - and you can compensate with extra hideys.

Also, you could try putting pee pads in the areas they soil the most and remove them more frequently instead of cleaning out the whole cage.

I have a hay rack in my cage. I know some on here are not keen BUT it keeps the hay at one end of their cage. They still pull it out and a lot ends up on the cage floor but all in one area if that names sense. Also 30 dollars a week for hay! That sounds like a lot. Have you looked around at cheaper places. I get a big bale for a few pounds here in the UK and will probably last 2 weeks x

I have looked at hay racks, but basically every one that I looked at had at least one tragic story in the reviews (pig got head stuck in it, etc.)
And I have looked around at cheaper places, but I have to buy hay in bulk because they end up spoiling so much of it. However, I have a bulk order of hay on the way from a new place, so hopefully it'll decrease the cost.
I think I am going to keep looking at hay racks, it sounds like it will help a lot.
Thank you both so much for the advice! <3

 

[RedLoredAmazon]

Hi! I use to use a hay rack till I just kept the hay in piles in the piggies' cage. This is the hay rack that I used for my guinea pigs.

https://www.amazon.com/andwe-Cylindrical-Feeding-Manager-Chinchilla/dp/B07YBDVV6H?th=1

Do you use potty pads in the spots where your piggies like to be best? I change the potty pads out daily as it can get smelly (I have a very sensitive nose).

I use the hay from small pet select and I buy it in 40 pound boxes that are shipped to my home. If that size is too big, they do have smaller sized boxes you can order.

 

[Princess_Harriet]

Hi! I use to use a hay rack till I just kept the hay in piles in the piggies' cage. This is the hay rack that I used for my guinea pigs.

https://www.amazon.com/andwe-Cylindrical-Feeding-Manager-Chinchilla/dp/B07YBDVV6H?th=1

Do you use potty pads in the spots where your piggies like to be best? I change the potty pads out daily as it can get smelly (I have a very sensitive nose).

I use the hay from small pet select and I buy it in 40 pound boxes that are shipped to my home. If that size is too big, they do have smaller sized boxes you can order.

Yes, I started using potty pads in the cage, it has helped a lot!
And thank you for the hay and hayrack suggestions! I will definitely check out small pet select.
Thank you SO much for the help!

 

[Free Ranger]

We have a problem with hay in the kitchen but reduced it by about 75% by getting little mats to put between the pig area and the kitchen. Hay just flies over a hard floor but the mats catch a lot and also give me somewhere to scuff my feet when I come out of the pig area.
I got a little brush and dustpan set from Amazon and the brush has rubber bristles - it's brilliant for sweeping up after pigs.