Possible Move Inside.... Bedding Options And How To Keep Hay Dust To A Minimum?

[Tewdric]

Very sadly I lost one of my boars to tumors last week. His friend is really missing him, so we're off boar dating on Saturday to hopefully find his some company.

This is where my dilemma begins. My boys have always had to live outside (large 6ft insulated hutch) due to my husband's very, very severe asthma. We don't have room for a shed in our current garden. However we're both aware that the nights are getting chilly, and that the rescue we're going boar dating to keep their pigs inside. With winter about to start obviously the pigs are going to have to move in over winter.

I have got an old 4ft by 3ft run. The top had rotten, and I took it to use the side panels to keep the local cats off my raised beds. Luckily I haven't dismantled it yet - so I have somewhere secure to move my boy and (hopefully) his new friend into at the weekend. They'll be up in our spare room. I was going to put the run on a groundsheet, cover the floor with a thick layer of newspaper and provide a couple of hay filled boxes for nests/beds.

I'm aware that this can only be a temporary arrangement as there's no way I can provide enough newspaper flooring for the entire winter. will the run be big enough for winter accommodation? The pigs can have daily floor time in our hall, which isn't carpeted and will be easy to clean up.

Long term I need to find a solution for their bedding. I use Auboise outside in the hutch - but this will just be scattered everywhere from a run with no bottom. I've found someone online who makes absorbent fleece liners containing 'Zorb.' How long do these last before they need washing? Has anyone used them? Do they dry relatively quickly?

My main problem is going to be hay. With closed doors and lots of hovering I'm hoping we'll manage to keep the house dust free and most importantly my husband healthy. I can store hay in closed plastic boxes. Do hay racks help keep the dust down or will providing hay filled seed trays/litter trays be a better option?

Sorry for the long post and questions. I'm trying to find ways to keep everyone happy and healthy. My husband and I both know that our loan boar needs a friend..... but I really don't want to put my husband in hospital!

 

[sport_billy]

4ft by 3ft would be fine for two piggies

Can't help with the fleece with the zorb in. Can only advise trying it. Is it the piggies or Hay your hubby is allergic to?

 

[Tewdric]

My husband is very allergic to the hay. Severe asthma, which I assume is from the dust. He also gets exma when he handles it - but we've worked round that and I just put together trays for him to put into the hutch if I'm away.

He doesn't seem to react to Brunel my lonely boar. He did react badly previously to Mycroft who was a rex pig, which is why my pigs lived outside. I'm really hoping that Brunel will pair up with any other pig type than a rex when we boar date on Saturday.

 

[sport_billy]

My husband is very allergic to the hay. Severe asthma, which I assume is from the dust. He also gets exma when he handles it - but we've worked round that and I just put together trays for him to put into the hutch if I'm away.

He doesn't seem to react to Brunel my lonely boar. He did react badly previously to Mycroft who was a rex pig, which is why my pigs lived outside. I'm really hoping that Brunel will pair up with any other pig type than a rex when we boar date on Saturday.

Poor guy

 

[Tewdric]

It's difficult, and means my hubby has more interaction with the pigs during the summer months when they're out in their runs.

The asthma is a major pain. He's been hospitalised by his parents cats in the past.

I'm hoping some sort of fleece bedding and hay trays will keep the dust down and that we'll all get through the winter without complications. We managed two months with a ringworm outbreak back in the spring. I just need to be very careful about flinging hay around and wondered if anyone else had similar issues.

 

[Piggy_Mum]

Your Poor hubby. My husband gets a minor irritation with grasses, so we use fleece liners in our indoor cage to keep that down.

We use Fleece with a zorb layer sewn under. I made the liners with Velcro to fit our indoor run to try to keep it tidy. We use add a littler tray filled with hay, which has a hay manger next to it. The fleece/zorb combo is holding up well. It is never wet under Piggie toes They tend to mostly wee in the litter tray, which I clean twice a day, and do a spot poo tidy around the whole run at the same time for the odd few poops. I just use a dust pan and brush to get the worst up in the week, but they do tend to throw the hay about the place, which does stick to the fleece a bit, but its not what I would call dusty, just a bit messy, and the way my piggies like. it It dries quite fast once washed So far we are pleased with the liners, but I think I will change them midweek too, as I want to keep the smell down. Good luck