Pulling Hay Out Of Their Bin

[MichelleM]

My boys have gotten into this new habit. I'll fill their hay bin, and then as they're eating, it seems like they're constantly pulling pieces out just to drop on the floor of the cage. Then later they'll wheek and whine at me like they're hungry, when they have plenty of hay now scattered around their cage.

The hay is fresh, and they'll eat any individual piece I pick up and offer to them, and if I pile it all together they'll nibble at it, but they'll still nose in their empty hay bin and then look at me to fill it.

This has been causing a tremendous amount of hay wasted. Any idea why my boys are pulling and dropping so much of it?

 

[Wiebke]

Many guinea pigs actually love to sit and sleep (and toilet) on hay. Would you consider using a hay tray or cardboard box with entries for your boys to play in, tunnel in and sleep in? You may be surprised as to just how happy you make them. There is nothing greater than disappearing for a snooze in a heap of hay.

Please always use soft meadow and orchard hay for piggies to play and snuggle in in order to minimise eye injuries. Timothy hay is too stalky and sharp for that purpose. You do not buy the top quality, but you need to accpet that while hay makes around 80% (or more) of the daily food intake, by far not all of it gets eaten.

Many members have a dedicated hay loft in their C&C cages, but there are ways on how you can improvise in a traditional cage.
If you cannot do that, placing a shallow tray filled with soft hay to play, sleep and toilet in underneath the hay rack is a good alternative.

Here are some ideas:
I use mostly seed trays from a DIY shop for my hay corners, so most of it stays where it is supposed to be (although I have some piggies where I have finally given in after 6 years of a cage redecorating war aftter a cage clean, and they now live out their lives on hay bedding - and are very happy about it.


Big 'husboar' Pioden likes to get away from his sow-wives every now and then!


8 year old arthritic lady Calli loves nothing more than a snooze in a hay nest. Because of her limited mobility in her back legs and spine, I put her hay on newspaper and change it daily to give her her heart's delight.


After nearly six years of doing their best to cover their cage with hay within a couple of hours after cage clean, sister Ffwlbri and Tesni and their young husboar happily live on hay.


When I had my big group, there was nothing better than to cram themselves into a freshly refilled old cage bottom even though there were more hay corners in their large pen!


Members cage galleries:
Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages
Member Gallery: Commercial Cages

 

[Hops_in_Heaven]

I can relate. My pigs also love to throw their hay around and make a mess. It's half the fun of hay, you know?

I built a hay loft specifically so the mess can be contained to a section of their cage, leaving them with ample clean space elsewhere. I also put some plastic trays underneath the hay racks so they have clean hay to eat, and other hay in the tray to dig around in and toilet in.

It's a good compromise.

 

[Sasra]

when my piggies go home after a clean out, I always put a large pile of loose hay over in one side of their cage. They love burrowing under it, eating it, throwing it about and snoozing in it. Lot's of uneaten hay left, but none of it wasted cos it really enriches their lives to play with it. Who knew hay could be so useful and so much fun?

 

[flowerfairy]

Mine have a large hay area in their cage which they love. A grow bag tray and a couple of catblitter trays with a hemp based bedding and !oads of soft ings jay.

Guinea pigs naturally live on grassy plains so it comes naturally to them to make guinea pig sized tunnels in their hay!

Mind you it comes naturally to my two to lounge under their ikea dolls beds on fleece!

Even the new baby (awaiting the plum fairy) loves to lounge in his fleecy bed or hide in his hay tray.

 

[rome_italy]

Mine have a large hay area in their cage which they love. A grow bag tray and a couple of catblitter trays with a hemp based bedding and !oads of soft ings jay.

Guinea pigs naturally live on grassy plains so it comes naturally to them to make guinea pig sized tunnels in their hay!

Mind you it comes naturally to my two to lounge under their ikea dolls beds on fleece!

Even the new baby (awaiting the plum fairy) loves to lounge in his fleecy bed or hide in his hay tray.

where is your new baby?
Did I miss his introduction thread?

 

[Louise's Zoo]

Mine have fresh hay in their hay bins and fresh hay in their litter/hay trays but they still love to pull all the hay out the bin and sleep on it. I think they just enjoy seeing how many times in one day I will re-fill it!

I'm switching mine to a large C&C cage next week and plan on having a large hay area at one end just like @flowerfairy has done.

 

[flowerfairy]

where is your new baby?
Did I miss his introduction thread?

Getting A New Boar From Gumtree

 

[piggieminder]

I have one pair of boars with a 75cm x 35cm storage box, it has an entrance hole cut in the side, I fill it with hay and they eat, sleep and toilet in it. My younger boars have a small dog bed and a large cat littler box filled with hay so they can have one each when the teenage hormones are doing their worst, of course they both always want the same box so we still get rumbles. The boxes are lined with newspaper to soak up the pee and are changed daily and topped up during the day. Loads of hay gets left over but it's not a waste, not only is it a fantastic toy with all the burrowing and throwing it around, I compost it and use this in the garden.

 

[MichelleM]

I wish I had the space for all of these ideas. Unfortunately, I live in a small apartment and only have enough room for their large commercial cage (Living World cage intended as a rabbit cage). There's plenty of space for the both of them, but not enough room for some of the fantastic ideas here.

I also can't really afford to buy hay for both feeding and tunneling. If the boys are going to pull it and use it as both, I guess I'm gonna have to accept that.

 

[flowerfairy]

My new boar is in a commercial cage. His hay is in a 32 !itre underbed storage box with a wooden hay rack somhe some to hide in and some to eat without taking up too much space.

I nuy hay online.