Hay Racks: What do you use for a safe hay rack for young pigs?

[blessedbeingmom]

We are not sure of the age of our pigs, but they are small so we suspect they are young, and we are babyproofing just in case. They are both around 400 grams currently. We're in the process of outfitting our C & C cage so we can move them somewhere with more room (but in the meantime, we have a pet playpen that allows them plenty of safe floor time). We have our coroplast sides extending up 10.5 inches all around, though we'll have to make a few small holes here and there for their water bottle and anything else we need to hang. The cage is 2 squares by 5 squares.

We have a plastic hayrack that came with our cage but it is very small. We have a rolling hay ball that we had from when we used to have a rabbit, but I just read on here that it wasn't safe because they could get their paws stuck. We do not have any extra grids, but even if we did, we wouldn't make a bent cube hayrack due to the size of our piggies.

We are looking for something a bit larger that we could use for a hayrack, and would love to use something we have around and can re-use instead of having to buy something (you know, reduce, reuse, ,recycle). We have this plastic container:

http://www.blisstree.com/keepingthec...e-cd-crate.gif

It is designed to hold CD's & DVD's. The interior dimensions are 6.75 inches by 8 inches, and it is about 5.5 inches from top to bottom. The interior diameter of the circles is a smidgen over 3/4 inches wide.

I had visions of having this suspended above some sort of low plastic pan that we could use to hold some carefresh as a litter area.

Do you think this would work? If so, how far above the litter pan would you recommend having the bottom of the basket to be?

We want them to have plenty of hay as they love it, but we are trying to keep the hay mess to one side of the cage, and would prefer something bigger than the hayrack that came with our cage, as it requires constant refilling.

Thanks for any advice!

Edited to add that we will also have the wire shelving (from closet shelves at Home Depot) above our cages to make them safer from our cats, therefore making an enclosed 2x5 cage for Skittles & Starburst.

[4piggers]

Mine just like boxes. Pop can boxes, those long rectangle ones. Shoe boxes, etc.

[lissie]

Here's a picture of similar container used as a hay rack.
pig's favorite hayrack! - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

You can also use these:
Hay bin - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
IMG_3342 - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
Kleenex hay rack - three views - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
hay rack - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
Coke Box = Hay Bin - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
Twix and Dory's hay rack - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
the loft - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

[Toadies]

I just use a clean cardboard box, about 12 x 12, and cut an entrance on one side. It doesn't do a perfect job of isolating the hay mess, but it helps alot. It also give the piggies another chew toy. I saw, somewhere, someone had taken a tall (like 12-14 inches) plastic bin that fit nicely across the end of her cage and cut 2 holes in the side for her piggs to enter and created a really nice "hay room".

[Res Judicata]

Blessed -- we have a similar bin for our "hay room," except the holes are closer to pencil-sized. Is the bottom of that solid, or is it like the bottom of a milk crate? I would be hesitant to use anything that does not have a solid bottom unless you plan on lining it or cutting it out and just using the bin's sides to contain hay.