made piggie a hay box but he is using it to poop in

[sakee]

my piggie really seems to enjoy foraging around in a box of hay versus the hay rack. I made him a coroplast hay box and put it under his rack. I noticed that he is pooping and peeing in there, but still eating the hay. This doesn't sound too healthy; is this bad? It sounds like maybe he would be easy enough to train if he likes the box, but I would still like him to have a hay box to play in. do I need to take it away?

Thanks!

[pinky]

Just clean it out and freshen the hay. I use hay bins and they jump in sometimes so I always clean it out once a day. The whole box won't be soiled and they'll pull out the fresh parts. They're foragers. If you keep it in a hay rack and it falls on the ground, they'd still eat it.

[Nix16]

mine do that too, I just put paper cat litter under the hay and let them go for it, I change the hay each morning after spot cleaning. Considering they eat their own poop anyway I don't think its a problem, the hay just might get a bit soggy if there is nothing absorbent under it.

[pinky]

I shred paper and put a thin layer under the hay and it absorbs urine if they pee in there. Since I change it each day, it's never really wet; just damp in some spots. It's easier to clean if you put something under the hay like @Nix16 saidk.

[sakee]

sounds easy enough, thanks

[jacqueline]

i have my hay in a cat littler box with a fleece/uhaul pad underneath. i change the pad every couple of days, and shake it out to re freshen everything twice a day. they may eat their poops, but my understanding is that they really don't like to eat hay soaked with pee.

there's often a good deal of wasted hay in set-ups like this, but it's worth it for me and my boys.

[sakee]

i have my hay in a cat littler box with a fleece/uhaul pad underneath. i change the pad every couple of days, and shake it out to re freshen everything twice a day. they may eat their poops, but my understanding is that they really don't like to eat hay soaked with pee.

there's often a good deal of wasted hay in set-ups like this, but it's worth it for me and my boys.

Do they only poop in the box now?

[jacqueline]

no only, but mostly. i still have to sweep their cages twice a day to keep it neat. they also tend to poo close to where they eat by the way.

[mufasa]

I give the girls a hay pile in their floor time pen every day. I change up where I put it and how I serve it (sometimes loose on a flattened cardboard box, sometimes in a plastic tray, sometimes in paper bags, etc.), and no matter what, it becomes a pee and poop magnet. I think it's the hay, rather than the tray or whatever is below it, that attracts them.