Hay How do I get my piggies to eat more hay ??

[kathlaaron]

Hello Piggie Pals !! PLEASE HELP !

I have ( as many of you know) 2 girls, Cuddles and Buttercup. They are both under 6 months old. I have had them for about 3 months now. I have tons of hay. I have bluegrass/alfalfa mix 9lbs., 9lbs. of 2cnd cut Timothy hay- both from Kleenamama'a. I also have 1/2 a bag leftover of Oxbow's Western Timothy hay. Lately, I have noticed that they are not eating enough hay, and I don't understand why.

They have a 6x2 cage with a 2x2 hay loft. I keep piles of hay in the hayloft along with their favorite cuddle sack, the alligator. Either every day or every other day I replace underneath their hay that has become soiled from poops and peeps, put back the top layer of hay with more fresh hay added on top. Why don't they seem to be gobbling it all up ?? I mean they seem to be eating some hay, but definitely NOT ENOUGH.

Sometimes I will encourage them to eat more hay by putting 2 big handfuls of one side and 2 big handfuls of another kind on the other side, so the 2 different types of hay are side by side on one side of their hay loft and the other side is for their cozy. What should I do about this ? They eat their pellets regularly, every day, along with their 2 meals of veggies ( morning and dinnertime) both my girls poops are fine, I mean their poops are a little harder than I would like...but not really. And definitely not clumped together. It's a dark brown smooth oval very firm poopie.

They love to chew on their wooden gnawsome hut from time to time. What am I doing wrong here ? Both their coats are shiny and soft and full. I haven't had to really do much "filling up" of hay in their loft, because they don't seem to do more than play, pee and poop, and sleep in it. I am so confused. to keep it piled high, I only have to put in one handful, really. So, can you see why I am concerned, and confused ?

I KNOW they should be eating way more hay than this. I try to follow Ly's veggie chart pretty closely...How can I get them to eat more hay if Hay is so VITAL to their health, teeth and digestion ??!! Please help me ! Please. I looked at old threads too on the subject, and their always seem to be some kind of previous health issue beforehand, which doesn't really apply to me here, or so it seems, anyway.:crazy:

 

[Duffinvt]

When I give hay, I replace ALL the hay, in case it has taken on a bad odor and the towel or sheet it is on in case it smells like pee. Also, try smaller amounts given more often. I give hay before I feed the meal and then lots at bedtime so they can snack at night. A nice pile at floortime is good, too. If you have access to a nice, fresh bale of good quality hay you can splurge and give lots and lots of hay and not feel you are wasting it if you thow it away. Here, you can buy a huge bale for $4. I put out a 3 ft. x 2 ft. shallow plastic bin, lined with newspaper and filled with hay at floortime.. and dump it in the compost a few hrs. later when the four girls go back to the cage. They play in it and eat a lot of it while they are out.

 

[Paula]

I don't understand what you mean by saying you know they aren't eating enough. If they are eating the hay, they should be fine. They know how much they want.

You need to be sure that they have access to hay at all times, not just at certain times, and as long as it's always in their cage, I wouldn't worry that they aren't getting enough unless they just aren't eating any at all.

 

[kathlaaron]

Ok..thank-you Paula.. thank-you so much ! Yes, they have quality hay in piles up in their hayloft 24/7. I only take out the bottom part of hay that has become soiled from their pees and poops. Then I put back the hay that is still clean and dry and top if off with a few more handfuls of fresh hay. So, even though they seem to only be eating a small amount, I shouldn't worry then ? O.K., I will try not to worry about it then.

Duffinvt-thank-you so much for your suggestions and replies. I also put out their hay and water bottles during floor time. For now, due to Linda's graciousness, she replaced the 9lb 3rd cut timothy ( was a bad batch, others she said, complained the same week as I did, and she hardly EVER gets complaints about the quality of her hay !)

She suggested purchasing the 2cnd cut, since the 3rd cut hasn't been doing so well this season, so I opted for that, so she very graciously sent me a free shipment of 2cnd cut timothy, 9lbs worth) and I am very pleased with it.

I have a lot of hay to get through as of yet ( 9lbs bluegrass/alfalfa mix, 9lbs of 2cnd cut timothy, and 1/2 a bag of Oxbow's Western Timothy hay) but I plan to look around soon locally for hay, and see what is available in my area. Even If I have to drive an hour or so it's worth it to me. We use to take my daughter for horseback riding lessons way out in the country 50 miles away.. ( 100 miles and 2 1/2 hrs round trip) so I am sure, well I hope, I can find some quality hay locally, at a much lower price.