Hay racks vs on the floor

[jacqueline]

i know there's been lots of discussion here about how to leave hay in cages for pigeys - all sorts of different ideas for hay storage racks, etc. i've tried several different hay racks, which have worked fine. recently, i ditched the racks, and used a bent grid to make a kind of containment wall in a corner of the cage. i put hay in that corner, on the floor. i just had to share how much my pigs just love having their hay this way!! i put a few handfuls of hay in, an they RUN from wherever they are and literally jump head first into the hay pile and begin munching on whatever hay is around them. it's too funny! it may take a little more time to clean - i remove the soiled hay when i clean their cages twice daily, and there may be some extra waste hay - but it's SO worth it to see how happy they are to burrow in the hay and munch!

 

[Cavalicious]

You should make a video of that and share! Even if I use the racks, a percentage of the hay ends up on the floor anyway. I just think it's because they're picky about each strand. But I've never seen them dive into a pile of any food I put down!

 

[Delaine]

I agree with you. My girls have hay in their litter boxes, hay in a trough but the excitement begins with the pile on the floor. They burrow, dig and fling it around. It keeps them occupied for hours. They get to express their pigginess. I use fleece so I sewed old sheets to fit on top of the fleece, under the pile of hay, makes cleanup easier.