How to keep the hay from making a big mess

[kristen58]

Does anyone have any tips or tricks about keeping the hay in the pen?  I try to hold the bag of hay close to the litter box when I put more in, but somehow it still goes all over and gets tracked all over the carpeted room (and even into the hallway.)  The vacuum doesn’t pick it up very well, and the hay constantly all over the carpet is driving me crazy.  My bunny lives in an x-pen with a short wooden board on each side of it as an attempt to keep the hay and poop contained.  Contains the poop pretty well, but the hay is just everywhere.  

[Wick & Fable]

I put hay in Wick’s high wall litter boxes, so it’s difficult to get it out of the box.

For a cage, I recommend putting panels so they can’t fall through.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[joea64]

This is a problem for me too, not least because of the limited space in my apartment. I have to keep the hay in a big plastic bin near Panda and Fernando’s condo, and since obviously air needs to be kept flowing through the hay to keep it in good shape the cover needs to be loose. I’ve been able to keep it more or less under control so far by using the broom and Dust Buster, but I’m going to have to deploy the full-size vacuum sooner or later, and the buns aren’t going to like that even though they’re supposed to be used to that sound. I may have to move them into the carrier and put them in the bathroom briefly while I vacuum the area up so as not to upset them too much.

[pinknfwuffy]

For filling litter boxes/hay racks, I’ve found that it is impossible to not get the stuff everywhere. BUT, it sometimes helps to “twirl” the hay in your hands like spaghetti to keep it from being too loose while you transfer it from bag to bin. I pull a handful from the big hay mass (with my hands still inside the bag to keep it from going everywhere) and roll it around itself a bit before taking it out and putting it in Olaf’s hay rack. Not only does this help keep flyaway from falling everywhere but I think it helps keep the hay in the rack better since it clings to itself rather than being loose and falling out the bottom.

But there are still bits here and there. The first few times I used the big vacuum I put Olaf in the other room in his carrier, worried he’d be horrified. He didn’t seem to care so now I vacuum while he’s out and about and he either hides in his diggy box or is brave and walks right up to the big scary monster machine to sniff it.

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