Penthouse Piggies are proud to bring you the first acrylic Hay Tray, purpose-built for improving the lives of Guinea Pigs and their owners. If you're wondering whether the Guinea Pig Hay Tray is right for your setup then this article has got you covered!
What is a Guinea Pig Hay Tray?
The clue is in the name, but hay trays have not always been commonplace in the home of domestic Guinea Pigs. Hay Trays are akin to cat litter trays in providing our pets with a specific zone that encourages certain behaviours.
In the case of the hay tray, we provide our Guinea Pigs with a space to eat and forage. The Penthouse Piggies hay tray is wide and shallow with room for multiple Guinea Pigs to enjoy a generous amount of hay and the dipped entrance makes for easy access for your short-legged friends.
The clear acrylic design of our hay tray makes it practically invisible inside your Guinea Pigs’ cage setup but it does an excellent job of containing the mess.
How do I keep the Hay Tray clean?
You won't be surprised to learn that where Guinea Pigs eat a lot, they will likely go toilet frequently too! One of the primary drivers behind the Penthouse Piggies Hay Tray was the ease of cleaning for Guinea Pig owners.
The Hay Tray has sealed edges which provide a water-resistant shield to the flooring of your Guinea Pigs’ cage. This is great for keeping your Guinea Pigs from regularly weeing on fleece liners or soiling large amounts of bedding. Because the hay tray is water resistant, the wee, naturally, has nowhere to go. That's why we recommend laying down a reasonable amount of absorbent bedding inside the tray.
When you undertake your spot cleaning or deep cleaning, you can simply dispose of the tray contents and give it a quick wipe down before you refill it with clean bedding and hay. This is much simpler and faster than sweeping and can prove very useful if you have tricky, hard-to-reach areas of your Guinea Pig’s cage.
Try using a planner to keep on top of your Guinea Pigs cleaning schedule.
Why choose the Penthouse Piggies Hay Tray?
As Guinea Pig owners for several years, we have experienced every housing solution out there from store-bought cages to C&C and custom timber builds. During this time we have learnt what works for our Guinea Pigs and what doesn't, and also what works for us as owners.
Since we moved on from store-bought cages for more custom setups, we have always included a hay tray of some description in our Guinea Pig home. Many Guinea Pig owners will use litter trays designed for cats due to their larger size. The downside of these trays is they are not designed for small animals and often have raised lips at the entrance. Climbing in and out of the tray can prove challenging for young and old Guinea Pigs.
Furthermore, these trays are clunky by design, often made of thick plastics with a deep profile. It's not a sticking point for many but we keep our Guinea Pigs indoors and display them proudly so it's key that the cage is comfortable for the piggies but also looks great in our home.
With this in mind, it's easy to see why we designed such a wide and shallow tray, made from clear acrylic to effortlessly blend into the Guinea Pig home and compliments the mix of rosewood hideaways and patterned fleece accessories.
The acrylic material used in our trays is very lightweight but durable which means it will stand the test of time in your Guinea Pigs cage. The water-resistant seal on the edges is animal safe and leaves behind no harmful residue like glues and silicones. It is bonded using the same method as acrylic aquariums.
> READ: Ensuring your Guinea Pigs can thrive inside
Will the hay tray be compatible with my Guinea Pigs cage?
Our hay trays measure 680 (L) x 360 (W) x 120mm (H) which is approximately 1x2 C&C grids and about ⅓ of the height of a grid. The hay tray fits within popular correx/coroplast cage liners making it widely compatible with Guinea Pig cages. One of the advantages of the hay tray is to protect your cage liners and speeds up your cleaning process.
One customer who bought the Penthouse Piggies Hay Tray has used it to create a mezzanine floor in her modular C&C build instead of a coroplast alternative. This is a great idea that is far more durable and is easy to install.
If you use a traditional all-in-one cage with a plastic tray base, then the hay tray is unlikely to fit or be particularly beneficial for your setup.
Penthouse Piggies hay trays are easily transportable between your Guinea Pigs cage and a temporary playpen.
How many hay trays should I have in my Guinea Pigs cage?
There is no perfect formula to this but we would suggest no more than two Guinea Pigs attempt to share a single tray as it might end in tears. The tray size is a great fit for two piggies. In a 3x2 C&C cage setup the hay tray would take up approximately the end third. In larger cages, you might want to introduce a hay tray at either end to provide your Guinea Pigs with some territory and use the space between for their hideaways, tunnels and toys.
You can also add accessories inside the hay tray. The rosewood cottages designed for Guinea Pigs are a great fit across the width of the tray and it will provide your piggy with a comfortable hideaway as they make themselves at home in the tray.
Does the tray come in different sizes?
No, the Penthouse Piggies hay tray comes in one size only. This is because we believe this size strikes a perfect balance between wide compatibility and still having the benefit of a large feeding area. It is paramount that your Guinea Pigs have a near-infinite supply of hay and the tray makes it easy to provide a large quantity of hay and food to forage without it depleting quickly and leaving your piggies hungry.
> READ: Basic Guide to Feeding your pet Guinea Pig
While it is unlikely that the Penthouse Piggies hay tray will take on different sizes in future, we do have some other exciting plans for this product. All we can say for now is to watch this space!
