[Gpdd] care: housing, my two cents

[Linda Sánchez]

Hi again to all Pigs and People,

I always learn so much when I read what others write abou their piggies'
environments. I thought I would write and tell about what I have done with
my pigs' houses.

First, let me say that I am completely and utterly obsessed with home
improvement - pig home improvement, that is. It started last summer, and I
thought it was a passing phase. Now, after six months and countless trips to
Target and Home Depot,  I have to admit it is a passion of mine to perfect
their environments. I am always looking to both improve their environment
and to find ways to make cleanup simple and easy for me.

Their homes are made from C&C, and I use towels and care fresh for bedding.
The bottoms of their houses are covered with a thick towel, and because they
almost never make poops there, I only change that about once every two
weeks. Instead, I  watch where the pigs like to poop and then I place a
litter box with care fresh there.   That way, they get to follow their
natural instincts and I get to keep cleanup to a minimum. Some trays I line
with towels instead of care fresh. I empty the litter boxes/replace the
towels 1-2 times a day and it takes less than a minute to do that. The
litter boxes I use come in many forms. Some come from the pet store, the
hi-back corner boxes, and others include paint trays and rubbermaid
container covers that I get at the dollar store. Basically, every hidey
place they find, or poopy place they find -usually one and the same!- has a
litter box or tray that I can quickly remove and replace bedding/towel. I
have created ramps with plywood and covered them with either sandpaper
(keeps their nails filed down!) or toweling and these ramps lead to tall,
tansparent rubbermaid boxes filled with hay. In order to keep hay cleanup
and waste to a minimum, I fill the boxes half way up with hay. That way, the
pigs can romp happily in the hay and it doesn't fly out everywhere. Also,
the pigs enter the rubbermade boxes through lengths of plumbing tube. I
bought one ten foot long, six inch diameter, plumbing pipe made of thick
plastic last summer at Home Depot. I had one of the nice young men who works
there cut it into five pieces and, using a hack saw at home, I have cut the
pipe into all the different sizes I need.  Then I just cut a six inch
diamater hole in the rubbermade box and insert the appropriate length of
tube in it. The tubes provide easy in/easy out for the pigs into the hay
boxes and also help to keep the hay contained in the boxes.

Well, there's a lot more going on in their homes, but upon reading what I
just wrote, I better end here. If I posted this anywhere else, I bet folks
would think I was nuts! Here, I think you guys will understand my obsession.
Peace,
Linda