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Dead mouse in hay bag...

H

Hath

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Soooo... I found dead mouse in the hay bag... Stench was horrendous and it's not 'dry'. So my worry is, can it harm piggies? I've been using the bag for few days now, so piggies ate from this bag...

I am so sick to my stomach. I touched the thing. Thought it was piece of mud that I commonly find. But it surprised me how smelly it was so wondered if it was poop. Tossed it in the bin bag and grabbed handful of hay and the stench hit me again. So it clicked and I checked the bin bag... Squished mouse for sure. I scrubbed my hands like million times and still feel dirty! I think I might have to amputate it...

What do I look for? Can it hurt piggies?
 
Hath said:
Soooo... I found dead mouse in the hay bag... Stench was horrendous and it's not 'dry'. So my worry is, can it harm piggies? I've been using the bag for few days now, so piggies ate from this bag...

I am so sick to my stomach. I touched the thing. Thought it was piece of mud that I commonly find. But it surprised me how smelly it was so wondered if it was poop. Tossed it in the bin bag and grabbed handful of hay and the stench hit me again. So it clicked and I checked the bin bag... Squished mouse for sure. I scrubbed my hands like million times and still feel dirty! I think I might have to amputate it...

What do I look for? Can it hurt piggies?
Click to expand...

Hi

As long your piggies did eat upwards from the hay and have not come into direct contact, you should be OK. I've found various bits of things (including small animal parts) in my hay bags over the years but my piggies have all survived just fine. :)

For the rest, it is very much a matter of wait and see but your chances are very high that there won't be any problems.
There are some illnesses that can be transmitted between rodents, but mostly via direct infection and not from dead animals. Most of them affect the respiratory system.
We have listed the most common inter-species illnesses in this guide here but I would not recommend to read the relevant chapter if you are prone to anxiety and only if there is actually a problem.
Contagion - Inter-species Transmission and Pet Care During Owner Illness/Pregnancy (incl. Covid)

Stop feeding the hay asap or as soon as you can get hold of some other hay.

Please take pictures and contact the provider. It is also for your legal protection in case there is a problem although we have never come across a case of illness that has been directly linked to a dead animal in the hay. You should get a refund. I hope that this helps you.
 
"Out, damned spot!"

It's not ideal, I would definitely get a new bag. As mice are also rodents there may be some risk of transmission, but I'm no expert.

Leptospirosis and salmonella would be my main concern, for you as much as the peegs. Keep an eye out for the symptoms.
 
Oh gross! Once I found a huge dead grasshopper and I thought THAT was bad!

I think if the hay they were eating wasn't immediately adjacent to the mouse it will be okay, but I would definitely toss the bag (and try to get a refund on it!)
 
Thank you for the replies. I've already tossed the bag. Have 4 types of hay at home, so this isn't their constant food supply. But from the way it was, still stinky, I would assume it got squished during packing, so fluids probably soaked in the hay...
I am traumatised. Will be getting a tub to put hay in so I can check it before it's fed to piggies. Just preferred vacuum packed bags for space saving.
I've never come across this, usually find strings, plastic, mud, rocks.

If they get sick, will I have to cover vet costs or do I have rights as customer? Googled what they transmit and all sounds deadly and nasty.

I've already sent photos to the company.
 
Hath said:
Thank you for the replies. I've already tossed the bag. Have 4 types of hay at home, so this isn't their constant food supply. But from the way it was, still stinky, I would assume it got squished during packing, so fluids probably soaked in the hay...
I am traumatised. Will be getting a tub to put hay in so I can check it before it's fed to piggies. Just preferred vacuum packed bags for space saving.
I've never come across this, usually find strings, plastic, mud, rocks.

If they get sick, will I have to cover vet costs or do I have rights as customer? Googled what they transmit and all sounds deadly and nasty.

I've already sent photos to the company.
Click to expand...

Please take a deep breath; there won't be any problem for your piggies.

Please keep the bag in case the provider wants it as proof (ask them tomorrow) but by contacting them promptly, you have a legal handle if it turns out to be one of the real nasties - only that, as stated in my previous post, most of them require live transmission so the infection risk is actually very low.

And if the hay hasn't been smelly until you got to the mouse, it is most likely that the hay you have fed so far has not been affected. :tu:

But I am very sorry; you have had about the yuckiest find possible. :yikes:

HUGS
 
I’m sorry to read you’ve had to cope with this !
As @Wiebke says ( and she knows everything 🥰) you and your piggies will be ok
Deep breathing and calm thoughts and congratulate yourself on finding it
Do get a refund and the company will investigate how it happened and ensure it doesn’t happen to anyone else
Thank you for that
Take care
 
Thank you, ladies. Just cleaned the pigs. Had to throw away few cubes, tubs and carrot cottages- I stuff with hay for enrichment. Hope F10 sorted the rest on the plastic and I will be doing a lot of laundry.

Piglets are all happy and eating, pooping etc. I noticed one had rattly breathing 2 days ago, but it went away the same day and no one is sneezing or has discharge. So hoping it was just dust and bad timing.

I really didn't need this, to worry about them. Like literally whole group of them. It's been tough few months.
Supplier replied promptly and they have been great, so hopefully we'll just move past this as unpleasant experience! But new fear unlocked :yikes:
 
What would be the 'incubation' period? Just thought having a timeframe when I can relax would help knowing we got away unharmed.
 
Hath said:
What would be the 'incubation' period? Just thought having a timeframe when I can relax would help knowing we got away unharmed.
Click to expand...

The incubation period is the time between infection and actual outbreak.

With airborne illnesses (like most respiratory), it is relatively short - just a matter of 2-4 days, the same with bugs that attack the intestines. A week should be more than ample to rule those infection vectors. Again, please be aware that most vectors rely on transmission between live animals; especially the nasties that haunt your sleep at the moment.
The incubation period for ringworm is considerably longer, 10-14 days.

A recommended quarantine (or in your case, observation period) is generally 2-3 weeks but you would normally see any problems surfacing much, much sooner. ;)
Importance Of Quarantine

However, the risk of your piggies catching anything is pretty low, so please try not to twist yourself into pretzels over it. You should be able to relax by Saturday.
 
Thank you. @Wiebke . Good to have a timeframe. I hate ringworm with passion. Was also thinking about ringworm, but on the list were more dangerous things. Just don't like ringworm spores cause of how hardy they are :vom:
 
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