Has anyone else found hay beetles in their hay?

[TheLittlePig]

I just recently purchased a bag of Kaytee All Natural Timothy Hay from Walmart and when I filled the hay holders I noticed a couple beetles crawling around, when I looked them up it said they were hay beetles aka blister bugs and they secret a toxin that can cause blisters and a little hole mess of digestive issues. Not to mention they’re usually found in alfalfa hay, which confuses me because I bought Timothy hay. Of course I immediately cleared out the entire cage, my piggy’s got some floor time while I cleared everything even the bedding. While I can’t say that every bag will contain them, I would like to share this as a warning.

 

[piggieminder]

What a nuisance for you to have to deep clean the cage when you weren't planning to. Unfortunately being a natural substance hay does come with 'extras' sometimes. There was someone on here yesterday who had beetles in her hay although not the type you had.

 

[piggieminder]

BLACK CRAWLING BUG IN HAY

 

[TheLittlePig]

I just hope they didn’t ingest any, I did catch it almost immediately after I filled the hay holders so I’m pretty sure they are fine and so far no sign of distress. But I will definitely be more vigilant now.