Hay poke from hay loft

[Black piggies]

So yet again I've found (the same) piggie having a very sore, closed, weeping eye, (and always weekends so the out of hours vet bill is more than I've spent on holidays this year!)

The vet pulled 2 bits of hay out her eye. So can I ask.... I have a 1x2 hay loft so the pigs can enjoy being in hay. They seem very unimpressed if they just have a small bowl of hay in their main cage. But is it better to do that? Many thanks. (They have a mix of meadow and timothy hay.)

 

[VickiA]

I’m afraid hay pokes are just a fact of life with piggies. They need constant unhindered access to hay as it makes up 90% of their diet.
I would still give them the hay loft but filled only with soft meadow hay. I feed stalky Timothy hay separately in a bowl. All of this can only serve to reduce the risk of a hay poke. We can’t eliminate them entirely as evidenced by the fact that despite my risk reduction measures 2 of my 3 have had bad hay pokes!

 

[Seven7]

I too am always concerned that my piggies will be poked by hay.
I buy hay pans because in my mind, if hay is on the bottom, it will be less likely they will be poked.
Here are the new hay pans I got recently and they are considerably bigger than the ones they currently have. Mine also pee and poo on they hay pans, which makes cleaning 100X easier.

 

[PigglePuggle]

We have a hay loft and a hay room and hay trays but fortunately not a hay poke so far (touch wood!) so I think its down to chance and maybe how long and hard the hay pieces are... I think piggies are rather like injury and disease roulette, we've had bloat, mites, and adopted a piggy who turned out to have a badly healed broken leg... but nobody hurt their eyes yet!

 

[Black piggies]

I’m afraid hay pokes are just a fact of life with piggies. They need constant unhindered access to hay as it makes up 90% of their diet.
I would still give them the hay loft but filled only with soft meadow hay. I feed stalky Timothy hay separately in a bowl. All of this can only serve to reduce the risk of a hay poke. We can’t eliminate them entirely as evidenced by the fact that despite my risk reduction measures 2 of my 3 have had bad hay pokes!

Great idea thanks!

 

[Black piggies]

I too am always concerned that my piggies will be poked by hay.
I buy hay pans because in my mind, if hay is on the bottom, it will be less likely they will be poked.
Here are the new hay pans I got recently and they are considerably bigger than the ones they currently have. Mine also pee and poo on they hay pans, which makes cleaning 100X easier.
View attachment 99298

Thanks, I gave up using litter trays as the pig in my avatar is such a lump he doesn't like climbing the sides, but these look great! Would I need more than one pan for 3 pigs? Not sure if you've got a big pack of piggies or being very generous to your pigs!

 

[Claire W]

I'm sorry about the hay poke I use to have piggies living free range in a shed. They had two wooden huts that I filled to the brim with soft meadow hay to keep them warm and I had quite a few eye injuries sadly including an eye removal (although we never did find out how that injury happened)

I now have indoor piggies where I put their hay in a corner litter tray which they still enjoy to burrow in. Thankfully and touch wood, I haven't had an eye injury for over 3 years.

I think it really is hit and miss

 

[Black piggies]

I'm sorry about the hay poke I use to have piggies living free range in a shed. They had two wooden huts that I filled to the brim with soft meadow hay to keep them warm and I had quite a few eye injuries sadly including an eye removal (although we never did find out how that injury happened)

I now have indoor piggies where I put their hay in a corner litter tray which they still enjoy to burrow in. Thankfully and touch wood, I haven't had an eye injury for over 3 years.

I think it really is hit and miss

Thanks, good news no more injuries.

 

[Seven7]

Thanks, I gave up using litter trays as the pig in my avatar is such a lump he doesn't like climbing the sides, but these look great! Would I need more than one pan for 3 pigs? Not sure if you've got a big pack of piggies or being very generous to your pigs!

Good question, which most people who know me know my story already.

Long story short, I was appointed Lara's pet parent by a friend who didn't want her, which caused me to get a cage for Lara, at roughly $100. I didn't want babies between Lara and my Finn who has been with me since he was a baby, so they live in separate cages. They also have a playpen they share BUT not at the same time. My piggies can see and hear each other and that works for us. Being someone who have never breeded before, I will cause more trouble than good when they have babies together.

I always buy three, one for Lara, one for Finn, and one for their playpen.

 

[Merab]

Sorry about the hay poke.
It’s no fun to deal with.
Hope the eye heals quickly