Microwaving Hay

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missy

missy

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Hi all,

I've heard of people putting hay in the microwave before feeding it to their guinea pigs, to kill off any mites etc.

I assume it's safe to do this and would be very interested to know if it's actually effective.

And how long should it be 'heated' for and on which setting (full power?)...also what do you use to contain it while it's being microwaved?

I'm guessing that microwaving for 30 secs or so wouldn't change the taste of the hay and as long as it's cool and dry before giving to the pigs then it should be ok....but would love to know what everyone else thinks please!

Any thoughts/tips very gratefully received. Thank you! x
 
i have never heard of putting it in a microwave but where i keep my horse we have a huge hay steamer and basically it makes the spores swell so they dont fly up there nostrils i think not sure how this would work for piggies
 
I don't supposed many mites could survive a 30second cooking in the microwave but unless you've got known issues of mites within a bale of hay, I wouldn't see much need too (I couldn't justify doing it for my nine really!).

Plus, if you had mites in the hay, I think I'd be more tempted to chuck that bale and get a fresh one.

Plus think my mum would go mad if she came into a microwave full of hay! My snugglesafes and hogging the oven for hours at a time to make bunny and guinea pig biscuits is already pushing her over the edge!
 
We have hay steamers for horses, so why not guinea pigs too :)) For horses we put the hay in a container, add water to the boiler which then sends steam into the hay. It gets up to 80 degrees to kill off any parasites etc. Maybe water should be added to the hay so it doesn't burn ?/
 
Personally, we use a high grade hay from our local small holding. i don't microwave before giving to the GP's we have never had a problem with mites and the pig's love it.
Just to put it into perspective - A whole bale of hay costs around £4 - £5 for high quality. lesser quality hay sells for cheaper but a whole bale lasts a long time, as long as you store it correctly and keep it free from damp IMO its the best you can get.
 
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Thanks for the replies :)

Just to clarify, I only buy high quality hay and if I suspected that my hay contained mites then I would definitely throw it away and not use it at all.

I just wondered if anyone microwaved their hay as a matter of routine, just in case, as a precaution. I could be wrong but I think the only hay which can be trusted to always be free of mites etc is hay which has been treated to comply with import regulations (like Oxbow, shipped over from the US)...but it's sooooo expensive!
 
missy said:
Thanks for the replies :)

Just to clarify, I only buy high quality hay and if I suspected that my hay contained mites then I would definitely throw it away and not use it at all.

I just wondered if anyone microwaved their hay as a matter of routine, just in case, as a precaution. I could be wrong but I think the only hay which can be trusted to always be free of mites etc is hay which has been treated to comply with import regulations (like Oxbow, shipped over from the US)...but it's sooooo expensive!
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Yes Oxbow's Timothy hay is sterile to comply with EU regulations so should be bug free.

Nearly all hay will come with some extra little creatures in, farm hay will definitely have some in, they will not be seen with the naked eye though. Static lice piggies get are picked up from the hay, they are very tiny. I quite like the microwave idea, if you freeze hay in a bag for 24 hours it will need defrosting obviously, which could take a little while, not sure giving them cold hay would be good for their little delicate tummies lol :))
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Nearly all hay will come with some extra little creatures in, farm hay will definitely have some in, they will not be seen with the naked eye though.
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Yep that's what I thought...that's why I liked the idea of 'treating' all hay as a precautionary measure, rather than waiting until the piggies actually display symptoms of parasites being present on their skin/hair and having to treat them. It does sound like a lot of faffing about but if I knew it was definitely safe and effective then I'd give it a go!

I did try microwaving a couple of handfuls yesterday, for 30 secs, but some of it was a bit damp and I wondered if it was perhaps doing more harm than good, especially if the heat wasn't hot enough or applied long enough to properly kill stuff off and was actually providing a nice warm environment for bacteria etc to multiply! Obviously I'd wait til it was dry before giving to the piggies but just wasn't sure :{
 
Haha! The amount of hay I give to just one pig a day would be too big to put in a microwave.
 
put bag of hay into a carrier bag ......tie knot .........then place into freezer for 24 hours ........kills all bugs

but

the big question is ...............is there enough room for hay in your freezer :x

not microwave - radiation must be bad for piggies :x

Burgess Excell do a little bag of timothy hay for £2 odd - this will defo fit in freezer
 
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PiggyLove said:
put bag of hay into a carrier bag ......tie knot .........then place into freezer for 24 hours ........kills all bugs

but

the big question is ...............is there enough room for hay in your freezer :x

not microwave - radiation must be bad for piggies :x
Click to expand...

My freezer stopped working recently but when I get a new one I'll make sure I choose one with hay-friendly proportions! :)
 
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaw sorry your freezer broke down must be awful living without a freezer :( hope you can get new one

Burgess Excell do a little bag of timothy hay for £2 odd - this will defo fit in freezer

I was thinking about getting a special chest freezer just for piggies hay and stuff it full of Burgess Excell bags of hay :(|):(|) that will kill all the bugs and their eggs yay

me and my purse are still thinking about it LOLOL
 
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If you can’t give rodents cooked vegetables then how can it be safe to cook their hay which is the main part of their diet? That’s what I’m worried about.
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& surely all the goodness will come out of the hay by effectively cooking it?
 
Lettuce Head said:
In case you're not joking - Radiation is just energy transference, it doesn't make anything radioactive.
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I agree, the radiation doesnt transfer, otherwise we would never be able to eat anything from it lol.

I never bother with either to be honest, most of the hay i buy is very good quality, Oxbow is sterilised, Excel is spore tested and possibly popped through an oven i think, and readygrass is oven dried at a high temperature.

x.
 
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