Mold In Hay

[Coconut piggy]

I was about to clean my single female pig's cage and was cleaning to hay rack/bin thing, which I do about every 2 weeks (she is neat and rarely poos/wees in it.) I realized there were many little strands of hay or little balls with white mold and black specks on it (I am almost sure it was just white mold, no black mold). I emptied the hay leftover in her cage, and I'm throwing that bag out. I got the bag of oxbow hay from either PetCo or Petsmart. I don't think the mold was Oxbow's fault, it was most likely a prolonged storage issue at the pet store. I have some more hay from before, which I plan to feed her until the new hay comes in the mail. My question is though: would the mold be harmful to her body if she ate it, and would a piggy know not to eat hay with mold on it? Should I take her to a vet? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to answer.

 

[artcasper]

not sure but i had a bag of dodgy hay once and the smell was awful.. i put a bit out and they would not go near it - a clear sign it was off... so it went in the bin....

 

[Swissgreys]

I got a bag of beautiful looking hay once, but it felt 'gritty' to touch.
It smelt fine but there was something about it that wasn't quite right.
I did give it to the piggies, but not one of them would touch it, so the whole lot got thrown away.

 

[Wheekallweek]

You're definitely best off throwing it away
We've had hay before that's damp or mouldy or dusty. I believe mould spores could maybe be a factor in respiratory conditions, but as the others have said piggies tend to be really clever and avoid eating it if at all possible

 

[Elwickcavies]

Piggies are usually pretty good with avoiding "off" hay. They probably won't have eaten any, but as Wheekallweek says, the spores can cause a lot of problems. Get rid of the bag and start again. Well spotted!

 

[Coconut piggy]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies!

@Elwickcavies, do you mind listing the problems the spores can cause? Thanks! I wanna know if I need to take her to the vet or not.