pigs had no hay, what to do now?

[freddie1234]

i know guinea pigs aren’t supposed to go for more than a few hours without hay so i don’t need a lecture, the damage has already been done so i just need help with what to do next. there was no way i could get hay for my pigs and they probably went around 26 hours without, they had their pellets and veggies as normal. as soon as i got hay i fed them plenty & they ate it all, there’s nothing physically wrong with them they’re behaving normally, their stomachs feel fine, they’re pooing a little less than usual though. what should i do next? do i need to feed them the normal amount? less or more? mash up their food? i can’t find any information online only websites saying that they should never run out of hay but nothing explaining what to do if they have been left without so i really need some help please!

 

[Swissgreys]

If they have hay now then that is fine.
Hay should always be unlimited, and if they have had time with no hay then this is even more important.
But ultimately, they have hay now - fill their cage with it and they will get in and eat that they need to.

 

[Lorcan]

I can't (well, won't) comment on the rest of it, but you can't overfeed hay, which means you can't give them too much.

 

[David Piggie Lover]

I think just carry on as normal. No lecture, I'm sure they be ok,.
Well done for asking and being honest,

 

[Wiebke]

i know guinea pigs aren’t supposed to go for more than a few hours without hay so i don’t need a lecture, the damage has already been done so i just need help with what to do next. there was no way i could get hay for my pigs and they probably went around 26 hours without, they had their pellets and veggies as normal. as soon as i got hay i fed them plenty & they ate it all, there’s nothing physically wrong with them they’re behaving normally, their stomachs feel fine, they’re pooing a little less than usual though. what should i do next? do i need to feed them the normal amount? less or more? mash up their food? i can’t find any information online only websites saying that they should never run out of hay but nothing explaining what to do if they have been left without so i really need some help please!

Hi!

Please don't panic - one day is not the end of the world. They will make up for it.

Just put plenty out now. You cannot overfeed on hay; your piggies will simply eat their fill and then eat more when there is space in the gut again until they are no longer hungry and are back to normal.

Ideally you put fresh hay out once or twice daily. You will soon learn just how much yours go through on average and then you can plan for that.

Just make sure that you always have hay at home; it is the one staple they should never go without. I always make sure that I have a couple of extra bags at home in case of illness or another unforeseen delay in addition to my fortnightly standing order at my local independent pet shop (but then, I go through 2 kg of hay in a day with a room full of piggies so that is pretty much a car full of hay every two weeks...)