Please keep an eye on your hay!

[suem]

I got my usual hay which is always good. It did smell a bit musty and anyway I gave the girls some and Bertie. When I was putting Berties in there was a lump like stuck together hay and grass no smell with it though, so it wasnt poo! I threw it away. Carried on putting a bit more and Bertie was munching away quite happy. Later that day I noticed a bit more of the lump in his cage and he was chewing it! Next day he didnt poo properly but when he did go he strained and it was runny.,he also kept making noises as if it hurt him. I got him out and cleaned his cage fully,just gave him dry pellets and some more flipping hay! I also put probiotics in his water and gave him some on his food. He was very quiet then about an hour later perked up and is now acting perfectly normally. I am sure it was something in the hay!

 

[shiny]

Oh dear, hope Bertie is ok now. I am struggling to find decent hay at all this year - little black seed pods in it again today

 

[piggyfan]

Oh poor baby. Thank goodness he is okay.

 

[Lone-Star 57]

Thanks for the heads up!
I hope little Bertie's doing alright. x

 

[biscandmatt]

i always take the hay outside and transfer it to boxes and/or duvet covers, so i can get any dust out and check it all over. i have become more paranoid since getting a bale that i didn't realise was mouldy at the bottom of the bag, until after they had all eaten some. luckily they were fine but i double check it all now. :...

 

[shiny]

I am getting a whole bale from the horse supplies place today - same price as one of those little bags! Hoping it will be ok quality too. Definitely a good idea to check hay, I'll have to do that in batches as I bring it in. My sister soaks her hay for her horses to get rid of dust but that's not practical when you need it for guinea bedding!

 

[suem]

not a bad idea, I could put some in an old pillowcase and shake it out the garden I am sure it is dusty....

 

[shiny]

It might be fun too to have all our neighbours wondering what we're doing in the garden filling duvet covers with hay

 

[amd1985]

Thanks for the heads up, I will be double checking x

 

[MargaretB]

I had a bad kilo in my Ings hay. It was really brown and muddy looking and smelt nasty. They've promised me extra on my next order but I'm glad I spotted it. The rest is lovely, sweet and green. It was just this lump in the middle. A bit did get to the boys before I noticed, but thankfully they didn't touch it. Hope Bertie is ok.

 

[KaitRoo]

Hope he's okay soon, thanks for bringing it to my attention xx

 

[PingandChipy]

One time I found a flattened snake and a flat mouse in hay, so now I always check thoroughly. and I stopped getting hay from that particular place. Really grossed me out!

 

[Guinea pig slave]

One time I found a flattened snake and a flat mouse in hay, so now I always check thoroughly. and I stopped getting hay from that particular place. Really grossed me out!

They must have been 'flat mates'...sorry, that is horrible to find.
Someone recently had a deers hind leg in a bag of hay from a well known supermarket...
We get ours from a small horse supplier and it is great but we're still vigilant and shake it out by the handfuls before the piggies have it.

 

[Sodapops]

I once found the whole outer fur/skin of a field mouse in a bag of burgess forage hay - they were quick to sort it out and i had to 'post' the mouse body to them - i was given two free bags of hay and some money-off coupons. Ive also found crushed cans, string etc - needless to say i stopped using those hay suppliers....

Always best to shake and sort before giving to piggies

 

[Wiggie]

I had crisp packets in a bag of hay from a well known pet shop. It was compressed hay. Hay is annoying, trying to get good bags, avoiding thorns etc. We always take it out by hand and check it as we use it.

I was told I could get replacements for the hay with rubbish in only if I provided the evidence to the store. My husband threw it out so I never got my money back or a replacement. I guess the cost of driving there and the time wasted needs to be balanced up.

 

[*Nibbles&Nugget*]

Had a giant thistle in today's hay. It actually got stuck in my hand. Hurt like crazy too

Hay recently is a nightmare and that was some cheap stuff as I had run out but I am not getting it again.

Amy
x

 

[LittleEskimo]

No animal parts thankfully, but have had bits of rubbish and feathers etc. They can't really help with people littering and it getting blown into the fields in the wind I guess, just one of those things.

I get Ings hay as that is pretty much the only thing the buns will eat now and they guinea pigs love it. Last order has been a bit stringy and brown but not as bad as some hays I have seen. And they animals still seem to like it