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Terrible and ashamed piggy Mummy

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daisyd

daisyd

Junior Guinea Pig
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I wasn't sure if this should go under food or bedding as I keep my piggies on thick paper and liberal hay (which they love to eat), so put it here instead!

I bought a bale of hay today. It was a pound cheaper than normal which did seem a bit strange - then I realised I had only been charged for the 2nd grade hay as they had run out of the good stuff. I thought I'd give the other lot a go as it was already all paid for etc... big mistake!

It looked nice and fresh, just a bit more stalky than normal - but when I got it home and cleaned out all the piggies it turns out it's FULL of thistles! :{

They thorns really prickled me and stuck in my fingers - for some reason I thought it might be ok for the guineas and popped them in anyway, but sat down to watch just to make sure they were ok with it. Within about 5 minutes they were all scratching and hopping about trying to get out and climb up on their tubes etc... to get away from it. It was really heart breaking - I'm such a terrible piggy mum :0 grrrr :0 pow-pow

Lesson learnt: 2ND GRADE HAY IS NOT OK!

I have taken it all out and replaced with the little bit of p@h hay I had in the back of the shed, which will have to do until tomorrow. Then I checked all the pigs over carefully for spikes stuck in their paws or lips. I only found one, but it was worth checking for my peace of mind. As for the stupid bale, I think I'm going to have to burn it!
 
accidents do happen. At least you noticed straight away before something really serious happened. imagine if what got stuck in your hnds got into their throats.

Positive outcome: you'll be more careful in the future and no one got really hurt.

there may be someone who would like that hay for horses/donkeys? you could always try to advertise it locally and recup some of your expenses? or complain to the shop that it wasn't clear why the hay was cheaper than usual nor that it was lower quality, and that as a regular and trusted customer, you expect better customer service.

Don't be too hard on yourself...
 
awww:(

as if the pet shop would sell that:a19:

8...8...

i'm sorry that happened and your not a bad mummy, everyone makes mistakes and i am glad that your piggies are ok:)
 
Don't feel bad about it, how were you to know it would be full of thistles. I would be inclined to take it back to the shop and explain that while it might be suitable for some animals (horses to eat? I don't know) it had proved dangerous for piggies, because the thistle spikes could get in their feet. They may be happy to exchange it for a decent bale, or give you a credit note. My theory is "if you don't ask you don't get" and the worst they can say is "no". But these things happen, and we learn by our mistakes - no real damage was done.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind responses! You've all given me a good idea, instead of taking the time to burn it I could put it on freecycle and see if anyone wants to collect it for horses or whatever its good for!?! Thanks!
 
I've had a bale of hay before that was full of thistles & it does hurt & no matter how you try to pull them out you can't.
Horses & sheep can eat this type of hay with no problems :)
 
Like everyone else has said you are not a bad piggy mum just made a mistake thats all. xx
 
I don't know what to say. But we've all been there. We've all learned from our mistakes. So please don't worry, if anything it makes you a better piggie mom because you noticed and worried about it! I'd only slate you for it if you'd left it til next clean out and weren't bothered! xxxxxxxx
 
dont worry - my hay which i get from dust free hay has had quite a lot of thistles in it lately and i have had a few thorns in my hands! so i have to pick all the thistles out and get pricked in the process!
 
I'm not sure that hay with weeds in it is good for anything except to be returned to the shop you got it from.
 
I had thistles in my hay a few weeks back; I took it back to the shop and got a refund.
 
Yes, I would return it to the shop explaining why. If you have no joy, they've simply lost a customer and you can maybe give it to a local rescue who has large animals if it is safe for farm animals to eat? (May be worth checking first!)
 
Don't worry, that happened to me once. Luckily it was only a bag that I had bought as my usual supplier was shut. I didn't realise that some thistles were hidden within the hay.

So don't feel guilty, it can happen to anyone. However, I would return it and tell them.
 
Would like to get a bale of hay for my 54 piggies as it would be a lot less expensive ,but having had a bad bale the first time I bought one it has put me off altogether so I just keep getting meadow hay in large bags .Wish I knew a reliable source of good bales!
 
christine said:
Would like to get a bale of hay for my 54 piggies as it would be a lot less expensive ,but having had a bad bale the first time I bought one it has put me off altogether so I just keep getting meadow hay in large bags .Wish I knew a reliable source of good bales!
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Whereabouts are you, christine?
I am sure someone can recommend a good supplier near you.
 
Hi I am in Garstang near Preston Lancashire ,would be great to find a reliable source of hay I now have a small 6by 4 shed to keep a bale of hay in. Thanks for your time.
 
christine said:
Hi I am in Garstang near Preston Lancashire ,would be great to find a reliable source of hay I now have a small 6by 4 shed to keep a bale of hay in. Thanks for your time.
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Sorry but you are miles away from me. Hopefully someone on here will be near to you to point you in the right direction for a great bale of hay! :)
 
christine said:
Hi I am in Garstang near Preston Lancashire ,would be great to find a reliable source of hay I now have a small 6by 4 shed to keep a bale of hay in. Thanks for your time.
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There's a place in lytham if your interested in going that far which is supposed to be excellent. Brownbrummie told me about it but I have forgotten the details, I'll see if still have them in my inbox
 
Well there was a happy ending!

I posted the bale on freecycle and it was collected last night by a lady who rescues battery chickens. She said they wouldn't mind the prickles one bit!

I got the bale from a farm suppliers, which normally has lovely sweet wispy type hay (the kind I'd like to sleep in myself!). It's only because I got the '2nd grade' bale by mistake that I had problems, even that looked nice from a distance, but the thistles were lurking within...

It makes sense getting bales tho as they're only £3.50 and last my 9 piggies 3 months! Plus they don't sell pets. I had to get another bag from P@H last night and have totally fallen in love with one of the pigges in the shop... had to seriously tear myself away, but have been thinking about her all day!

Nightmare...
 
daisyd said:
It makes sense getting bales tho as they're only £3.50 and last my 9 piggies 3 months! Plus they don't sell pets. I had to get another bag from P@H last night and have totally fallen in love with one of the pigges in the shop... had to seriously tear myself away, but have been thinking about her all day!

Nightmare...
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I know that nightmare...! Mine ended in the usual two surprise babies which I couldn't keep. Made me a little bit more resistant for a while!

PS: My hay was in a bag of p@h hay; thankfully, I scratched myself first on the thistles when I pulled it out for the guinea pigs!
 
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