Best way to keep hay and avoid hay poke

[JenniferG]

I've kept guinea pigs for 10 years but in the last year, 3 of them have had hay poke. I haven't changed my hay recently, it's expensive long cut meadow hay from Zooplus.

I used to have the hay in a big ball in their cages but then changed to hay bags to avoid more hay poke incidents. Now another piggie has hay poke from a hay bag and I don't know they best way to avoid this happening, does anyone have any ideas please?

I'm now just putting a little on the floor of their cage so they can't dive into it.

 

[sport_billy]

We keep ours on the floor also, I don't think there is a way to avoid it to be honest just pure luck...

 

[Betsy]

Mine have a hutch lined with hay and they love to burrow underneath it. They also have a hay tray in the run too. They have had their fair share of hay pokes. I don't think you can avoid it as @sport_billy said. Its just pure bad luck if they get it. It's such a shame that the thing they love most and have to have to keep them healthy can do so much damage to eyes. Christian had his first hay poke at 5 days old and it was so bad that the vet mentioned eye removal if the drops didn't clear it up which fortunately they did. His eye still looks a bit odd from it now over two and a half years later but that's just part of him and we know about it and so don't worry about it.

 

[Claire W]

As already mentioned, I don’t honk there is a way to avoid it. I once had 3 hay poke injuries in the space of a year but touch wood and thank goodness, I’ve had no hay pokes for the last 4 years of keeping guinea pigs

 

[JenniferG]

Thanks folks, the seed heads are the biggest problem and have such a sharp point. The vet thought Ruggles might lose her eye but she recovered well, Treacle and Clove weren't as bad with it. Have to hold your nerve to pull them out, they're so awful! Meadow grass hay is always going to have some seed element.