Won't eat new hay! What can I do?

[auburnmare5]

I bought Sweet Meadow Brand Sweet Meadow type hay on Friday! Coco seemed to like it at first, but now, he hardly touches it! There is nothing wrong with his eating because he is eating his pellets like normal, and drinking water.

What can I do to have him eat it?? What do you do?

All responses are appreciated.

[Haley0489]

He may just be wary to eat something new, since he's never had it before. Like kids and green veggies , but he may also just not care for the taste. You could try mixing the new hay with the old?

[cavyinhawaii]

How old is your piggie? Babies are very cautious of new food. I would just leave it in their cage.
I would smell it and make sure it does not have a moldy smell. It would be a smell you wouldn't notice unless you had your nose right next to it. I have had to throw out moldy hay before.

[auburnmare5]

Originally Posted by Haley0489

He may just be wary to eat something new, since he's never had it before. Like kids and green veggies , but he may also just not care for the taste. You could try mixing the new hay with the old?

I am almost out of the old hay. I have Alfalfa. The thing is, he was eating it like crazy the day I got it, but now, he does not care for it as much. I think it is kind of wierd.

Originally Posted by cavyinhawaii

How old is your piggie? Babies are very cautious of new food. I would just leave it in their cage.
I would smell it and make sure it does not have a moldy smell. It would be a smell you wouldn't notice unless you had your nose right next to it. I have had to throw out moldy hay before.

Coco is almost 4.5 years old. It smells great. I can smell it through the bag! Smells better than the Kaytee hay! It is not the greenest, but he has had bags of hey that were not very green either!

[pigsforlife]

He needs grass hay not alfalfa. Have you been weighing him weekly?

[auburnmare5]

What he has is a grass hay. But I was saying that I had Alfalfa. No. I don't wiegh him, but nothing has changed in his eating habits at all! Just the hay. I will get some Timothy tom. and change it and see if that is what it was. Maybe he does not like change!?

[pigsforlife]

Alfalfa isnt a grass hay though. You need to weigh weekly, especially as he is getting older. Weight loss is generally the first sign that something is wrong.

[auburnmare5]

I know Alfalfa is not a grass hay. I was saying that I can mix it in with his hay to see if is is the new hay? As I said, I am buying new hay tom. so I will see if it is the new hay that he does not like.
If he was losign weight, wouldn't it be sort of obvious by now, or at least start to show?
His habits are not changing, he is popcorning, eating, running, playing, etc...
What can I do to try and get him to eat it?

[pigsforlife]

Weight loss can be gradual, and so you dont notice it without weighing. I am not saying that he would be loosing weight after not eating hay for 2 days, but with an older pig in particular weighing is ESSENTIAL! Alfalfa shouldnt be given to adult pigs. If he doesnt want to eat it he isnt going to. But what I am getting at, is (granted it could just be that he doesnt like the hay) that he could be unwell and a weight loss would back that up. Start weighing weekly now, you just need a kitchen scale and a piece of paper to record it on.

[auburnmare5]

Good News! He started eating it! I guess it must have been a little bit hard for him to change so suddenly, but I am glad he is eating it! Thanks guys!