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Excel herbage warning

claire**

Warren Scout
I recently bought a pack of excel chamomile herbage, as normal. While getting it out the pack one time, I found some red stringy plastic in it. I removed the strands and kept them and complained to burgess. They asked me to send them the strands for testing, so I did. I received a reply saying they are baling twine that is used when harvesting the hay, small ends are sometimes deposited on the crop, and they can't guarantee it won't have any in it but they regularly review procedures etc. they sent me ten pounds of vouchers.

I have just replied to them, thanking them for their explanation etc but asking them to please ensure this cannot happen, and pointed out that if it had been eaten it could cause a blockage, stasis, large vet bills, and possibly worse. I did point this out in my original email, but stressed it more this time.

In my opinion it's dangerous, as the strange of twine were quite similar to the hay so could have been eaten along with some strands, rather than deliberately left by the bunny.

I have told them I'm a member on a forum and I felt I needed to make u aware of this. Please be careful with ur hay. Check it when u get it out the bag and fluff it up for ur bun etc. I know it's a small risk but is worrying. So please be aware and check the hay
 
Gosh that's scary! I haven't fed my buns the Excel herbage for a while and I don't think I'll be buying it again in a hurry :shock:
 
i've actually bought two bags today and was planning on giving buns some tonight - thankyou very much for the warning, will check carefully!
 
Thanks, I did think it was rather scary. Although a tiny risk, if something like that had made my boy ill I'd be heartbroken. I'd be interested in how worrying other members feel this is... Do u think bun would munch it with the hay and it be broken up tiny and pass through, or could it be likely to block as it wont break down any further by stomach acids etc. I'm sure people like jacks Jane might have more of an insight. I have a photo I took of the twine before sent it off, if anyone wants to see I can email it to them, don't have a photo bucket account etc to post here. Don't know what to make of the vouchers. While I though ok good ten pounds off, my problem is how worrying it would be if anyone's bun did eat the twine, and the vet costs, operations, meds, and I if someone lost their pet from something like this, nothing can compensate.

Alternatively are there any companies like the hay experts etc, the smaller independent ones who don't use this kind of twine in the process so are guaranteed safe? I've carried on buying the same hay as my boy likes it, but if anyone knows of any farmed in different ways that are totally safe, I'd love to know, I don't care if they are more pricey
 
Gosh, that is a bit worrying. I haven't bought this product for a while, but was thinking of trying Spenser with it again. He didn't care for any of the Excel hays when he first came to me, but he is not so fussy and I think they are generally well liked.
 
'things' are always appearing in hay - from sticks, to plastic, to bits of metal... i've put some herbage in the fancy hay bin today - i'll have another look at it as i take it out to feed. thanks for the warning.
 
I believe that balers twine is used in all hay production, I may be wrong, but it's how the bales are formed and held together, it is undeniably careless of excel that it got into the packet but I doubt that any hay sellers could garentee that they will never accidentally sell some mixed in with the hay.

My buns are really careful with their hay, I hope they would eat around it anyway :?

Good of excel to apologise and send the vouchers though, good customer service! (even if the twine was a bit of a muck up!)
 
I do think a bun would notice, or I think Smoo would, although I think you're right to be worried. I've also found buttercups in my hay once which are toxic to rabbits, although this was a long time ago and me and my mum kicked up a fuss with the pet shop. I think, hay, being what it is should be checked anyway, like they said it's impossible to guarantee that nothing that shouldn't be there isn't.
 
Thanks for the warning.

Hay is a natural product which is produced in fields so all kinds of things can end up in it so I would always have a look at it before feeding. I think there have been threads on here about what strange things people have found in hay.
 
i agree its natural, i have had bird feathers in it in the past, which i mentioned to excel and said that obviously as its a natural product these things can sometimes happen, and its always worth checking. I just think that in this particular instance its potentially something dangerous. i would imagine buns who eat one strand at a time would not eat it, my boy tends to sniff out the best bits. but those whose buns gobble several bits in one go could accidently eat it amongst other strands. it was quite fine, but long and stringy, and obviously pretty tough if its designed to hold bales together.
 
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