Pellets gone bad?

[Godofgods]

Iv heard plenty of debate over which pellet brands ppl use, and an occasional average freshness date of some, but i was courious to know, how can u tell if the pellets are actuly going bad? (and befor it would effect a chinchilla of course)

 

[mishellyshel]

i am not sure you can tell if they have gone "bad". unless their are in a moist location, you may see mold but that is unlikely.
the pellets will not only lose their nutrition value, they will also lose their palpability, which basically means your chins are not going to eat them and the little that they do will not provide enough nutrients. i only buy what i can go thru in a few months. Six months is the max that you should have pellets.

 

[Godofgods]

would would mold on a such a small pellet look like?

 

[Paws4Chins]

On rabbit pellets it looks like a grayish slightly green powdery texture and i will kind of smell. Outside of that good fresh pellets should smell good (almost like hay) and have good color. I have ran across old food that does not have mold on it but has no to little smell and may look discolored. If you can not find expiration date you could always check with the people who mad it there should be a lot number they can track down the manufacture date but most high quality animal feed (chin, rabbit, others) should list a manufacture date and if it does not I would not buy it

 

[Spoof]

but i was courious to know, how can u tell if the pellets are actuly going bad? (and befor it would effect a chinchilla of course)

They quit eating it. Once the pellet looses it's nutritional quality, or even before then they'll eat less or stop eating it and waste a bunch. If it goes rancid - you'll smell it. Have never had a bag go moldy on me, but as with anything that contains food matter - it'll likely smell, the texture will be crumbly and it just won't look right.

 

[Godofgods]

well smelling it would be outa the question for me, i cant smell most things becuase of medical problems. I was jsut wondering tho since my food comes in a 25lbs bag. And thats the smaller size lol.
Can the dates on the bag generaly be trusted?

 

[mishellyshel]

i would trust the dates on the bag. but that is just the mill date. i dont know how many chins you have. but 25 lbs would not last that long in my house, well under the 6 month mark, infact probably only a couple months.

but a motto i use with pretty much any food goods; human or pet.......When in doubt, throw it out! it is not expensive enough to risk illness.

 

[Chintastic!]

Ive heard some people freeze what they cant use in a few months, I never have that problem so I cant speak from experience, but would that be an acceptable option for some people?

 

[Sandi]

Ive heard some people freeze what they cant use in a few months, I never have that problem so I cant speak from experience, but would that be an acceptable option for some people?

I wouldn't freeze them. Moisture can occur when taking the pellets in and out of the freezer. The best thing to do is to store them in an airtight container and placing them in a cool dark place and using them up within 4-6 months.

 

[addictedtochins]

I seal mine in one of those giant zip-lock bags, they are like 2-3 ft tall. I buy the usual sack of Purina rabbit chow show, I think it's 25 lbs. I have 7 chins, they let me know when it's getting stale by throwing it and digging etc. (More than usual) Then I feed it to the neighbors horse.