How to keep hay fresh?

[hana]

Hi I have a chin and bought 8lb timothy hay bag this time.
People here say you can keep hay fresh for several months
if you store it correctly.

My questions are...
*I'll split it in several vinyl bags.
-Should I make some holes?

*Then I'll put the vinyl bags in a plastic container.
-Can I close the led completely?

I know it shouldn't get sunlight and moist.
But hay needs to breath..

Oh and also pellets..
I bought 3 10lb pellets.
Is it safe for several months after open?

Thank you!

 

[Stackie]

I have a mesh laundry hamper that I keep my hay in, and anything that doesn't fit stays in a cardboard box with holes poked in it. I keep hay for 6+ months at a time this way and my chins always gobble it up.

As for pellets, you generally do not want to feed them after about 4 months after opening or the mill date. They start to lose their nutritional qualities after that time.

 

[ticklechin]

I use a rolling laundry cart

 

[smhluvsmh]

Dawn...I love that!

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Geez, Dawn, you make the rest of us look like we don't know what we're doing!!!

I'm off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get one of those carts!!! :thumbsup: GENIUS!!!

 

[Idgie]

I bought a huge garbage can on wheels and drilled holes in it for a bale of hay.

 

[Anna35]

So is it a bad idea to leave the hay in the bag it came in? does it lose it's freshness after awhile? And for the pellets I keep mine in a zip lock bag will that help them stay fresh?

 

[ChinnyMom]

i use a loosely woven plastic picnic bag and leave the top open, and when i buy hay in mini bales i fluff it up in the bag as soon as i bring it home. i only buy enough hay for about a month or two at a time (because that's all that fits in the bag, lol).

as for pellets, i buy enough for about a 3 month supply at a time. that's one 10 pound bag for my two chins. they are pellet hogs though! i keep the pellets in their original ziploc top bag (oxbow brand).

 

[mistywaterwoman]

I keep my hay in a big open bin, under the table where my guinea pig cage is.

Every night when I am refilling hay bins, I turn and rotate my hay to keep it fresh. And
to fish out any foreign objects, lol. Once I found about 10ft of green twine in it!!

My pellets I keep in a dog food bin called a Pet Saver or something like that.

25lbs of chin pellets, 25lbs of pig pellets, lol.

 

[hana]

Thank you!

Thank you everyone:thumbsup:
It looks all good and you do simple than I think.
chinchillas are very picky than human..
I'll do my best to make him happy and healthy:hug2:

 

[Dawn]

I use a rolling laundry cart

I love this idea! Do you happen to know aprox. how many lbs of hay/sticks each section holds?
Thanks in advance
~Dawn

 

[ticklechin]

9lbs of alfalfa, 5 lbs of timothy and 5 lbs of sticks.

 

[Dawn]

Thank You!