Keeping hay fresh

[starrynight0621]

I have several questions about Oxbow Timothy hay...

1.) How long does it stay fresh?

2.) How can you store it so it stays fresh but does not get moldy?

3.) How many pounds of hay would you buy at a time if you had only two chinchillas?

I purchased a 25lb bag a few months ago and lately my chins haven't been eating it as much. The plastic bag it came in ripped, so it has been exposed to the air for a while. I wonder if it has "expired," for lack of a better word.

 

[Tagna]

Hay should not be kept airtight. It needs to breath. I keep my hay in a huge cardboard box that has holes in it. I move the hay around weekly so it gets aired out.

Hay can last a very long time and the only way it would mould is if it was wet or had moisture.


Some people use a laundry mesh bag to keep their hay in.

 

[xBrianx619]

The hay I get comes ina huge box from my vets office, I give about a handful at a time, as long as there's no mold I wouldn't think it makes a difference, I could be wrong though, I've only had a chin for about a month and a half...haha

 

[ChinnyMom]

chins can get bored with one type of hay, and you need to switch it up to keep them interested in eating it. perhaps pick up a smaller bag of the oxbow orchard grass and give them that on alternating days, or mix it with the timothy.

Tagna is right about hay needing to 'breathe'. a cardboard box works great (no lid and air holes in the side of the box). or any bag or container that will allow the hay to 'breathe'. i use a loosely woven nylon picnic type bag and leave it open, and turn the hay over in the bag every now and then. works well for me, and the picnic bag can hold one of the big bags of hay from petsmart, or up to four of the smaller oxbow type bags.

 

[AznTiger]

I keep it in a box with holes. Like Chinny mom, I change it a bit between the other oxbox hay so they keep it going. It works for me. But i tend to get like one big bag at a time. I am constantly worried if the hay will turn brown. lol

 

[Godofgods]

I purchased a 25lb bag a few months ago

Wow.. iv never heard of one that big. I buy the biggest bag my store offers at 40 ounces (2.5 lbs) 25 lbs would be 10 times that size! I could probably fill a full level of my FN cage with that much!

 

[Godofgods]

chins can get bored with one type of hay, and you need to switch it up to keep them interested in eating it. perhaps pick up a smaller bag of the oxbow orchard grass and give them that on alternating days, or mix it with the timothy.

Tagna is right about hay needing to 'breathe'. a cardboard box works great (no lid and air holes in the side of the box). or any bag or container that will allow the hay to 'breathe'. i use a loosely woven nylon picnic type bag and leave it open, and turn the hay over in the bag every now and then. works well for me, and the picnic bag can hold one of the big bags of hay from petsmart, or up to four of the smaller oxbow type bags.

I hadnt relay though of either of those before. Iv always left my oxbow western Timothy hay in the 40 oz bag it came in. Of course I'm opening it a few times a day to give them more hay so it is getting some air. Of course with 5 chins, the bag only lasts a week or two at most.

As for getting bored with one type of hay... I wonder. My three girls still go to town over the normal hay. But the last several months, my boys haven't been eating much hay. They still get excited when i put more in, but they will eat maybe 5% of it and trash the rest. (I'm used to them trashing a lot, but their eating a lot less of it now)

And other then being a little bit less personable, theirs been no change in their health. (other then turning into a shelf pee'er outa no where) I wonder if a little bit of a different type of hay would interest them...

 

[ChinnyMom]

i would give them different hays, Godofgods, to keep them interested in eating as much hay as possible. try oxbow orchard grass. most chins love the stuff!

 

[h1rono8u]

Hi,

in my country is a little humid so should I still store in an airtight container and then let it breathe from time to time

or

just store it in a cardboard box though??

getting my chin soon so wanna prepare

thank you

 

[ChinnyMom]

h1rono8u, you have an air conditioner set up and ready for when your chin comes home, right? in warmer climates, an air conditioner is a must if you want to be a chin slave. most a/c units will also dehumidify the room. if yours does not, get a dehumidifier.

keep your hay in a cardboard box, in the same room the chin is in.