How do you store your pellets & How long do you keep them?

After reading several different opinions about this, I would like to know:

#1) How do you store your pellets?

#2) How long do you keep them?

~Jim

I buy a 50lb bag, which usually lasts me about 2 months, and I just store it in its original bag. Thought about getting a huge container for it, but never have.

We buy feed in 50# bags for the 10 flemmies(plus some babies) We bought those stacking plastic recycling containers, we go through 50# every 1 1/2 weeks. Back when I only had one little dutch we bought a 50# bag because it was so much cheaper, some would go in a plastic container and the rest would go in ziplock bags in the freezer because it keeps longer.

The biggest bag my pellets come in is 10lbs. That's okay, because one bag lasts me a month.I used to keep it in the original bag which had a decent ziplock, butOxbow recently changed their packaging and now it's hard to open, hardto close, and doesn't fit the measuring scoop in well.:X So Igot a tupperware container that's made for cereal and I keep it inthere. I sift it when I pour it in to get the dust out forLoki.

I used to buy the 5lb bags when I just had Pepsi, but now I buy the 10lb bag.. I go through that in probably around 3-4weeks.

I keep it in it's original bag now, but whenPebbles was upstairs I kept it in a little contianer.

The Oxbow 5 lb.bag can last 4 months forPebbles.

So I poursome intoa small container (a plasticjar)which lasts for 2 weeks.
This way I don't have to open the large bag all the time.
The 5 lb. bag is sealed upand placed into a largerbag whichis also sealed and Ijust leave it on the shelf.



Rainbows!

I get a 3.3 lb bag between Pernod and Perry, andit usually lasts 5-6 weeks (pellets are only part of their diet) and Ijust keep it wrapped in the original bag - but well out of reach ofinquisitive bunnies

Jan

i used to just keep them in the originalbag..but now i put their pellets in a plastic container because theoxbow bag is hard to get into and my little scoop doesnt fit in it..dont know why they put the opening on the side of the bag:?

we get 5lb bags and that lasts peapoo and petey a month or two

I'm on the lookout for a new kind of pellet foodright now. We currently buy Kaytee Supreme Diet for Rabbits,and it comes in a 5lb bag that's not resealable, so we put the wholething in a large ziplock bag. I just store it the same placewe have our hay and other bunny supplies, which is an NIC container Ibuilt that sits next to the computer desk.

We're going to try getting a whole bale of Timothy hay tomorrow...firsttime we've gone that large in our hay purchasing. I'm hopingit goes even faster than the current brand we buy, as it's as fresh asTimothy can pretty much get. Right now we buy Alfalfa Kingbrand, in 1lb resealable bags, and it lasts about three days betweenour two buns. The hay bale will most likely bestored in a closet in a large trash bag. The trash bag willprevent anything on the floor of the closet getting on the hay, and anymess taking parts of the bale will make when I feed them.

We decided on getting a bale because Flower eats quite a large amountof food a day. Did I mention that he has a little round bellynow? YAY!! No more boniness!!

Edit: I forgot to mention...we keep the pellets for about twoweeks...which is about how long it takes for both our babies to eatevery pellet, and leave behind the powder that's on thebottom.

Mommy's little piggies! :bunnydance:

I was prompted to ask about this because of an article I read about mold and mycotoxins in the 2006 Annual Rabbits USA mag.

They say that "feeds should beconsumed within 10 days of delivery" and that"feeds should be used within 3 months of manufacture".
I'm okay here, I guess. I buy a 25 lb bag every 2 weeks. I'llhave to see if I can get a little more info on determining themanufacture date on the bags of Purina.

In reference to storage they say,"Use feed containersthat are not airtight, but keep vermin out, such as paper bags, garbagecans, and cardboard boxes."
I'm okay her, too.I leave the pellets in the original bag,roll the top down tight, stored in the garage in an old cooler. In thebunnies' room, I use and old plastic pitcher to keep a couple of daysworth.

One of the thing I read the really surprised me was, "Donot freeze pellets. Although it may prevent mold, it mold growth, itmay actually induce mycotoxin production."
I won't be freezing my pellets anymore.

Something about hay that was mentioned was, "Do notstore hay in sealed plastic bags, hay needs tobreathe."
The bags that the Kaytee comes in have holes in them.


~Jim

JimD wrote:

Something about hay that was mentioned was,"Do not store hay in sealed plastic bags,hay needs to breathe."
The bags that the Kaytee comes in have holes in them.

Click to expand...

I'm so glad you posted that. I couldn't find a bin to put some leftoverhay in so I put it in a bag. I will have to go poke some holes in it.Thank you Jim!

Lissa

Cool! Thank you so much for letting us know!

The good thing is the resealable bag the hay comes in does have air holes.

As far as pellets, we have been keeping them in an airtight ziplockbag...so we'll from now on just leave it in it's original bag, and forright now find another one they can reside in.

Thanks so much!!

Thanks! I should show my mom that.. she'salwayscomplaing to meif I leave my hay bags openthey hay will get stale.. :foreheadsmack:

Another big problem with not using feed rightaway is that over time the feed essentially breaks down and isn't asnutritious, you lose some of the vitamins and minerals. So your rabbitis filling up on nothing.

Thanks Jim! I didn't know that pelletshad to be in breathable containers too. I thoughttheygot stale and lost nutrientsfaster thatway? I'll have to look into that.

I know another problem with hay is whether or not it was rained onwhile it was drying. If you buy from a farmer, they should beable to tell you. Hay that was rained on is more likely toget moldy.

naturestee wrote:

Thanks Jim! I didn't know that pellets had to bein breathable containers too. I thought theygotstale and lost nutrientsfaster that way? I'll haveto look into that.

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You're right, pellets will degrade faster. I keep mine in the originalpackaging and try to use them within 2 weeks. You can smell thefreshness is less after a week or so of opening. My concern of moldand/or toxins will probably keep me with this practice.

naturestee wrote:

I know anotherproblem with hay is whether or not it was rained on while it wasdrying. If you buy from a farmer, they should be able to tellyou. Hay that was rained on is more likely to getmoldy.

Click to expand...

There's a lot of good sources that outline the quality of hay. I'll seeif I can find the thread we had on this. I posted a chart thatexplained everything.

~Jim

I buy them a little at a time from the petstore. And I keep them in a small plastic bin bc that way a.any little mice we might have wont' get them. b. if graciegets out and gets to the bag, she won't be able to cow out and c. nowthat we have her outside, it protects them from the rain and otheranimals.

JimD wrote:

One of the thing I read the really surprised me was, "Do not freeze pellets. Although it may prevent mold, it mold growth, it may actually induce mycotoxin production."
I won't be freezing my pellets anymore.



~Jim

Click to expand...

I did some research to find the basis of the above statement. Some Mycotoxins are more likely to grow in freezing or dry conditions in grains (especially corn). This would be most commonly seen in field condition or grain storage.

What the statement does not take into account is that Mycotoxins do not grow well on hays (such as the alfalfa or timothy that pellets are primarily comprised of). Most processed feeds also contain mold and mycotoxin inhibitors.

I haven't been able to find any sites that recommend against freezing rabbit pellets and no scientific studies to support the fact that freezing rabbit pellets may induce myxotoxin production. I would like to see theresearch that the publication based it's statment on.

Humidity proves to be far more of a risk in promoting mold production on pellets. I've had to dump my pellets on occasion when they started to mold (I use my pellets within 2 weeks).

As I previously stated - pellets are subject to freezing and thawing during the distribution process.

Last but not least - if freezing foods and inducing mycotoxins is such a serious concern -- why haven't humans been warned of this threat to our food supplies?



Pam

Also - never store pellets in metal bins due to the faster production of mold.

Pam

pamnock wrote:

JimD wrote:

One of the things I read the really surprised me was, "Do not freeze pellets. Although it may prevent mold,it may actually induce mycotoxin production."
I won't be freezing my pellets anymore.



~Jim

Click to expand...

I haven't been able to find any sites that recommend against freezing rabbit pellets and no scientific studies to support the fact that freezing rabbit pellets may induce myxotoxin production. I would like to see theresearch that the publication based it's statment on.




Pam

Click to expand...

Hi Pam,

Thanks for the input. There's so much info out there and it's often difficult to determine what sources are reliable.

I sited my source in one of my previous posts here
JimD wrote:

I was prompted to ask about this because of an article I read about mold and mycotoxins in the 2006 Annual Rabbits USA mag.

Click to expand...

I'll see if they reference the resources for this article.

~Jim