Haha me too!! I try putting less hay in. I put a handful twice a day or so into the litterboxes. I replenish they hay racks when they are low, and if it’s been there for a couple days, I put that hay in the litterboxes.

I buy two or three kinds of hay as well, giving alfalfa hay as a treat and using timothy, orchard etc as the main hay. With different kinds of hay they seem to eat more!

How long does hay stay fresh sitting out?
Each morning i put the leftovers in a basket in the “play area” and Atti will munch on it when he’s there.

I like the idea of variety with hay, but how much is too much? I don’t want to upset their little tummies.

Shadow throws more hay than he eats. So I feel your pain at all the waste. I recycle hay into the play areas. I also put small handfulls in a variety of places. What he turns his nose up in one spot will be gobbled down in another spot. I don’t think there is such a thing as to much hay with the exception of alfalfa. Variety helps with picky buns.

I put the fresh hay in the hay bin & hay ball.  I put the old hay in the litterbox.  That way I can rotate it on a regular basis.

I put a handful of timothy and a small handful of alfalfa on top for the girls twice a day… I have very little that goes to waste, of course there is the longer strangs that get thrown out when i clean their litter box (once everyday-every other day) but otherwise, honestly i havnt had a whole lot of waste. It goes to one side of hte litter box while the litter is on the other side.

if you put a handful in usually buns eat more of it because they think its something new, so putting 5 handfulls in throughout the day is much better than just putting one big load, give it a try he might eat more.

The only place I put hay is in the litter box because I’m trying to litter train the bunny boys. Thumper likes hers in the litter box as well. Digger…digs…at his hay in the litter box and mixes it in with the litter. I may need to get him a hay rack.

I personally put big handfuls of hay out every morning and it’s munched on all day. I wasn’t aware that hay goes bad while sitting out…I thought it was supposed to just be kept dry. How long is too long for it to sit out? I store the hay in a bag in a rubbermade container.

I take all of my ‘unused hay’ and put it in a plastic bag next to Layla’s pen. My good friend’s mom has a large compost heap, so I’ve been dropping off the excess there. If you have a garden, this may be an option for you

Hay *CAN* mold but that’s when water gets on it and it sits around. Keep in mind hay is cut and then left to dry in the sun; It’s fairly dry and therefore will not just go bad like veggies. Farmers put big round hay bales in the field to feed animals and those stay out for months. Hay is stored for years sometimes.

Your only concern with hay going bad is mold and it’s very obvious when it’s moldy_that being said I buy all different kinds of hay, different brands for over two years now and have never had mold.

Sooo hay sitting around is fine, and you can move it to a new place to make it more appealing. Just because you put it in a hay rack does mean it will go bad anymore then the hay you have in the bag or container It’s all fine just watch for mold and your good!!

My solution is my guinea pigs, lmao! They are hay monsters!

Coco is a digger too, so I move the hay around her – and have a mix of orchard, botanical, oat and timothy that I change ( as in grab a bit from each bag) daily. If she isn’t in the mood for one, she will munch at the other.

I also find that if I “look” like I am moving things around, she gets more interested.

I also use the older hay for her litter box.

I see waste too. I put in too much in their houses or litterboxes. They won’t touch it after a while. When I had put a little bit in a couple of times a day they ate it and there was no hay sitting around untouched. I have gotten out of the habit of doing that tho. I need to be persistent so I don’t throw so much out.