The scarecrow is an excellent idea.

Do you prefer to keep it all, or would you consider donating some of it to a local shelter for their bunnies? I know you just paid for it, but at that price, it may be worth it to pare it down somewhat.

Well, do you really think you are going to be able to use it all? Do you only have one rabbit? For $6.99 if you don’t use it all then I think you will still be okay and hopefully won’t feel too guilty since it’s so inexpensive. After all Halloween is coming up and maybe you can use some to decorate too. You can also use it in your garden as mulch.

I think it’s fine too if it’s not in an air conditioned place – as long as it’s contained. They don’t keep the hay in air conditioned places anyway when they store it (hay farmers). So I think that would be fine too.

The horse place sound like a great idea to me. But yes find out first about availability.

I thought of a horse farm too, actually.
Also, you might consider storing it in smaller, linen/cotton bags so the air can breathe a bit, which should help it last. No AC sounds fine, it’s more the humidity than the warmth that gets to it.

Honestly I’m not sure since I’ve never bought a bale because I was afraid of the same problem you are now having and I have 9 rabbits :~) I know MooBunnay has bought bales – maybe she will answer this and can give you more of an idea of how long it lasts her – she also has 9 rabbits I believe.

I think the plastic containers are fine as long as there is circulation for the air.

Yikes! I had that same problem with the bale of hay I bought a couple weeks ago… Those suckers have a tendency to expand when you cut the bailing twine =P I too was amazed at how much hay I now have. I mean, I’ve been riding and caring for horses for years (haven’t in a couple years cus of college) so I knew about how big a square bale is, but when you look at the amount of hay that even the most voracious hay eater (bunny) consumes in a day compared to the mountain of hay you now have sitting in the middle of the room, it’s a bit overwhelming. I found that I was able to squish 3 or so flakes of hay into a 14 gallon Rubbermaid tub, and then 6 or 7 into big cardboard boxes, so in all I have the plastic tub (which I’ll be feeding out of first) and then two cardboard boxes of hay to store. One I’m keeping in a hall closet, the other in my parent’s garage. So we’ll see how that works out. I may end up donating one of the boxes to my local rabbit rescue.

As for the boxes, I’m using two boxes that originally hold a ton of paper towels that you can buy at Sam’s club. I would try going into a grocery store and asking if they have any large boxes you can have.

I am a little concerned about the laundry room idea… our laundry room always smells strongly of detergent and fabric softener, I’d be worried that the smell might get into the hay somehow… maybe, maybe not… what does everyone else think?

I was considering buying a bale of hay actually….I go through a lot of hay! Two bunnies and two chinchillas! I think the storage containers will be fine for storage, too. Donating it would be nice too. Good luck with your scarecrow – you’ll have to post pics!

If you give the excess hay to the horse farm, could you make a deal with them to supply you in case you do run out?

I buy a bale at a time with 5 rabbits. I keep it in plastic bags with holes in it in the garage and it does fine. But I also have 4 guinea pigs.
I go through alot of hay. A bale usually lasts me a few months.

Posted By Alicia on 09/13/2009 02:06 PM

I’m thinking of using some as litter too instead of buying litter…just putting down some newspaper for easy changes and then laying down some hay..they love pooping on hay..they always pull it out of the hay rack and poop on it so I figure I might as well make it easier for them!

This is what I do! Fill the litter trays and then some hay racks with it!

But I never have to worry bout having to much or running out, Speically now that I got my Show Heifer! XD

Also you could get a metal barrel , thats what we use at the barn  the hay stays fresher longer then in rubbermaids.

You could always just wrap upa pile in those old sheets you mentioned, fabric is fairly breathable, and if you just wrap it nice, you won’t have to do any sewing AND if its wrapped nice and good, you might not have to worry about too many pests getting in it.

I just bought a big wicker laundry basket (1ft by 1 1/2ft by 3ft tall) from Walmart. You can fit about 1/3 to 1/2 a bale in there. The other half bale is in a box sitting in the shed. Having so much hay is WONDERFUL!! I never worry about putting lots in their litterbox, or sweeping up hay messes from them eating. I hated having big boxes sitting around my living room bc I felt like it looked like I was still moving into my apartment (unless of course they are cut up for bunny houses). The wicker basket has lots of air circulation and looks good too!

YEp  those bales go forever.    Where to store them. 

I got a very compacted bale to.  It is in 2 containers and I am ordering another 30 lbs of mountain hay too.   I can put part in a big storage container  yep another one  and the rest in the bag under the bed.   lol

Yep you won’t have to worry abou thay for a long time.   Hay hay everywhere   Join the gang lol

I store apple sticks that I get from my Grandmothers orchard in pillowcases- so that could be a cheap solution.  They are breathable and washable and you might have some old ones laying around.