Hay Storage

[snowballsmomma]

Hi binky community!

So I previously fostered a bun named Snowball for a few months, and at the beginning of October, he had GI stasis and then was unexpectedly adopted from the shelter.  After this past month of thinking about, I decided to foster another bun from the shelter 🙂

Right before Snowball got adopted, I was given by the shelter and picked up myself A LOT of hay (storebought, loose hay), and I never returned it or gave back to the shelter because I assumed I would get Snowball after he healed from GI stasis.  But he didn’t and so I have had a lot of hay laying around in my house the past month.  They are currently stored in four different places:

• In a cotton pillowcase in our basement (I heard pillowcases could be good storage because they are very breathable)
• In cardboard boxes in our basement
• In a plastic bin (without the top on, with a sheet over it) in the garage
• In the hay bag (never opened) it was in from the store when I bought it

So my question is: is all this hay still good?  It’s been maybe 1.5 months since I got it all.  Should I throw some of it out?  I tried to store it *properly* for the most part, but I’m worried it’s not good and my new foster bun could get sick.  I’m horribly bad at detecting if hay is bad based on the smell, so I don’t know if I would be able to smell it if the hay was bad.  Any thoughts?  Am I overthinking this?

[DanaNM]

As long as it’s been kept dry it should be fine. You can also look for moldy or musty looking areas which you would likely be able to smell. Do you live in a very humid climate?

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

As long as it’s kept dry, it’s fine. Most people just keep it in a container in a cool, dry place.

[snowballsmomma]

Thanks Dana and LBJ10!  I live in Toronto, so while summers can be humid, it is not relatively humid in the fall.  I will look for moldy or musty looking areas just in case 🙂  Thanks for your input as always!!

[Bam]

I agree with the others, just want to say that I think its great you decided to foster again 🙂

[Moonlightbunny66]

Yeah we would love pics of the new foster bun!!

[Hazel]

Should be fine. I buy 50lbs bales for Oscar, it takes him 7-8 months to eat it all, never had an issue with it going bad. As long as it’s dry, it’s fine. 🙂

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