Too much hay?

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TacoDewBell

New member
Joined
Feb 14, 2016
Messages
4
Hi,

I've been noticing that my Chin leaves a lot of hay left over (and pellets). Wondering if maybe I'm using too much, I generally just try to err on the side of caution and have plenty in there. Also, is the excess hay alright to leave for a day or so or does it go bad after 24hrs?
 
Chins eat roughly a small handful of hay a day, so make sure there is at least that much available everyday. I found that leaving the hay for a few days, so long as they don't pee on it, is fine and mine do go back and eat a good amount of the stuff they throw. Replacing hay everyday can cause them to get picky with the hay since they know fresh/new hay will be there tomorrow. Once the hay is peed on or gets wet from water bottle leaks it has to be thrown out though since it will start molding. Some hay waste is normal, they pick and choose the best pieces to eat. If a lot more is being wasted then eaten, even after leaving it a day or two, you might want to try a different hay.

Most chins eat about 2tb of pellets a day as well, give or take, so I try to only offer about that much per chin each time I put food in the bowls (refilled when empty). The longer pellets are exposed to air the more nutrients they lose, but only by a small amount each day, so a few days worth is fine if the chin doesn't pee in or dump the pellets. Once you know how much pellets your chin eats per day you will know how much to give.
 
I agree with Amethyst but one thing also is to make sure you are putting the hay in a vessel that they cannot sit on top of. They could be peeing or pooping on it without your knowledge.
 
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