How long should I keep a bag of food?

[Bam.Bam]

BamBam and Domo currently get fed Mazuri and I had planned to switch them to Manna Pro Sho. Its a big bag and its still a good food and alot cheaper then I can get Mazuri for at Petsmart or having it shipped.

I'm getting 2 more chins tomorrow (YAY!) and they are currently getting fed Kaytee Forti-diet Pro Health. I guess its not as bad as the Fiesta but I'm definitely going to switch them once they get settled.

Tractor Supply sells the 50 lb bag of Manna Pro Sho for about $17 but with only 4 chins, that would last me a very long time. Guess thats a good thing but I'm worried about how long I should be feeding it to them before it would go 'bad'. Whats usually the life of one of these bags with just 4 chins? I plan to either keep it in the original bag and keep it tightly closed or putting it into a huge container like we do with the dogs.

 

[Rickman]

Most are good for at least 6 mo. and some for a year!
Get some large tupperware containers, and seal them for the most effective way of storage until use.
You could offer to sell 10 lbs. at a time, locally, to keep it fresher, too!

 

[Silverrose]

IMO, I would not use a bag of food 6 months past the mill date. If you can't sell off the rest of the food you don't use, you can always donate it to a local shelter for their rabbits.

 

[starleomach]

6 months past the mill date is it.

 

[Bam.Bam]

k thanks!

 

[sublime5981]

When I had five chins a 50lb bag lasted 5-6 months so, it should work out for your four. I always made sure that the bag I got had been milled within the last 3 weeks that way little or none of the feed went to waste. On the rare occasion when I had to throw some out, I just figured that it was still way cheaper than smaller bags and well worth it.

 

[Ippo456]

I buy pellets in bulk even though I only have 2 chinchillas.
I store most of them in an airtight tupperware & keep the tupperware in the freezer.
The freezer doesn't make the pellets moist or anything.

 

[tunes]

I buy pellets in bulk even though I only have 2 chinchillas.
I store most of them in an airtight tupperware & keep the tupperware in the freezer.
The freezer doesn't make the pellets moist or anything.

It also doesn't do a thing to prolong the life of the pellets. It's not like freezing meat so it will keep longer. The most it does is give you somewhere to store it. You would save freezer space if you just bought an airtight container and stored your feed in there instead.

A nutritionist from Hubbard, who manufactures Tradition, spoke at the shindig 6 or 7 years back, and this question was asked there.

As far as when it expires, I have never had any food that is more than a month old, but if I did, I wouldn't use it past 6 months either.