Buying pellets in a store...

[ctinaw]

I hear everyone talking about freezing their pellets and whatnot - or is this just Kleenmama's?

I just talked to my petstore who carries Oxbow products and they are going to order me some cavy performance (since my babies are under a year and they only carry the cuisine).

Do I need to worry about freezing it? I ordered a 10 lb bag and I only have 2 pigs so this should last awhile.

And if so, should people avoid buying food from pet supply stores (even if it is oxbow) because it is not shelf stable?

When my pigs are adults would there be a problem with me buying the oxbow cavy cuisine off of the shelf? Who is to say how long it's been sitting there in the bag. Are there expiration dates on them?

I am just curious since it sounds like everyone freezes the pellets for some reason which I've never heard of.

Also - is an airtight container bad? I have an airtight/antproof container I used to use for my rat's Suebees mix. Or do you need to use something that can breathe? I don't like the thought of attracting insects.

Just some n00bie questions - thanks everyone!

 

[pigsforlife]

As far as I know freezing the pellets keeps them fresh as a pose to going off sitting in an open container or bag in normal room temprature. I am know expert on this, but I am almost 100% sure that you put the pellets in an air-tight container.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

If you are only buying 5-10lb. bags at a time there is no worry about freezing them. Just keep them in an airtight container and only take out what you need for about a week at a time. Those of us that freeze pellets buy in bulk, ie: 25-50lbs. at a time.

 

[ctinaw]

Right, I only plan on buying the 10 pound bag. I did the math and even though they hike the price up a bit at this store to make some sort of profit, it is still cheaper than if I had to pay shipping and handling on my own.

The reason I ask about the freezing though is - why does it need to be frozen? Is there a "shelf life" for guinea pig food. I guess I am just concerned whether or not the guinea pig food sells often enough at this pet store for what is on the shelf to be fresh.

I went and talked to the petstore tonight to make sure they had ordered my food and they told me it should be there on Wednesday - since that is when their Oxbow deliveries come in. So I guess maybe I have nothing to worry about. If they get deliveries from them that often then it must sell!

I really like this pet store. They don't sell live pets (except fish) which are WELL taken care of and they have an area in the back of their store devoted to the animal rescue league. Them carrying Oxbow, of course, is a nice bonus too

 

[WheeksUnlimited]

There should be an expiration date on the bags. Just check it before you buy, especially it it happens to be a reduced price. I purchased Oxbow pellets at half off, only to find out that the expiration was a year ago!