{"id":1056,"date":"2021-02-03T16:40:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T16:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/?p=1056"},"modified":"2021-08-26T17:27:23","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T17:27:23","slug":"do-rabbit-pellets-expire-what-you-must-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/do-rabbit-pellets-expire-what-you-must-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Rabbit Pellets Expire? What You Must Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rabbits need a very specific diet to be healthy. A key part of getting these necessary nutrients comes through pellets. With that being said, how long should you expect your rabbit pellets to sit on the shelf for years before they expire?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbit pellets do expire. They usually last for 6 months until they hit their expiration date. You can find this date printed on the pellet bag. It is usually not harmful to feed expired pellets to your rabbit, but it will lose some of its nutritional value over time and be less beneficial overall.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbit pellets usually expire within 6 months, but there are many times where this life expectancy can vary. There are also ways you can make the pellets last longer! If you have more questions beyond pellet expiration, we will also talk about the diet of your pet rabbit below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Rabbit Pellets Expire?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To put it simply, rabbit pellets do expire, but they can still be eaten after their expiration date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically pellets last for about 6 months<\/strong> at a time. Any longer than that then they can lose nutritional value, even if they’re still technically edible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this is the case, and it is best if you feed the pellets before 6 months, you can still feed them those 6-month-old pellets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this being said, it is not always 6 months for an expiration date, so make sure you check the expiration date for every bag you buy. Different batches will have different dates of expiratoin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are simply different from others because of the variety of when and where they are made. As a general rule of thumb, it should be a 6-month period from when they are packaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use common sense and logic when considering feeding your rabbit something old. Of course, if it\u2019s 7 months old, you may consider feeding them those pellets. This is not the case if it\u2019s been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years and you can see mold growing on the pellets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Make Them Last<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To allow your pellets to continue to remain fresh, there are certain steps you can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pellets need to be kept in a cool, dry place<\/strong> that is usually airtight. This will allow the pellets to remain as unharmed by natural causes as possible. By doing this you can maintain and maybe even extend the shelf life of the pellets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My first thought when trying to keep something fresh for a longer period of time is to freeze it. So, when researching this topic, I thought that was the easy answer. I was surprised to hear that experts specifically tell people not to freeze their pellets!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should generally not freeze rabbit pellets in an attempt to extend their shelf life. This is not only a big fluctuation in temperature but it can also introduce moisture into the food which can promote mold growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is the best way to store rabbit pellets? Check out my article How to Store Rabbit Pellets<\/a> to find out! This article has a quick list of do’s and don’ts for the best methods of storing the pellets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moisture is an actual problem so this isn\u2019t the best idea when trying to keep pellets for as long as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is in Rabbit Pellets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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All of this talk about rabbit pellets and we haven\u2019t even talked about what\u2019s in them! Below will be a list of the top 9 most commonly found ingredients in rabbit pellets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n