Help: Do 'loose' hay and hay cubes/cakes just smell different or have my hay cakes gone bad?

[FrozenMarch]

I bought a box of (Momi brand) Alfalfa cakes a week ago, and due to my 2-month-ish buns having darker poops some days ago, I've held back on the alfalfa for a bit and am slowly feeding them some again. Ever since I bought the cakes, I fed a couple of the cakes when I first got them, and kept the rest in their box, inside the resealable ziploc they came in, with a dessicant pack that came inside. This is the first time I bought hay cakes, unfortunately, so I don't have any reference, but I notice that my alfalfa hay cakes smell different from the smell I get from packs of loose alfalfa hay (I call it a pepperminty smell for the loose alfalfa). My question is do alfalfa hay cubes not having a different smell from loose alfalfa possibly mean they've gone bad? Unfortunately I don't know what moldy hay smells like, but my hay cakes smell 'grassy' (?) for the lack of a better term, not as sweet as the normal alfalfa hay.

I just wanted to make sure because the hay cake box did cost me a bit so I don't want to be hasty >< Will be extra grateful for replies from any people who've tried the Momi brand before

 

[majorv]

Did you check to see if there is a Freshness date on the box? I’m not familiar with the brand but have used alfalfa cubes before. I found our rabbits liked the loose hay better than the cubes. They should still have a sweet smell when you break them up, but maybe not as strong. Moldy hay smells musty, but if in doubt try returning it.

 

[Johndxu]

Hay or hay cube is not that easy to go mold unless you left it in moisture and warm condition. Some brand foods mixed with artificial color and flavor, so different brands may have different flavors. This is why I don't buy brand food.

 

[JBun]

There will be a little bit of a different smell to hay cubes, as they're made from chopped hay that's mixed with water and a binder(provided the hay cubes you have don't list any other additional ingredients), then compressed into the cubes and cooled and dried. A grassy smell should be fine. For moldy hay, it would smell sour and/or musty, and may have black or white spots, or if dry, a whitish dust on them.