Kept LP-E8 batteries for Canon t3i on dual charger for weeks ... am I retarded?

For several weeks, possibly up to 2 months, I have had four of my batteries on two PhotoPro dual chargers.

I have one native genuine Canon LP-E8, and this one doesn't have a bulge on its belly.

I have one newer Photive LP-E8 battery in my collection, and this one has a slight bulge to it.

The unbranded ones are bulging enough that it takes effort to force it in and pull it out. I'm worried. And I'm probably retarded.

Should I replace all of these batteries that are bulging?

And as best practice, next time I should just take them off the battery charger once they hit 100%, yes?

The non-Canon batteries may lack the electronic smarts that allows the charger to turn off once they charge. I wouldn't use bulging batteries, personally. What if they get stuck in your camera, or leak?

yes

And as best practice, next time I should just take them off the battery charger once they hit 100%, yes?

Or better yet, buy original as they will automagically stop charging if you forget. Third party batteries discharge at a much faster rate than OEM Canon batteries, so you're better off with OEM.

Gregg.Siam wrote in post #15551139
Third party batteries discharge at a much faster rate than OEM Canon batteries, so you're better off with OEM.

Mine don't. I'm happy saving 80% of the price. I'm better off with non OEM.

Also, I wouldn't use bulging batteries.

Bulging batteries mean your charger screwed up. Lithium chargers are supposed to shut off when the battery is full. Now we can argue as to why it happened (bad communication with the battery is frequently implicated, which may be the battery's fault!) but the fact of the matter is that this happens because the battery was overcharged or damaged by too-deep discharge.

Don't use it. Damaged lithium batteries can burst and catch fire, and it's very difficult to put those fires out too.

As for "self-discharging faster" that's a false canard. Self-discharge rate is a function of battery chemistry and quality. Some third-party batteries are inferior in quality, but not all. If you buy high-quality third party batteries you'll be fine.

Watch out for the stock Canon charger though -- it is tightly-integrated with the chip in the genuine batteries and I have found that it will systematically undercharge some third-party packs. This will lead to lost capacity and over time if not paid attention to can lead to a reverse-charged cell. In a lithium pack this is extremely dangerous as it can cause internal shorts (which lead to bulging packs and/or fires.) If you stick a battery in the Canon charger and it goes "green" in far less time than you expect there's a problem! There is no magic here -- charging takes "X" time given a known maximum charger output.

Wasabi ships their batteries with a very nice and compact charger that appears to not have problems with either Canon's packs or third-party ones. In addition it's smaller and lighter; I like it plenty and that's the one I take with me when away from "home base" as in addition to its other good qualities it comes with a car cig plug cord, which is very convenient while "on the road."

I work with mobile scanners at work, and bulging batteries are a sure way to screw up your electronic device. They provide irregular electrical output and could catch fire as others have stated.
I have gotten into the practice of spinning my batteries on the first of every month on my scanners. Any batteries that spin freely are bad and need to be replaced. I will be doing the same with my camera battery come Friday this week.
Better to spend a few dollars on a new battery, than have to replace a camera body that got jacked up because I was cheap.