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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2014 13:10:09 GMT -5
Hey All! So my 5 babies have been kibble free for 5 days! I can't wait until the day I do not have to make soup (I've been making the soup since July 22-they would have soup at night when I could find hearts)! I am wondering if I am making it wrong...
Per batch; 8oz chicken meat (usually thighs), 2oz chicken hearts and 1 oz chicken liver (then I sprinkle about a tsp eggshell powder.
I've been weighing the hearts and liver because they all are not 'exactly' the same size wise, so sometimes I could have 5 or 6 hearts in a batch-is this okay? Or should I be doing 2 hearts and 1 liver? I think I remember reading they can't overdose on taurine...?
Also, I've been giving them soup from the fridge with warm water to put in their cage for the day (when I'm at work) and sometimes there is still soup left. The times when there was some left, I would add a little cool water and leave it overnight when they are out-by the morning I can tell it's no longer edible!
What is the shelf life for soup? Or do I go by smell? Even though raw is new to the babies, would they still know when the meat is no longer safe for them eat??
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2014 13:15:37 GMT -5
And should I be leaving the soup in the cage while I'm at work? Or would it be better to wake everyone up, feed them, and then put them in the cage and go to work? Thanks in advance!  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2014 13:25:44 GMT -5
My chicken hearts were small so I just went by ounces. 2oz of hearts/ recipe. Soupie can be left out for 6-8 hours. Ferrets will not usually eat anything that has gone bad. It's okay to leave some in the cage while you are at work but I always get rid of the old and replace with new when leaving overnight.
I believe having a little more taurine can't hurt them but maybe one of the more experienced ferrents can confirm.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 14:32:33 GMT -5
My chicken hearts were small so I just went by ounces. 2oz of hearts/ recipe. Soupie can be left out for 6-8 hours. Ferrets will not usually eat anything that has gone bad. It's okay to leave some in the cage while you are at work but I always get rid of the old and replace with new when leaving overnight. I believe having a little more taurine can't hurt them but maybe one of the more experienced ferrents can confirm. Thank you! Since I posted the question of shelf like for the soupies, I have read probably a dozen posts about the 6-8 hours  I was hoping the babies would know when not to eat the soup, but wasn't sure since this is new (and delicious) for them! I have been replacing with new before and after work, but I also adding a little water to the current day old stuff, and sometimes they eat it? As long as it's not hurting them... They are having some not so pretty poops-which I know is to be expected- but like you said, I hope some more experienced ferrents can confirm! Thanks again for your response JerseyGirl! |
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Post by gfountain on Oct 29, 2014 15:50:15 GMT -5
The soup should have 1 oz of heart, 1 oz of liver, and 1/2 tsp of eggshell for every 8 oz of meat. But you are correct that they can't overdose on taurine so the extra heart won't hurt them. As far as the 'safe time' for soup, ferrets won't eat anything that's soured, BUT if you mix in water and they eat the 'freshened' soup, it could make them sick. The bacteria that sour the soup are going to be there whether you 'freshen' it or not and you really don't want them to eat it. 8 hours is really the maximum length of time you want to leave it out for them. If you're having too much left over, cut back on the amount you serve.
Switching to raw = funky poops. Normal.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 13:57:22 GMT -5
The soup should have 1 oz of heart, 1 oz of liver, and 1/2 tsp of eggshell for every 8 oz of meat. But you are correct that they can't overdose on taurine so the extra heart won't hurt them. As far as the 'safe time' for soup, ferrets won't eat anything that's soured, BUT if you mix in water and they eat the 'freshened' soup, it could make them sick. The bacteria that sour the soup are going to be there whether you 'freshen' it or not and you really don't want them to eat it. 8 hours is really the maximum length of time you want to leave it out for them. If you're having too much left over, cut back on the amount you serve. Switching to raw = funky poops. Normal. Thank you so much! I'm glad they cannot overdose on taurine and I guess the extra hearts added to some having funky poops (looks like melted chocolate)  Thank you also for explaining about the bacteria! I can't believe I didn't think of it that way-I would just smell it when I got home and if it smelled okay I would 'freshen' it. Ugh! I hope I haven't done any internal damage to the babies. Do you, or anyone else reading this, know what signs to look out for regarding making them sick? Today would mark 1 full week of only raw...I hope that's not enough time for something to brew; especially with the weekend coming up ;( |
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Post by gfountain on Oct 30, 2014 14:07:03 GMT -5
If they get a bacterial overload, you'll know it pretty quickly... diarrhea, stinky STINKY poops, vomiting. Since they haven't shown any signs, I think you're safe. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 14:25:32 GMT -5
Oh thank goodness!! Thank you!! |
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