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Post by angelfish on Mar 15, 2011 17:23:36 GMT -5
This being shedding season, I've been giving my guys a little pumpkin about once a week or so. I've noticed that the can goes bad waaay before I get near finishing it. I've tried freezing it but they don't seem to like to consistency after I defrost it. I did find butternut squash in the baby aisle. It's only butternut and water. Do you think this would be an acceptable substitute? I feel bad throwing out 3/4 of a can of pumpkin.
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Post by Heather on Mar 15, 2011 17:27:05 GMT -5
I know where you're coming from....have you thought of feeding pumpkin to your furkids and pumpkin muffins, cookies or spice cake to yourself?? That's what happens here ;D I've never used baby food squash before...I'm not sure it would work as well. Hopefully, someone else has tried it and found out how it works. ciao
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Post by miamiferret2 on Mar 15, 2011 17:36:09 GMT -5
if you freeze them into cubes defrost in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds and then stir well with a spoon. you will see as you are stirring that the pumpkin texture changes and it becomes more smooth. my ferret doesn't eat the frozen cube pumpkin unless i microwave it and make it smoother for him. he's weird.
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Post by katt on Mar 15, 2011 17:37:12 GMT -5
Any type of squash will work for fiber. Pumpkin, Acorn, Butternut, Yellow...they are all very similar and all very high in fiber. I have used various squash baby foods in the past including the butternut, and sweet potato chicken. I have found they all work quite well. Sweet potato is higher in sugars than squash I believe but still works well for a fiber. You can also buy fresh squash of any kind and blend it up. As for canned pumpkin in particular I recently found a method that worked quite well. I'll come back and post it - I'm on my phone at work so it's harder to copy and paste and type and everything else. Lol
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Post by Heather on Mar 15, 2011 17:49:35 GMT -5
I know that you can interchange the squashes...but can you use baby food squash. That has very little left except water...it doesn't taste like anything. So, does it have the same qualities that we're looking for?? ciao
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Post by katt on Mar 15, 2011 17:51:26 GMT -5
Ok for the pumpkin: A tip for the pumpkin that I recently discovered. I tried freezing it in cubes - HORRIBLE idea. It freezes like cement only worse. It is impossible to get out of the tray! haha What I found that DOES work is when I prepare the food bags, I put a fair sized scoop of pumpkin in each one. When I am done filling the bags, I gently (make sure not to poke holes with any sharp bones! haha) mush the bag contents around a little to spread to pumpkin over the meat. This way every meal has it's "fur" aka fiber content. Read more: www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=192&page=9#ixzz1GiAjbrja
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Post by katt on Mar 15, 2011 17:53:40 GMT -5
I know that you can interchange the squashes...but can you use baby food squash. That has very little left except water...it doesn't taste like anything. So, does it have the same qualities that we're looking for?? ciao Yes. It is not quite as effective but it still works quite well IME. I used Squash baby food for a long time before I ever bought a can of pumpkin. It worked well for me, and is even recommended to feed iguanas if they get into something as they are also prone to blockages.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2011 19:26:25 GMT -5
Ok for the pumpkin: A tip for the pumpkin that I recently discovered. I tried freezing it in cubes - HORRIBLE idea. It freezes like cement only worse. It is impossible to get out of the tray! haha What I found that DOES work is when I prepare the food bags, I put a fair sized scoop of pumpkin in each one. When I am done filling the bags, I gently (make sure not to poke holes with any sharp bones! haha) mush the bag contents around a little to spread to pumpkin over the meat. This way every meal has it's "fur" aka fiber content. Read more: www.holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=switch&action=display&thread=192&page=9#ixzz1GiAjbrjaThat's what I do. I have it built into their soup. No idea what I'm going to do when they graduate to whole pieces and chunks!
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Post by Heather on Mar 15, 2011 19:43:25 GMT -5
Give them a meal of their old soupy ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2011 19:49:04 GMT -5
Katt's method is mainly for chunks and whole pieces. When you are preparing their meals, coat the pieces in a thin layer of pumpkin.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2011 0:35:06 GMT -5
I have experience using both and prefer each for their own reasons.
Pumking being the amount you get for the price is wonderful
Beechnut brand butternut squash (gerber tends to put corn starch in some of their their baby foods and cost more) is extremely convenient for me because I have 4 badgers so I just give them half a jar in a sitting as needed.
Reasons I don't like them
You have to freeze the pumpkin in ice cube trays or it goes bad. Then they are hard to remove unless you let the tray sit out for about 10 minutes or dip it in shallow hot water until they become loose. I go around with a sharp knife along all four sides of each ice cube to make sure they release. You can spray the trays with Pam organic olive oil spray too(edit to add before you add the pumpkin of course). Once you get them released I pop them into a freezer bag. But of course all of this is a bit of a PITA lol.
little baby food jars can be expensive if you cant buy in bulk so if you can then do so.
I still have a bag in the freezer with ice crystal covered pumpkin cubes in it that i need to throw out. I only really give them squash/pumpkin during shedding season as i see no need for the extra sugars. If I have to pick I would pick the baby food.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2011 0:40:42 GMT -5
Thats funny- I have Pumpkin cubes frozen in a rubbermaid container for a year- waiting to be tossed.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2011 0:44:42 GMT -5
Rose, ;D perhaps we should stand up together right now and go toss those darn cubes.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2011 7:53:50 GMT -5
Is it preferable to cook the squash first or no?
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Post by Sherry on Mar 30, 2011 9:05:38 GMT -5
Oh, yes! It has to be cooked and pureed, otherwise it's a blockage risk. They can't break it down and process it, so it just sits there.
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