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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 1:36:34 GMT -5
My ferret eats a little bit and then comes back for more 10 minutes later eats a little then comes back for more 30 minutes later. He also likes to eat late at night is it ok to leave it in his cage over night? Right now I am putting cooked chicken in his cage over night for his apparent "midnight snack" lol . When I don't he is starving in the morning. My Rupert this picture doesn't do him justice..
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Post by RedSky on Jan 22, 2014 5:31:48 GMT -5
The bigger the food is the longer it will last. So usually for soup I'd say about 6-8 hours but better left in a bowl with an ice pack under it. I wouldn't worry about leaving it out over night during the winter, but I'd be cautious during the summer, especially during the day just for flys and the heat causing it to turn rotten quicker. I know some on here leave things like a whole pig head in for 24-48 hours without any problems. It's sort of what they do, stash a big meal somewhere and keep coming for a chew!
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Post by mjbez on Jan 22, 2014 8:14:59 GMT -5
Soups 8 hours, chunks 12-24 hours and whole prey can be up to 48. So regardless of the raw stage you are at you can leave raw in all night.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 22, 2014 10:00:55 GMT -5
exactly don't bother cooking it for him! Just give as is if he'll eat it and it will be fine for many hours
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Post by unclejoe on Jan 22, 2014 13:04:48 GMT -5
The concern is how you handle raw food that has been left out. We leave soups out for up to 24 hours. As long as we keep it wet (our soup is ground kibble, raw turkey and water) they will come back and finish it eventually. But if you come in contact with it you need to wash hands thoroughly, whether it's fresh or has been out a while.
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Post by Heather on Jan 22, 2014 13:38:18 GMT -5
I wouldn't leave the cooked out overnight...the raw definitely. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 15:15:50 GMT -5
Sherry had mentioned in another post that the ferrets will not touch it after too much bacteria has grown on the meat as well, correct me if I am wrong. Also, I had a random question about the left over meat, what does everyone do with the leftovers in regards to throwing it out? I usually dump it out in the garbage, but lord does it stink in about a day or two and then I feel like I waste the bags having to throw it out before it is full.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 19:54:59 GMT -5
Is ground beef or ground bison ok to feed?
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Post by katt on Jan 22, 2014 21:33:50 GMT -5
Sherry had mentioned in another post that the ferrets will not touch it after too much bacteria has grown on the meat as well, correct me if I am wrong. Also, I had a random question about the left over meat, what does everyone do with the leftovers in regards to throwing it out? I usually dump it out in the garbage, but lord does it stink in about a day or two and then I feel like I waste the bags having to throw it out before it is full. Think about it this way - if you pull out a batch of old potato salad and open it up and it smells and you see mold - are YOU going to eat that? Nope! We generally know when a food is too off for us to handle. Ferrets do the same. Also, they WILL stash pieces and let them dry and petrify to make jerky and then eat it. I find there is a period in between that they won't touch it. At first they can eat it as it starts to get old, but not too much for them to handle. Then it really smells as it gets greasy and begins the drying process, and they won't touch it. A bit longer and it stops smelling so bad and just turns into essentially a piece of jerky and then it's prime eating time! lol I generally toss stuff when it smells too bad for my nose, regardless of whether THEY think it's okay to eat or not. I don't like my room to smell. But if I miss a piece, I don't worry over it. It's very uncommon for a ferret to eat a piece of meat so bad that it upsets them. As for tossing meats, I use the littler arm and hammer dog poop bags, or the ziplock bag from the new meal (I freeze everything in meals in sandwich sized ziplock bags. This helps seal in the smell. These then go into the garage trash.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 22:16:49 GMT -5
Thanks everyone One more question is it ok to feed them ground beef?
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Post by katt on Jan 22, 2014 22:40:41 GMT -5
Yep! It would count as a boneless muscle meat.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2014 23:06:47 GMT -5
AH! You guys are great thanks!
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Post by birdyyy on Dec 29, 2017 11:33:05 GMT -5
I've been looking for this answer everywhere. The ice pack is especially helpful. I realize that this is an old post, but I've saved it for reference. Thanks all!
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