Is it okay to leave meat in a ziploc bag in the freezer for a long period of time? It is okay, just be sure to replace them once they reach around 6 months old just to keep things fresh. ;u;
As for the meat I did get to cut up I bagged pork, beef, and duck livers into 1oz bags....which added up to a lot of bags! And I also bagged some ground whole carcass rabbit into 2oz bags. It was much easier than the livers to bag but it still added up to a lot of ziploc bags. Livers were....slightly terrible. You're doing really well and seem to be getting right into the hang of things! I t can be quite fun prepping food for the ferrets. ^^ I sometimes run out of ziplock bags, so I think I personally should buy those in larger quantities hahahha!!
Do livers usually smell weird? Naturally yes. They do have a strong odour sometimes. I noticed that Lamb livers smell alot more than chicken livers. Lamb kidney also smells gross. I prefer beef kidneys when it comes to the smell. ;A;
Duck livers were smaller and not as strong but pork and beef liver had a very odd odor. Lamb liver smelled a little odd too but not as much as the pork and beef.The difference in odours among different proteins is so interesting when you get past the urge to hurl.
hahaha!
Oberyn loved his lamb liver/pork brains meal. Oberyn seems to be so open to trying new meats and proteins. Transitioning seems to be a breeze for you. It must be because he's a young one.
I'd say the raw meal sizes oberyn is getting are usually about 1-2 ounces, more on the 1 side. That sounds about right! Nice and healthy! Good boy Oberyn.
I leave the kibble in his cage while I'm at school (though he usually doesn't eat it!) Right now I am feeding overyn raw meat once a day. Sometimes twice if there is leftover from the night before. I've been letting him stash the food and he seems to eat it quicker that way. I usually don't let the meat sit for longer than 2 hours though. After I have everything bagged and ready to go I'm going to start 2 times a day, probably in about a week. I'll keep kibble for a while just to offer him while no one is home, once he gets on a steady and balanced diet though I can toss that stuff out and never look at it again! Oberyn is doing very well. You should try increasing the times you feed him. Make a designated time for his breakfast and a designated time for his dinner. You could also remove the kibble if you would like, since he's not really eating it anyway. Since you go to school, a good time would be early in the morning to feed him, or when ever you get up. It really works out since ferrets are mainly active at dusk and dawn.
Just incase it wasn't said yet, but here's how long things can stay out for. ^^
Soups - 6-8 hours
Grinds - 8-12 hours
Chunks - 10-24 hours depending on the size (larger chunks last longer)
Bone-in meats - 12-24 hours, again depending on the size
Whole prey - up to 48 hours
Read more:
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/18573/machans-switching-thread-poncesmom#ixzz3mAeHL4GmHave you tried writing up a meal plan?
It's quite simple, and since Oberyn is going so well, you may as well try building up a plan for him.
7-9 meals consumable bone
3-4 meals muscle meats[at least 1.5 of which NEEDS to be heart (heart should be about 10% of the total diet)]
1.5 meals of approx 2oz liver and 2oz other organ.(This can change over time depending on how much your ferret eats, but is a good starting point. Total should be about 10% of weekly diet)
A bare minimum of 3 proteins are needed to cover your ferret's basic nutritional needs.
This can change depending on YOUR ferret. Some do better with a bit less bone, some need a bit more. You'll be able to determine what your ferret needs as time passes and you become accustomed to raw feeding.
[Aug 2015 Update by Katt]: An EXAMPLE menu outlike might look like this:
Monday am: edible bone in meat
Monday pm: edible bone in meat (or muscle)
Tuesday am: edible bone in meat
Tuesday pm: muscle meat
Wednesday am: edible bone in meat
Wednesday pm: heart
Thursday am: edible bone in meat
Thursday pm: edible bone in meat (or muscle)
Friday am: edible bone in meat
Friday pm: ½ heart + ¼ liver + ¼ other organ
Saturday am: edible bone in meat
Saturday pm: muscle meat
Sunday am: edible bone in meat
Sunday pm: ½ liver + ½ other organ
docs.google.com/document/d/1ysfT1bIvXixXYv6QFjW_EZZqHymtRXRTc3E_wAxLbxU/edit
Read more:
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/146#ixzz3mAbh8WHBIf I haven't said it a million times already,
I'm incredibly impressed and overjoyed at the progress you and oberyn ae making on your own switch.
Keep it up and he'll be on a balanced diet in no time!