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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2012 22:37:34 GMT -5
I was wondering if, during the day, while feeding raw, should we adhere to specific times to fix dinner, lunch, etc. I have a flexible schedule so I have been fixing a meal when 1. he's hungry and 2. every 3-5 hours. Sometimes though, it's difficult to tell between him wanting attention and him being hungry.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 23, 2012 23:28:04 GMT -5
I just feed twice a day, morning and evening. I put in enough to last until the next meal.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2012 23:48:18 GMT -5
I was going to ask someone about this actually... you don't worry about the food starting to rot in that time frame? Everywhere I've read about raw says not to leave food out more than an hour tops, (obviously not conducive to feeding foragers!) That's actually one of the main reasons I've held back doing a full switch, as I could only do two meals per day when I'm working and the thought of stashed rotten meat grosses me out!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2012 9:05:27 GMT -5
It takes a lot longer than that for raw meat to start to rot. It might start to dry out after a few hours, but they don't mind that. I think I read somewhere that raw is good for up to 12 hours? Or is it 24? Anyway, I feed 2-3 times a day. His soupies last for maybe 4 hours, though they usually get eaten quicker than that. He gets meat when he's finished his soup, which I leave with him until I'm going to bed, and then more meat which I'll leave in with him over night. He'll still be happily munching on that in the morning, a good 10 hours later, and it doesn't smell. (Trust me, when meat goes bad, you'll smell it ) Think about it, in the wild they'd scavenge, meat certainly wouldn't always be fresh then, would it? They like to stash stuff away until it becomes jerky, so make sure you do regular checks for that, 'cos it's kind of gross..
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 24, 2012 9:08:37 GMT -5
I put food in twice a day, whenever I get moving in the morning and sometime in the afternoon/evening. If they are being fussy and haven't eaten it, I might replace with fresh meat or I'll just leave it, they will eat it overnight. They eat meat they've stashed that I don't even remember when I gave it lol!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 24, 2012 10:27:14 GMT -5
Soup is good for 4-6 hours. Ground up to 8. Chunks up to 12. Large pieces like wings/drumsticks for 24, and whole prey up to 48 And if it DOES start to turn, they won't touch it anyway. Who ever came up with that whole "one hour" limit obviously isn't familiar with carnivores. Heck- I've been known to defrost my OWN meals on the counter with no ill effects ;D
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2012 12:29:25 GMT -5
I feed twice. Around 8 am and 5 pm. And usually leave some in the cage for overnight. If he hasn't finished it overnight, I don't give him new food in the morning. And yea, sometimes I leave food in there for 24 hrs...It's all good
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Post by orv420 on Feb 24, 2012 12:41:04 GMT -5
If you've ever had outdoor cats that hunt, you'd know that they will go back to the carcass for several days. Zaxx just found a week old duck wing that looks like leather, but if he's willing to gnaw on it, then I'll let him have it. With a three hour, highly acidic digestive system, there's not much that can take root and harm these critters. Just my opinion, but my ferrets are all healthy and very active. I do take food out after 24 hours, but they are good at hiding the choice pieces.
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