# Food going stale (how long will it last in freezer)



## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

originally posted this in reply to the wrong thread.. whoops haha. Just decided to make my own thread.

Sorry if it's been asked already (or is really obvious to everyone else), but I can't find the answer anywhere.

When you're making a mix, do you put each "ingredient" in equal proportion? 

Also, if the food is properly sealed & stored, how long before it goes stale? I have a small "Vittles Vault" that will hopefully keep the food a little better than just being in the bag. I read somewhere that it's about a month, but I'm wondering how people can afford a mix when each bag is so expensive and it only lasts for a month


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

I used to keep each food separate and give some of each kind to each hedgehog depending on what they liked the best. With anywhere from 25-38 hedgehogs at any given time, that got a bit time consuming so now I mix it ahead of time. I have found since mixing it, those that were fussy about certain foods are now eating them.

With one hedgehog, having a variety can be expensive. Decide on a food that you want to be his staple food. Usually this is something you can get just about anywhere so if one store is out of it, another store will have it. Buy a small bag and once you open it, divide it up into 1 or 2 weeks worth and put in ziplock baggies and store in the freezer. Make sure once you take the bag out of the freezer that you lay the food out on a paper towel until it is thawed out. If you leave it in the bag to thaw, it will get damp and go moldy.

Now that you have your staple food, get sample bags, or trial sized bags of a couple of other foods. With one hedgehog, a sample bag as part of a mix will last quite a while.

Make sure when introducing him to a new food that you only try one at a time and wait a week or two before adding another to make sure he isn't going to get an upset tummy from it.


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## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

Darn  I was hoping after I got a mix worked out I could just put it all in the vault and it would keep for a while. I'll return it and stick with your advice.

How many lbs would a small bag be? About 5?

And just to clarify the freezer thing: once I take a bag out and the food has thawed, do I just keep it out until it's empty? Also, will they keep as long as they're in the freezer?

I'm hoping Petco has some more sample bags next time I head over.  The one near me carries a huge variety of foods that always seem to be well stocked, so at least that's good. They had all of these so I was trying to decide which to use. If I had my way, they'd all be part of the mix, but... I don't think that's going to happen. 

Solid Gold Katz-N-Flocken----------------------12.49------4 lbs
Wellness Indoor Health-------------------------12.99------2.5 lbs
Blue Spa Select Weight Control Formula------13.49------3 lbs
Natural Balance Green Pea & Duck------------14.99------5 lbs

One last question: how do the proportions work? Once I successfully integrate another brand into the mix, should it be even with the staple, or should it be a little less?

Thanks for the advice, Nancy!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

Solid Gold is a favourite around here. Wellness was not well liked. I think it was the shape. Never tried Blue Spa and Natural Balance didn't used to come in the big bags which is what our gang need.

Yes, once the baggie of food is out of the freezer, leave it out. That is why packaging enough for a week or two works well.

When I mix it's pretty close to equal portions of each but with my gang, on occasion I'll get a small bag of something for variety and then it's not equal. You will probably find that he will decide for you what foods he likes best and the others will either be dumped or poo'd on.


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## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

Thanks a lot. I'll try starting with Solid Gold and seeing where to go from there. The breeder gives a 10 day supply of her current mix, so I'll work the SG into that as time goes by. (and probably pick up a little more of what she uses to make sure he stays happy). As you said, it's not up to me, Gordon will tell me what he wants haha.

Also, just curious if anyone has had any experience with Gamma Plastics/Vittles Vaults?
http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com ... 20PLASTICS

I'm still going to be freezing the food, but I wanted to know if anyone's used 'em. Thanks! You're so kind to answer all of my questions haha


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

I leave the foods in their bag since Petco has a return policy, if you return it within 30 days you get a refund or replacement. This is especially useful when trying to figure out what they like to eat....and yes this policy does cover opened bags, but they must be in their original bag.


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## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

I'm hoping they'll be willing to give samples, but if not, I guess I'll have to keep them in the original bags until I find out what he likes. Horray for saving money! I appreciate the tip


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## sillybowtie (Oct 6, 2008)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

I use the snack size zipper baggies and fill up each days food. It is nice becuase you will have 50 days of food and when you have to leave your hedgie with family members they know how much food they get a night. Also, pre-packaging the food you will know when you have to buy more food.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

If you have a specialty pet shop near by, I would definitely check it out. Our Petco does not have any bags smaller than 2.5 lbs. I got a "sample" bag of Before Grain cat food (1 lb) for $3. Inky loves it, and I didn't have to buy a whole ton of it. There were a lot of other small bags of food, and usually those store carry high quality things.

Once thing I would watch out for is protein content, though. Some of the high quality stuff gets really high.

Just a thought.


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## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

*Re: Mix proportions & food going stale*

Okay, I have a question going back to the freezing idea: if you freeze the food, how long do you have before it goes bad?


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