dry food go bad?

maxy24

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If dry food is left in an open bag can it go bad/stale? If so how long does it take? I'm feeding Felidae cat&kitten if that makes any difference.
 

ping

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Good question. I have heard up to 2 mths if opened and not in a rubbermaid type container. Though I am not sure if thats true or not. Mine I put in a rubber maid container (bag and all) for over a month with Ping not turning his nose up to it.

I am interested in the answers.
 

happy cat

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I put mine in a rubbermaid container and it lasts for a couple months. If it's on sale, and I buy in bulk, I freeze it, just put the whole bag in, then take out what I need for about a week, put it in a rubbermaid, tupperware kind of thing and use it.

Its worked for me, they eat it and are healthy. I just wondered though, as I was writing this, am I losing nutrients when I freeze it? hmmm...now y'all got me to worrying...
 

april31

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If its not in a container it can go stale just cause of moisture. I keep mine in a sealed container. But my cats go through a bag every 2 weeks or so.
 

littleraven7726

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i stopped buying the big 20lb bags. they were going stale even in a sealed container. i just don't go through dry food fast enough. i buy the 8lb bags and keep them in a storage container. i linked the one i have.

edit to add: a 20 lb bag will last my cats 3 months or more. and i did get the seal of my container replaced-- i think that played a role in the food going stale.
 

jcat

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Felidae has a tendency to get rancid, so it's best to buy smaller bags, and store it in Tupperware containers.
 

sharky

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ANY naturally preserved food should be kept in a cool dry place with at least a chip clip... and buy no more than used in six weeks
 

jenny82

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I put mine in a container and have never had a problem, but I am just wondering- how do you even know if it has gone stale? Does it smell? Are there other signs?
 

beandip

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The 4# bag of Raw Instinct dry that I kept around too long (in a rubbermaid container) went funky on me. IIRC it was still good at 2 months but went bad shortly after that.

It got a funky rancid smell to it, like old vegetable oil gets.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Maxy24

If dry food is left in an open bag can it go bad/stale? If so how long does it take? I'm feeding Felidae cat&kitten if that makes any difference.
The one thing I notice is that people buy cat food (and people food) and just throw it in the basket and never once look at the expiration date on the bag, or other container. You need to start with food that has not expired in date as so much food in the stores is. I then dump by cat's dry food into a "trash" can with an airtight top and dish their food out of that.
 
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maxy24

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Thanks guys I bought a container that I think is air tight, to keep the food in.
 

goldenkitty45

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Depends on how long the food's been sitting open. I would say it should last a few months opened before going stale. How large of a bag are you getting and how long does it take for them to go thru it?

Can you find a large container to dump it in and seal it? Like a Tupperware container. We dump our bags in a plastic bin that was put out by Iams (had a bag of Iams in it - just kept the container)
 

cococat

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I store mine in a large air tight container in the food pantry and it gets used in a reasonable amount of time so I haven't had that problem before, but I am sure it probably can go bad if not used within a month, or two or so.
 

laureen227

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i have one of those screw-top containers from Petsmart. i think it works better than the tupperware-like trash can i was using. also keep the kits from chewing open the bag...
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Maxy24

If dry food is left in an open bag can it go bad/stale? If so how long does it take? I'm feeding Felidae cat&kitten if that makes any difference.
I keep mine in a large air tight cannister. Otherwise, I would worry about this.
 

bruce&sheila

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I checked with the manufacturer before purchasing a 10kg bag of Royal Canin Kitten. The person on the phone said it should last 3 months if split into smaller quantities and sealed. I was pleased as it's much cheaper in bulk!

So far it has lasted just over 2 months with no evident signs of deterioration - and I have enough left for about a fortnight longer.

Not sure if it's the same with all dried foods, but I wouldn't feel happy keeping it for more than 3 months after opening.
 

*lulu*

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We have a couple of different bags of cat food which have been opened but are resealable...neither of our cats have turned their noses up at them.
 
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