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Post by sassygirl on Jun 28, 2008 14:19:47 GMT -5
I have one jill ferret,I want to change the diet of my jill recently, because I heard that the raw meat diet is much better than kibble. But i like to know,Is any one feed their ferret with raw meat diet that make their ferret more healthy and live longer ? AND what kind of raw meat food should I feed my jill? chicken wings or beef??which parts of body If I want to feed her a mice,do I have to bear them by myself? how do I make this(diet) work,do I have to go to the supermarket everyday to buy the fresh meat? I have no idea at all,I am not live in American... so I can't order some raw meat product from the pets web. by the way,my jill doesn't have two front teeth of below ,can she still eat the chicken wings bone? sorry for my poor English. can anyone help me?teach me the simple way to start it. I'll be grateful!
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 14:23:57 GMT -5
I responded in the ferret.com forum. I would re-type it here, but I have my 4 month old in my arms, and she is being difficult. I will try later!
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 14:28:33 GMT -5
Here you go. I cut and pasted my response from the other forum. Hope this helps!
I am currently switching my ferrets to a raw diet too. I find that the easiest way to start the switch is to make "soupie". What I would do, and it is only a suggestion, is to
1. Start feeding your ferret softened kibble. You can use water, I used chicken broth only to get them aquainted with the flavor of chicken.
2. After she eats the soft kibble, start blending the kibble/broth mixture with raw boneless chicken. You can make this more runny like soup by adding more water or broth.
3. Once she is eating the "soupie", start making it thicker by adding less water or broth.
4. Next, start adding small, kibble sized chunks of chickent to the thick soupie you have made.
5. After she starts eating the chicken bits in the "soupie", start making the chunks a bit larger.
6. Onces she is eating the larger chunks, you can progress to bone in meat, like the wingettes. You may need to cut slits in the meat so she can eat it better since she is missing a few teeth.
I would just stock up on meat if you can, and store it in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Always serve the meat thawed, though.
I hope some of this helps, enough to get you started anyway. And, don't appologize for your english! I think you do an excellent job!
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Post by sassygirl on Jun 28, 2008 15:11:33 GMT -5
thank you ~Jaycee It's really hope me a lot! ^________^ but I have some question 1.what is chicken broth? you mean the broth like human can eat ? how do I make broth?
2 .Raw meat can carry bacteria,how do you handle with that?do you sear the outside of the meat briefly ?
3.If I have to feed her with bone,should I have to cut the bone into pieces?what kind of animal's bone is much better to the little ferret?because I think any kind of animal's bone is much larger than ferret,How do the ferret eat them all?
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 15:49:08 GMT -5
Yes, chicken broth is just like the stuff you use in cooking, or you can make it by boiling chicken in water and using that water with the fat residue as the "broth"
As far as the bacteria goes, ferrets are designed to eat raw meat. It won't harm them at all. We, on the other hand, need to take precautions such as washing our hands after handling and cleaning the areas the raw meat touches.
You don't need to cook the meat first. That actually reduces the amount of nutritional gain the ferret will get from the raw. Cooking makes the chicken fat less healthy for the ferret.
I would start with smaller bones...which is why the wingettes would work the best. Larger bones are for the more experienced raw eaters...mine are not quite there yet. Also, remember, ferrets are designed to eat raw...bone and all. They will gnaw it down over time, and need the bone for calcium and to harden their poo (bleh)
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I will help you in any way possible!
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Post by sassygirl on Jun 28, 2008 19:11:10 GMT -5
we don't have the Commercial Raw Food Providers (Frozen) in our country, where I can buy the raw meat to feed her?supermarket?? t he frozen raw meat where sold is okay for feed my jill?
I don't know what is different between the rawmeat in supermarket and rawfood in Commercial Raw Food Providers,such as AFS?
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 19:14:08 GMT -5
I just buy from supermarkets....just the same stuff we eat! You will be fine with market food....no worries!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 28, 2008 19:18:46 GMT -5
Yes, you can buy meat from the supermarket for MoMo. The difference between meat from AFS and meat from the supermarket is that meat from AFS is ground up (I think) whereas meat from the supermarket is whole. To feed a balanced diet of meat to MoMo you will need to feed the following each week: 4 days each week feed MoMo Raw Meaty Bones (Raw meaty bones are things like chicken wings, chicken legs, chicken thighs, pork necks, turkey necks, rabbit legs. Basically it is meat that is on an EDIBLE bone. Edible bones are bones that arent too big. A ferret cant eat a bone from a cow, but they CAN eat bones of animals the size of a chicken or smaller). 2 days each week feed MoMo boneless meat On these days you can feed her boneless meat, like beef, pork, turkey, lamb, things like that. Basically any (unprocessed, unseasoned, uncooked) meat that is boneless. 1 day each week feed MoMo organ meat Things such as chicken liver, chicken gizzards, spleen, heart, pancreas, kidney, lung. Things like that. You can also feed MoMo a whole raw egg once a week (no more then once a week). You can crush the egg and give it to her like that, or you can poke a hole in the egg and let her try and break open the egg herself. Getting MoMo to eat these new foods might be difficult if she is used to kibble, BUT we can help you do it. Just look up at Jaycee's post on how to switch your ferret's diet. We can help you do this. So if you have any questions, please ask! By the way, I think your english is just fine We are happy to have you and little MoMo here!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 28, 2008 19:27:08 GMT -5
I heard that the raw meat diet is much better than kibble. Yes, in my opinion this diet is MUCH better for a ferret then a kibble diet. But i like to know,Is any one feed their ferret with raw meat diet that make their ferret more healthy and live longer ? This type of diet involves more then just feeding raw meat. You need to feed meat, bone, AND organ. But yes, my ferrets are certainly much healthier on this diet. They have softer fur, more muscle, more energy, brigther eyes, less smell, and they poop less and when they do it doesnt stink. I think a ferret might be able to live longer on this type of diet (as it is thought to help prevent a variety of diseases such as irratable bowel disease, insulinoma, and peridontal disese) but even if your ferret doesnt live longer, the QUALITY of her life will be much better. AND what kind of raw meat food should I feed my jill? chicken wings or beef??which parts of body You can feed many different types of food: Chicken wings, legs, thighs, necks, backs, tails Turkey meat Beef Pork Lamb Rabbit legs, thighs, etc Raw eggs (no more then once a week) Fish (no more then once a week) Bugs such as mealworms, superworms, earthworms, crickets, silkworms, and grasshoppers (no more then every other week) and more!!! If I want to feed her a mice,do I have to bear them by myself?Mice are a VERY good food to feed. If you can not find mice from someone locally, then yes, you will have to breed them yourself. Here is some information on how to do that: holisticferret.proboards80.com/?board=prey&action=display&thread=231&page=1how do I make this(diet) work,do I have to go to the supermarket everyday to buy the fresh meat? I have no idea at all,I am not live in American... so I can't order some raw meat product from the pets web.Thats okay, you can find most of the food that MoMo can eat right at your local market or grocery store! by the way,my jill doesn't have two front teeth of below ,can she still eat the chicken wings bone? Ferrets use their front fangs (top and bottom) to grip onto meat, but they use their BACK teeth to actually cut the meat up (so they can eat it) and crunch and crack bones. MoMo might need a little time to learn how to chew the food, but she SHOULD be able to eat it just fine. sorry for my poor English. Again, your english isnt bad at all. I have no problem understanding you can anyone help me?teach me the simple way to start it.Jaycee has posted a good way to start, however its possible that this method might not work for MoMo (every ferret is different). If you try that way and it doesnt work, dont give up! There are other ways to switch your ferret's diet. We will help you do it, we promise.
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Post by sassygirl on Jun 28, 2008 19:39:41 GMT -5
If I buy the raw-meat(frozen) about a week need,I have to put those meat into the refrigerator to keep them fresh. should I put the meat on top (freezer) or low(fridge) ?
I mean if I put the meat in freezer,it will be like hard rock when I take it out. how do I thaw out the meat before I feed my jill?unfrozen the meat from freezer may need several hours,so what should I do?or I just wait until the meat no much colder?
my mom said the meat should put on top to be frozen,only if I want to cook later then I could put on low. should I put the meat on low(fridge) or top?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 28, 2008 19:47:17 GMT -5
If I buy the raw-meat(frozen) about a week need,I have to put those meat into the refrigerator to keep them fresh. should I put the meat on top (freezer) or low(fridge)
To keep meat as fresh as possible, put it in the top (freezer).
I mean if I put the meat in freezer,it will be like hard rock when I take it out.how do I thaw out the meat before I feed my jill?unfrozen the meat from freezer may need several hours,so what should I do?or I just wait until the meat no much colder?
Buy as much meat as you want, put it in the freezer. It will help if you wrap each piece of meat seperately. If you freeze a package of chicken wings (for example) it will be difficult to get ONE wing out of the frozen block, so take the meat and wrap into single servings (so like one wing per plastic bag)
When its time to feed your ferret, you will need to take out one of those servings and thaw it in the fridge. It can take a while to thaw, so what you do is you put the meat in the fridge to thaw, then when its not frozen anymore, you feed it to MoMo. When you take the meat out of the fridge to feed MoMo, put a NEW piece of meat in the fridge to thaw. This way, the meat will be ready for the next time MoMo needs to eat.
Does this make sense?
my mom said the meat should put on top to be frozen,only if I want to cook later then I could put on low.should I put the meat on low(fridge) or top?
Your mom is right. If you plan on feeding the meat right away (or very soon) its okay to put it in the fridge, but if you arent going to feed the meat immediately (like if you bought a bunch of meat) then you put it in the freezer. This will keep it fresher, longer.
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Post by sassygirl on Jun 28, 2008 20:19:31 GMT -5
I think a ferret might be able to live longer on this type of diet I totally agree with your idea!! I read many article about BARF recently,I think the theory they propose is much better for them. the manufacture kibble might be one of reason to cause cancer..I think. In my country,the ferret owner only feed their pet with kibble,as I know,some of their ferrets already have adrenal gland problem,and one of them only 4 years old but already died ,it's really sad to know that happened,and I really concern of that!! I afraid of that problem will happened to my baby one day. But now I know Barf,and I going to started it! thank you. Giuliana and jaycee,you are really nice by the way,momo just had two new babies born,Is that okay to change her diet now? or should I wait until the baby much older? I feed momo with Marshall's food.
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 20:24:16 GMT -5
Jaycee has posted a good way to start, however its possible that this method might not work for MoMo (every ferret is different). If you try that way and it doesnt work, dont give up! There are other ways to switch your ferret's diet. We will help you do it, we promise. This is true....it was just the method that worked best for me and my slightly older and more stubborn fuzzies! I also figured this might be a good way to start due to the teeth issue....you know, slowly working up. In this, there are always more than one right answer! That is a good thing....we just have to figure out the correct route for MoMo and you. Hang in there! Guili will not steer you wrong!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 28, 2008 20:30:22 GMT -5
I afraid of that problem will happened to my baby one day. But now I know Barf,and I going to started it!Adrenal disease is a sad thing. In my opinion its not really affected by diet (or only MINIMALLY affected by diet) but a natural diet WILL help to reduce the risk of Irratible bowel disease, peridontal disease, allergies, obesity, malnutrition, and insulinoma. thank you. Giuliana and jaycee,you are really nice Why thank you! Im always here if you have a question! By the way,momo just had two new babies born,Is that okay to change her diet now? or should I wait until the baby much older?How old are the babies? Are they still nursing? Once they are ready to be weaned, I would wean them on to the raw foods instead of kibble. I am going to grab aleronferrets (nikki) she is a ferret breeder that raises her kits (baby ferrets) on a natural diet. She can help you with this more then I can. I feed momo with Marshall's food.I'm really not a fan of Marshall ferret food. The switch to a natural diet will be a BIG improvment in MoMo's diet. You should see some really cool changes in her after she switches.
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Post by Jaycee on Jun 28, 2008 20:38:15 GMT -5
Yeah, marshalls isn't that great...even among other kibbles. It is a good thing you are considering switching diets. It is very sad about the number of ferrets with cancer...I know it is something any one of us may face. I am hoping the diet change will help with that!
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