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Post by yaya on Jul 16, 2008 22:30:17 GMT -5
I really want my girls to be on a raw food diet. But i have no idea where to start. or what to feed.
So any advice, links anything at this point would be awsome..
Thanks for your help
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Post by Heather on Jul 17, 2008 0:35:33 GMT -5
Hi and welcome Most of us start with chicken as it's mild flavoured, and easily accessable. Rabbit is another protein that seems to be readily eaten (unfortunately, unless you have a good supplier it's also a more expensive meat to start on) One question that you need to ask yourself is where do you want to start and where do you want to end up. Sound ambiguous...not really. Are you going to feed frankenprey (mixed meats assembled to create a whole animal) or are you going to feed prey (mice, rats, hamsters, chicks...these can be frozen or living depending on how you want to work)? Do you want to feed pre-prepared meals, from various market suppliers, ground meats like what you get from Bravo and other raw suppliers? or Do you want to have total control and create your girls' meals? How old are your furbabies? Are there any health issues that need to be considered? This is all pertinent information when making the decision to feed a natural diet. I'm not saying that you can't switch if there's health issues, sometimes you just have to go slower, and be a little more patient This will also tell to a degree how difficult it will be to switch your furchildren. If they're under 2 yrs of age they're usually quite receptive to eating and trying new things. If they're older it may take a little longer. Is it difficult to feed a natural diet? No....is it going to be difficult to switch your furbaby? Possibly, I would be lying if I told you it was going to be really easy, it can be. I had a 5/6 yr old and an 7/8 yr old turned in and they were switched before the end of the weekend. I just presently switched a 9 yr old, she was a challenge. There were times when I questioned my reasons. Two months later, she's eating raw like a trouper, she even eats quail and chicken necks. Will she eat whole prey...good question. If she does, it's a bonus but I'm not going to stress myself or her over that little fact. If your going to feed whole prey, the starting point may be different to where you want to start feeding whole meat and again different if you are going to feed ground meats. Some start by dampening down kibbles and then slowly adding meats to the kibble as it's usually more easily received. A type of soupie concoction. I, myself, usually use a mixture of raw ground meats, offal and bone mixed with a raw egg to resemble soup. I then start feeding the fuzzie either by assist feeding using a spoon or even using my finger dipped in the soup to entice the fuzzy to lick it off my finger. Egg is almost always well received. I've been able to switch all my furbabies using this method and just adding more meat to the mixture. I find that most are more than willing to make the leap to whole meat and even prey after converting and getting a taste of what would be their natural diet. I've given you a little to think about. Now, you can decide how you want to start and how far you want to go. All the methods that I mentioned are better than kibbles, some are better than others but it also has to do with comfort and how deep your pocket book is Ask questions, read past posts. We're here for you. Hope to hear from you again soon. ciao
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