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Post by velvetfuzzbutt on Aug 9, 2008 9:16:42 GMT -5
I plan on investigating old threads more after posting this but I thought I'd but it out there as I won't be home most of today. - Price. Its not a big deal but I would like to have a good idea about what it would cost to feed 3 ferrets raw (no whole prey). Do you have a schedule of when you buy/how much you buy? - Location. where do you feed them their meals? I want things to be kept sanitary, and I don't think I want to feed them in the cage full of bedding. Aside from Saturday 10am-8pm, I am home. I may go out to dinner, a movie or help with grocery shopping but thats about it. - ;D Switching stubborn, picky, adult ferrets. My oldest will be 6 years old December 31st. She has no illnesses, and I'd like to do what I can keep it that way. She and Cobain (he's like 3.5yo) will eat kibble, Duck soup, vaseline, and ferretone/olive oil. Pistol (bit over 2.5yo) will eat what they eat, plus dehydrated and freeze dried meat treats. I've tried a partial raw mush, a partial raw/kibble soup, tried cooked and raw bits of meat, and I tried giving a raw organ- none were taken. I know it takes practice like everything else but if someone who knows how difficult older kids can be can help me I would appreciate it. - Goal. My goal is to get Teencie eating raw, in a solid form (chunks or whole wings) by her six birthday, December 31st. I'm sure its a pretty high goal but I have heard good things from people posting here so I'm going for it. I would also like to see an improvment in all three of my babies teeth. I have still got a crap load of saved information from Guili that she posted ages ago. She gave great list of variety and sanitary precautions I plan to use. I won't feed whole prey, If that means supplementing with -some- kibble I am okay with that. I am looking forward to starting a thread on our "journey". -Dresden
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Aug 9, 2008 9:54:07 GMT -5
- Price. Its not a big deal but I would like to have a good idea about what it would cost to feed 3 ferrets raw (no whole prey). Do you have a schedule of when you buy/how much you buy?
I have 9 ferrets and i go to a wholesale meat place and spend about $100 on chicken and that lasts me about 3-4 months. I also spend about $500 every 6 months on an order from rodenpro.
- Location. where do you feed them their meals? I want things to be kept sanitary, and I don't think I want to feed them in the cage full of bedding. Aside from Saturday 10am-8pm, I am home. I may go out to dinner, a movie or help with grocery shopping but thats about it.
I feed in the cage as i do not want the food all over my livingroom. They tend to keep the food on the level where we feed (this level has no bedding) and in the dark box that my hubby made for them) i change bedding evert 3 days or so and go through the cage every night for old food and take out really yucky bedding if i find it (which is not often)
- Switching stubborn, picky, adult ferrets. My oldest will be 6 years old December 31st. She has no illnesses, and I'd like to do what I can keep it that way. She and Cobain (he's like 3.5yo) will eat kibble, Duck soup, vaseline, and ferretone/olive oil. Pistol (bit over 2.5yo) will eat what they eat, plus dehydrated and freeze dried meat treats.
I've tried a partial raw mush, a partial raw/kibble soup, tried cooked and raw bits of meat, and I tried giving a raw organ- none were taken. I know it takes practice like everything else but if someone who knows how difficult older kids can be can help me I would appreciate it.
I had one that took me trying to swtich him 4 times before it stuck. most of the mentors have had problem children, but Giuli who pairs up the mentors with you will make sure that the mentor she picks meets your needs
- Goal. My goal is to get Teencie eating raw, in a solid form (chunks or whole wings) by her six birthday, December 31st. I'm sure its a pretty high goal but I have heard good things from people posting here so I'm going for it. I would also like to see an improvment in all three of my babies teeth.
The improvment in teeth will come as they eat more bone and such. Some ferrets switch easily and with little to no problems and others cause some problems. I will not and cannot sit here and say that you will or wont have her switched by the end of the year.
I have still got a crap load of saved information from Guili that she posted ages ago. She gave great list of variety and sanitary precautions I plan to use. I won't feed whole prey, If that means supplementing with -some- kibble I am okay with that. I am looking forward to starting a thread on our "journey". -
just becuase you do not feed whole prey does not mean tht you will need to supplement with kibble--you will have to feed a few different animals (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, rabbit if they sell it near you) and make sure you get some organs in there.
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Post by tss on Aug 9, 2008 12:36:26 GMT -5
When I still had Jill the ferrets were eating 1/4 pound a day. I pay about $.50 a pound on whole chickens so I spent about $4 to $6 a month on food. There are really cheap ways to incorporate more expensive things like pork and beef too. I can go buy pork necks for $1 a pound, they are about 1/4 bone so it I debone them I would still only be paying $1.25 a pound for the meat. And if you can find a slaughterhouse some will let you have scraps, I got 80 pounds of beef for free (small beef stew sized pieces, tendons, sinew and pieces that weren't "perfect" enough). And if you know someone with a farm they can keep culls for you, I can get new born lambs and goat kids that way.
I feed them in their cage, I just pick up any chunks they leave after awhile.
Weezer was stubborn, what I did was barely moisten his kibble and slowly add ground meat to it then starting adding more meat and eventually chunks.
I'm sure you'll be able to get Teencie onto raw before her B-day!!
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Post by josiesmom on Aug 9, 2008 17:58:20 GMT -5
- Price. Its not a big deal but I would like to have a good idea about what it would cost to feed 3 ferrets raw (no whole prey). Do you have a schedule of when you buy/how much you buy? I shop for my ferrets when I shop for myself- every two weeks. Prices are going to vary from region to region, but I spend less now than what I did when I was buying several bags of so called top shelf kibble. My ferrets don't poop as much and their poop doesn't reek. I freeze dry a lot of my own meaty items so my purchases last quite a long time. ON the average I am only spending 100.00 per month on groceries- which as I said includes what I eat too. I am single with only my ferrets sharing the grocery bill. I do raise my own mice which offsets some cost, but the mouse colony isn;t at a self sufficient level yet. You do NOT have to feed whole prey to offer complete nutrition. As long as you offer a wide variety of animal protein sources and offer the meats with skin on as well as bone in- your ferrets will do fine! Be certain that when purchasing meaty items(they don't have to be "organic") it is advisable to stay away from meats that have been "enhanced" with broth or solutions! I picked up a case of chicken necks from a butcher shop for 16.00! Months later I am STILL feeding chicken necks! I cut the necks into thirds and bagged them- 12 pieces per baggie and froze them. Buying in bulk then cutting for feeding and freezing is a great way to stretch your budget dollar. [image] Location. where do you feed them their meals? I want things to be kept sanitary, and I don't think I want to feed them in the cage full of bedding. Aside from Saturday 10am-8pm, I am home. I may go out to dinner, a movie or help with grocery shopping but that's about it.
My ferrets are free roam, so the cages I do have are now considered "dining dens". Although I have 5 sections set aside between three cages, they predominantly chose to eat from three of the sections in two of the cages. One is a dual level cage that I have separated the levels. The other is a small portable cage. The remaining Marshall's Mansion and Dual Level Superpet cage pretty much stay empty. I feed them one or two times a day depending on my schedule and how often they come to get me to say, "Hey, I'm hungry!" I also treat them through the day by hand with freeze dried and dried treats- so that adds to their intake. The feeding dens have wire floors which I wipe down with a clorox wipe after they eat. Each den has a hammock in it so when the ferret is done eating they retire. When everyone has retired I know they are done and I get them out. Whatever food is left over goes back in the fridge to be offered at their next meal. If it isn't finished by the third offering, it gets trashed. SOmetimes when getting them out from one den they go to the other den and proceed to eat what the other ferrets didn't! Even if they didn't finih what they had! its more fun to steal food from someone else! SO they get shut into the "new" den until they retire. - ;D Switching stubborn, picky, adult ferrets. My oldest will be 6 years old December 31st. She has no illnesses, and I'd like to do what I can keep it that way. She and Cobain (he's like 3.5yo) will eat kibble, Duck soup, vaseline, and ferretone/olive oil. Pistol (bit over 2.5yo) will eat what they eat, plus dehydrated and freeze dried meat treats.It IS possible and offers the elderly ferret a new lease on life. Gives them renewed vigor and isn't as hard as it seems. I posted in a previous thread some ways to be successful changing older ferrets. Nix the vaseline for ALL your ferrets- it is hell on their gut flora. Being a petroleum product it is indigestible and poisonous to their gut flora. AS a laxative I offer Nature's Defense Cat Hairball Remedy Salmon Flavored- it has NO petroleum products in it and they really like it. Your kids are already well on their way to switching if they are already eating dried meats! I've tried a partial raw mush, a partial raw/kibble soup, tried cooked and raw bits of meat, and I tried giving a raw organ- none were taken. I know it takes practice like everything else but if someone who knows how difficult older kids can be can help me I would appreciate it.The offerings need to be consistent and not go away! They also need to be well mixed in to their kibble so they cannot get away from the new stuff without touching it, smelling it or feeling it. Even if they meticulously separate their kibble from the new stuff, they WILL begin to explore the new in short order. - Goal. My goal is to get Teencie eating raw, in a solid form (chunks or whole wings) by her six birthday, December 31st. I'm sure its a pretty high goal but I have heard good things from people posting here so I'm going for it. I would also like to see an improvment in all three of my babies teeth.
Teencie should be eating raw much sooner than December if you are persistent with the offerings! Review many of the threads here and you'll see the trend is that within a month most ferrets are WELL on their way to eating raw as the major if not entire part of their diet! I have still got a crap load of saved information from Guili that she posted ages ago. She gave great list of variety and sanitary precautions I plan to use. I won't feed whole prey, If that means supplementing with -some- kibble I am okay with that. I am looking forward to starting a thread on our "journey". -DresdenGiuli has done a great job of compiling and organizing raw info- take your time to read through it and note any questions. We are all happy to help! Cheers, Kim
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Post by Heather on Aug 9, 2008 22:19:51 GMT -5
Price for 3...That's a good question...I'm feeding 13 at the moment. I shop once a week for them and on average it costs about $25 or $30. I also make use of a local raw feeding coop, which helps keep prices down. Location...My guys are all free roam and have access to the cats raw diet during the day. In the afternoon, they get shut in their room and they get their rats. At night they're served their quail, or whole meats depending what's being served. Switching picky adultsI think the latest pair that I got into rescue were probably my most difficult as Pooka is 6 or 7 yrs old and Babushka my little old lady is 9 going on 10 yrs. None of my furbabies eat kibble GoalsI don't think anyone can promise you a time line. Each ferret sets their own and if you try and rush them they dig their furry little feet in and scream noooooo Good luck, ask questions and have fun...hope to see you around ciao
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Post by velvetfuzzbutt on Aug 10, 2008 13:00:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the fast replies!
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