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Post by silversam on Sept 2, 2008 0:35:58 GMT -5
OK I have only had my Ferrets for a month or so and I have found a lot of conflicting info...I am not someone who bought a pet and knew nothing of it but more like rescued a Ferret and bought her a friend but its true that I don't know a whole lot. I would like to keep my Ferrets on the kibble but I would like to introduce what ever I can as a treat or secondary diet. I would like some suggestion on what is ok to give them. examples..Can I toss then some raw chicken if thats what I'm making for dinner??...How about hamburger and other red meat??...What about cooked???...Anything other than meat???.... I want to Thank anyone who takes the time to answer these questions even though they might seem obvious to you but I am truly clueless.
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Post by Heather on Sept 2, 2008 1:20:59 GMT -5
Never clueless There is no such thing as a stupid question, only an ignorant answer Ferrets are an obligate carnivore, meaning...they're supposed to eat meat, bone and organs...and if we're getting really technical...skin and fur Kibble is really not a good thing to feed. Now, that being said, if you absolutely feel you must feed kibbles...then feed the healthiest kibbles you can. I believe the food of choice is Architypal, but I will let someone else answer that for sure (I've really not fed kibbles in over 10 yrs). If you want to feed raw or cooked as a side dish, you can. The problem is that ferrets don't always take to their diet change well, hence one of the main purposes of this forum Which is helping you make healthy choices and teach you and help you teach your ferret what it's really supposed to eat. Ferrets do not eat veggies or fruit...it will make them very ill and or cause blockages. Does that help you a little bit If you have more questions please feel free to ask. The more specific your question the more defined we can give you as an answer. Don't be shy or feel silly. The only stupid question is the one never asked. We all started somewhere and we've all had someone whom we turned to at the beginning and asked "stupid" questions. See you around ciao
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 2, 2008 7:45:39 GMT -5
I will only add (cause Heather said everything else) that as far as what meats to feed, I feed chicken(all parts),lamb,pork,beef cubes, rabbit, cornish game hens.(and thats the people food that they eat) I do not give ground food only because it would do nothing for their teeth. Good luck and feel free to ask anything else
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Post by pear2apple on Sept 2, 2008 9:48:39 GMT -5
If you feel you want to feed kibble, like she said Wysong Archtypal 1 is a good choice, it is freeze dried meat so that is good. Also Evo Ferret or Feline (essentially same food, Feline is cheaper) is one of the best kibbles available. I used to feed Evo before I switched to raw. You can buy Evo online at www.ferret.com or my preference: www.stinkweasels.com (he's a member here and super friendly if you have questions). Or you can go to the Innova Evo website and search for stores. Its usually easiest and cheaper to buy online, plus both Wysong and Evo are available at stinkweasels plus lots of other good stuff!
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Post by silversam on Sept 2, 2008 14:36:13 GMT -5
Thank you...I would love to work my Little Ones on to a natural diet however I am afraid that I will not be able to keep up right now and I don't know enough. I am learning a lot from this site and hope to bring a more complete natural diet to Sam & Silver but for now I'm going to introduce little at a time and start slow...I hear a lot about eggs??? And is it better to give them meat raw or cooked. And one more..How often should I give them them other foods besides their kibble to slowly introduce..once a week? every other day?....
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Post by silversam on Sept 2, 2008 16:14:21 GMT -5
O.K. so I did some more nosing around and found that I may have started this thread in the wrong place so if you would like to close this down I will be reposting in the newbie area but thank you all
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 3, 2008 22:37:38 GMT -5
No worries. I can move this thread to the newbie section for you and you can continue to post right here in this thread
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 3, 2008 22:45:57 GMT -5
Thank you...I would love to work my Little Ones on to a natural diet however I am afraid that I will not be able to keep up right now and I don't know enough. I am learning a lot from this site and hope to bring a more complete natural diet to Sam & Silver but for now I'm going to introduce little at a time and start slow...Many people start with kibble and raw, and once they see how easy it is (and how much cheaper it is ) they just kick the kibble and go all raw. Our forum is designed in such a way that all newbies are personally assisted through the switch to a natural diet. Once you make the switch we evaluate what you are feedng and offer advice on "balancing out" the diet. We then follow up with you at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year after you've made the switch. To make sure all is going well (you are also encouraged to remain active on the forum, even after you've switched). Take your time getting aquainted with the idea of natural feeding. Browse old questions here on the forum and come up with some new ones of your own. We are friendly, patient, and happy to assist you! Just let us know how we can help. I hear a lot about eggs???Raw egg whites contain a substance called avidin that can bind to biotin (a nutrient essential for healthy skin/coat). In our opinion its OK to feed whole eggs (yolk, shell, and white) but limit it to no more then 1x per week. Egg yolk can be used as a bribe to entice finicky ferrets to try meat. You can coat the meat in egg and many ferrets will give it a lick (but not all, so dont despair if your ferrets look at you like you are smoking crack lol ) And is it better to give them meat raw or cooked. Raw...HANDS DOWN. When food is cooked several things happen: 1. Proteins are denatured- This means the structure of the protein is altered. 2. Nutrients are destroyed- Cooking even slighlty can destory nutrients, like Taurine. Without Taurine your ferret can go blind or develop heart problems. Raw meat is abundant in Taurine, so as long as you supply ample amounts of raw meat you are good to go. And one more..How often should I give them them other foods besides their kibble to slowly introduce..once a week? every other day?Just play it by ear. If your ferrets like a food try a new food, mix it in with the other meat that they'ved tried. NEVER mix raw and kibble. The ferret's body has a short digestive tract to prevent them from getting food bourne illness. They flush their system every 3-4 hours. Salmonella takes a minimum of 6 hours in the gut to multiply to appreciable levels and cause illness. E. Coli takes a minimum of 12 hours. When you mix kibble with raw it slows down the digestive rate of the ferret, so you can open the door to them getting food bourne illness, when normally they dont have much of a risk of getting ill. Take all kibble away 4-6 hours before feeding raw and dont give it back for another 4-6 hours AFTER feeding raw. If you have an insulinomic ferret you cant withold food, and you'll need to leave out a freeze-dried raw meat product for them to munch on and keep their blood sugar levels up to avoid a crash. Hope this helps!
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Post by silversam on Sept 3, 2008 23:31:44 GMT -5
Thank you for answering my questions...now I'm going to list a few more
My Ferrets have always ate kibble (that I know of) so where do I start to introduce them to anything else?
How do I know if they are getting all they need to stay healthy?
I currently work at a restaurant with very cool owners and I think I could get lots of raw meat, fat, bone, and we serve gizzards so I could get that too, the question is what should I get (or stay away from)?
Do you think I can freeze food from the restaurant?
Can they chew bone on their own without choking or do I have to find away to grind them?
If there is a thread answering these questions already, I'm sorry I just haven't gotten to it yet.
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 4, 2008 6:19:11 GMT -5
How do I know if they are getting all they need to stay healthy?Once you start to get them on raw you will see changes in your ferrets, their nails will grow longer and faster, their eyes get more shinny, the fur gets thicker and softer, and their energy levels go through the roof. Like any other animal or person, if they start to lose weight, not talking about a fat ferret slimming down, but lose weight to the point that you feel ribs and bones when you pick them up, if they sleep more then what is normal for your ferret, you dont see them eating or drinking you need to take them to a vet. Do you think I can freeze food from the restaurant? As long as the food has been kept nice and cold I think that most foods you get from there should be able to be frozen Can they chew bone on their own without choking or do I have to find away to grind them? Uncooked bones can be eatten by ferrets as is. The bones are important to their teeth health. Think about it this way, in the wild they do not have grinders to turn bones into powder for them to eat. THis is what their teeth are there for. If there is a thread answering these questions already, I'm sorry I just haven't gotten to it yet. Dont worry about we have no problems answering the same question again.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 4, 2008 14:30:19 GMT -5
My Ferrets have always ate kibble (that I know of) so where do I start to introduce them to anything else?There are several ways. Do they eat any "soup" of any kind? Duk soup, pingfords porridge, etc? How do I know if they are getting all they need to stay healthy?One word. VARIETY. You feed a butt load of variety. If you feed raw foods you feed a variety of: 1. Meats (chicken, turkey, pork, etc) 2. Ages (adding in veal/beef, lamb/mutton, chicken/cornish game hen, etc) is great because as an animal ages its nutrient composition changes. Providing a variety of ages ensures maximum nutrient diversity. 3. Cuts (dont get the same cut of meat each time. Take advantage of sales ) Get pork steak one time, pork butt another. Get chicken wings one time, chicken legs another. Nutrient composition varys in the various parts of the animal, so its good to switch up the parts you feed. If you feed whole prey you feed a variety of: 1. Types of prey (mice, rats, chicks, etc) 2. Ages of prey (mostly adults with some babies thrown in) By feeding a rich variety of foods, you ensure maximum nutrient diversity. The other thing you need to do if you are feeding raw is follow the "whole prey model". They need the proper ratio of meat/bone/organ. You cant NOT include one of these. You'd feed raw meaty bones like chicken wings 4 days (atleast) per week, bonless chunks of muscle meat (like beef chunks, pork chunks, etc) 2 days per week and organ meat 1 day per week (liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, gizzards, etc) I currently work at a restaurant with very cool owners and I think I could get lots of raw meat, fat, bone, and we serve gizzards so I could get that too, the question is what should I get (or stay away from)?Dont offer any bones that are larger then a chicken/rabbit bone. Beef bones are too dense and a ferret cant eat them. Avoid marinated/seasoned items, cooked items, and anything that is severely freezer burned. Stick with raw meaty bones like: Chicken wings, legs, thighs, necks, backs Turkey necks Pork necks Cornish game hen Boneless chunks of pretty much ANY unprocessed meat: Emu Elk Beef Pork Turkey Etc and basically any organ: Liver Gizzards Heart Tounge pancreas Thymus (called sweetbreads) Kindey No bacon, ham, sausage. Do you think I can freeze food from the restaurant?Sure, Just be sure the meat hasnt been cooked in any way before you freeze it. Be sure the meat is fresh and when you transport it from resteraunt to home be sure you dont leave it sitting out too long. Can they chew bone on their own without choking or do I have to find away to grind them?Uncooked chicken or rabbit sized bones are just fine. Dont grind. Avoid beef bones and any bones bigger then a raw chicken bone. Avoid crushing or cracking the bone. Let them chew off appropriate sized pieces of bone. They will do this in a way that helps them avoid choking. Stick with whole chicken wings, legs, things, etc. No need to break, crush, crunch, or grind these bones. Hope this helps! If you have more questions, keep em coming!
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Post by silversam on Sept 4, 2008 16:55:21 GMT -5
There are several ways. Do they eat any "soup" of any kindDuk soup, pingfords porridge, etc? ?
No they don't eat any soup...
and today i got some raw liver from work and I put it in the blender with a little bit of egg shell white and yolk.(just a little of each) And they wanted absolutely nothing to do with it!! I'm flying blind here and I'm not happy with how skinny my ferrets feel and how much they sleep, to me they don't look as healthy as I think they should so I would like to take this feeding approach
My boss told me today that he will start keeping the "junk" from the chickens they cut so thats good that I can get they without having to buy a whole chicken and gut it
Soooo...lets get started
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 4, 2008 17:03:08 GMT -5
Okey dokey. I know how to start your kids on raw Here is what I need you to do. Go over to the "Natural Diet Newbies" section. Click on the form that is stickied at the top of the section. It says something like "must fill out" I can't remember lol . Copy and paste that into a post in that section. Fill in the info and post. (If you are confused on what to do, just look at page one of other people's "switching threads'). Once I get a little more info on your kids I can tell you how you need to go about switching them. Then we'll go from there Sound good? I'll be waiting for you in the newbie section.
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