Boris, Vincent, Lucrezia and Sinnead go raw!

[sherrylynne]

Thanks, Guili, I'll give it a shot. Anything is worth a try right now. If I tear a piece of meat partially off the bone, they will tug it the rest of the way off, if I hold it. Otherwise, no. I'll try just the wings for the next 3-4 days, see how it goes . I really want to get them all the way on raw. Their coats are already showing improvement, as well as their energy levels. And their stool is decreased, along with the smell!

[sherrylynne]

Well, I cut the bone in half, lengthwise, as suggested. They stashed all of it, but when they realized no more was forthcoming, guess what? Yes, they started eating the bones . As well as fighting over them! We'll see how it goes tonight. With any luck, they'll soon be eating them without having to cut them!

[Forum Administrator]

Excellent! I'm happy to hear that they went for them so quickly! Usually, it takes a while for a ferret to get the hang of bones. Your guys just got it like *that*! That is great!

[mustelidmusk]

Regarding eating bone...thi is a common problem, and a snag while trying out the schedule is also to be expected, this is why we practice and identify the questions and issues before we have you graduate.

Giuli's advice about giving them boney meat (more bone than meat) first usually works since ferrets are smart- most will eat the easy stuff first when they're relatively new to raw.

If they still balk at eating bone when you prevent them from filling up on succulent meat, try chicken bak and neks, whc are non-load-bearing bones (like legs, thighs, and long bones) Back and neck bones are softer/less dense than load bearing bones.

For nailing down the exact scedule, I'm asking Giuli to step in here....since I feed mostly commercially prepared foods, I know only the basics on the feeding plans. when the plan gets more complex, somebody who feeds the raw meaty bone approach needs to step in.

My specialty is helping switch the stubborn kids .....I have no problem handing you over to people with more experience for the type of diet you want to feed. We want you to get the very best possible diet for your brats that meets your needs

You are so close to graduating - we just need to iron out a few small wrinkles - this is really cool
-jennifer

[Forum Administrator]

Honestly it *might* be possible that the kids are filling up on the ground BK raw and the meat on the bones before they get to the bone. You might want to cut back the amount of BK raw you feed each day so that they are hungry enough to eat the meat on the bone AND the bone

[sherrylynne]

Am I doing this in the wrong way? I give chunks/BK in the morning, by itself, about 6am. Then in the evening, about 6pm, I give the RMB. Are they supposed to be getting both together at both meals? I was under the impression that as long as they got both in a 24 hour period, everything was fine???

[mustelidmusk]

Hi!

No worries, I PM'ed Giuli, and she'll be working with you on the schedule.

I'm good at getting ferrets to switch to raw. But since I feed commercial raw, I introduce the concept of a feeding schedule with the very basic approach just to get people started and thinking about balance... I then hand them over to Giuli.
You're not doing anything wrong, you just have questions that I'm not qualified to answer

I'll still be watching your thread just in case you need some suggestions of getting your kids to eat certain things like bones and organ meats, but the schedule questions require an experienced RMB feeder.

-jennifer

[Forum Administrator]

Sept 8, 2008 7:42:58 GMT -5 sherrylynne said:

Am I doing this in the wrong way? I give chunks/BK in the morning, by itself, about 6am. Then in the evening, about 6pm, I give the RMB. Are they supposed to be getting both together at both meals? I was under the impression that as long as they got both in a 24 hour period, everything was fine???

No, no you are RIGHT. Feed the ground in the morning (or night, whichever you prefer) and then the RMB at the opposite time. I was simply saying that if they still refuse to eat the bone, you might want to cut back on the amount of the ground raw you offer. Make sense? Just feed a smaller portion if need be.

[sherrylynne]

Thanks for clearing that up! I was starting to worry that I'd have to make another switch. And after cleaning out their stash last time, I have cut down on how much I give them . I pulled out a LOT of meat from various areas. This morning, I fed them a piece at a time, and when they started coming back too fast, they each got two more, and that was it. I actually went through HALF the meat I normally do . Brats!

[sherrylynne]

One question I've been meaning to ask(at least I hope I haven't already-sorry if I have!). What all bones can they eat? I know about wings, and prey(not going there yet ), but what else? Thighs? Legs? And is fowl the only bone they are capable of chewing/digesting?

[Forum Administrator]

Raw turkey necks (you might have to cut into little circles (at the vertabre)
Raw pork necks
Raw chicken wings
Raw chicken legs
Raw chicken necks (snack only)
Raw chicken thighs
Cornish game hen (I feed my two ferrets half a game hen. So you might feed your crew 1 hen. To make it easier to eat, cut it in half lengthwise, right down the back NEXT to the spine)

Rabbit (legs, thighs, pretty much any part)

Turkey tails (snack only unless its a really meaty tail)

Duck, quail, or pheasent (legs, wings, thighs, etc)

The middle segment of a turkey wing (the tip can be used as a "chew toy" its pure cartalidge. The end part can not be eaten by ferrets, the bone is too dense. They might strip the meat off it though. You can feed that part of the wing on "boneless meat day". I would leave the meat on the bone so they get the benefits of ripping and tearing the meat off the bone....even if they cant eat the bone)

Ox Tails (cut into segments)

Hmmmm.....I'm sure there is more. The basic rule is NO bones that come from an animal bigger then a chicken/rabbit. In general the exception to this rule is NECKS and TAILS (since these bones usually arent that big or dense).

[sherrylynne]

Thanks, Guili! At least with all these options, they shouldn't get too bored

[Forum Administrator]

Variety is the spice of life

Take some time to get comfortable with feeding this schedule. Once they are eating the meaty bones (including most of the bone), the boneless muscle meat/ ground raw, and the organ meat with no issues, let me know and we'll retire this thread to the "newbie switch archive" and you'll "graduate"! (don't forget "graduating doesnt mean you cant ask anymore questions It just means that from now on you post your questions in the "raw" "whole prey" and "general feeding questions" area

[sherrylynne]

Well, not a lot of luck as yet for eating drumsticks! I'd almost swear they were intimidated by the size of meat they got, and didn't know how to handle it . I cut the legs in half lengthwise, like the wings(as best I could without removing fingers in the process!), partially cut some meat away, and gave them each a half leg. They just sniffed around for a long while, then Boris took off with his, and the rest followed suit. But all they did was stash, and look for other food. They did chew on them after about an hour, but that was it. Should I just give them legs for a while, like I did with the wings? Or carry on as per usual with the schedule.

[Forum Administrator]

My ferrets dont really care for legs. They will eat wings and thighs though (bone and all). I would go back to the schedule and every now and then try to slip in the legs. They will build up their confidence with bone munching and then they'll probably tackle the legs eventually. I wouldnt consider it a set back.