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Post by suds on Nov 22, 2008 18:54:33 GMT -5
ok I have noticed when I feed whole prey mice, rats or chicks they always eat the heads first then the backside next and leave the torso for later . I was just corius as to why? I know if I had to kill my own prey and eat it the things I would eat last would definetly be those two body parts ..
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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Nov 22, 2008 21:43:42 GMT -5
Haha, I like your thinking. For Didjeridu, he usually chews up the head until its completely crushed. Then he eats the tail, butt and legs, then the head. He leaves the torso for later also. I figured he likes the CRUNCHY parts the most, and he likes the organs the least, but I truely have no idea. Great question!
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Post by Forum Administrator on Nov 22, 2008 23:55:29 GMT -5
My ferrets usually start eating the head and then eat to to the middle, turn around and start eating from the tail up, as well. I've noticed that they almost ALWAYS leave the stomach OR intestines but eat every other organ. There are those who argue that for a prey model raw diet to truely replicate a whole animal, you need to include a small amount of veggie matter (to replicate the contents of the stomach) while this idea certainly makes sense, from what I have observed, my own ferrets RARELY eat the stomach. Fugue avoids it like the plauge, I'm amazed at how he's able to "eat around" that one organ.
Oh, and suds and animalsgetrevenge, I think the way our ferrets choose to eat their prey is completely a matter of preference. I've heard of many a ferret that starts at the TAIL and works his/her way up to the head. ;
As for why ferrets seem to start at either the head or tail? IMO its because its the easiest place to "grab on" and start eating. They can just start chewing, crunching, and swallowing. If the ferret started in the middle there would be more work involved (ripping open the stomach and pulling out the organs, etc). I guess *most* (again not all) ferrets start at the head or tail because its the most effective, simplest way to eat.
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Post by Heather on Nov 23, 2008 0:51:55 GMT -5
Almost all my guys start with the head. I asked a long time raw feeder (30 yrs under their belt), I was curious too, a few years ago. They maintained if there was only one piece to be eaten that would cover all their nutritional bases it would be the head. Seemingly, the brain contains all the nutritional values that you will find by eating various components of the body and the skull covers their calcium needs. More bang for your buck so to speak Considering how ferrets eat (multiple small meals) to eat the head would make the most sense. If you got nothing else you at least covered all your bases in the first meal. You don't always get to eat the whole beasty at your leisure That being said Merlyn, nasty black kitty always left the heads around...disgusting really finding mouse heads in the middle of the floor. I'm not to sure that it wasn't his method of hunting that got my guys eating prey. Merlyn for all his faults taught quite a few of my furbabies how to hunt by bringing them wild mice from the basement (the only area that's out of bounds to ferrets...I would never find them ) ciao
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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Nov 23, 2008 1:36:41 GMT -5
Great reasoning Heather! It's all you need in just three chomps!
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Post by suds on Nov 23, 2008 18:25:59 GMT -5
I the head first make sence now thanks Heather ! but why the butts softer and fatty tissue ? Guilli I have to always clean up the guts Hershy will not touch them its beneath her to each such wet things
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Post by Heather on Nov 23, 2008 23:42:14 GMT -5
A little about raw feeding What is left behind, always the spleen (the little orange or yellow oblong ball), most of the times stomach (my guys actually eat this with mice, never with rats) and intestines. The false presumption that animals need veggie matter because they eat the stomach isn't true. If you see a starving wolf pack (I site this because there are observations, not because there is any line connecting wolves and ferrets other than prey) and they eat the whole carcass....they will eat the stomach but only after they've shaken the contents out, it seemingly is very bitter and would not be eaten (the contents not the stomach ). A lot of animals view the stomach a delicacy...but only after being emptied (tripe). It is full of vitamins, minerals and other juicy good things (bleck , and smells horrible ) The veggies that you feed a carnivore is in place of fur....something that frankenprey usually doen't have . It is not to represent the stomach contents because .... they don't eat it Eat the head first because it's good for you. Eat the bum next because that is your meat, often during this process the liver and heart will be eaten as well, and everyone knows you eat the roast first . You eat the center last because you have to pick and choose what you eat and it takes time, there is also a lot of bone, sometime during this whole process you eat the tail .... for dental floss ciao
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Post by nwheather on Dec 1, 2008 15:30:54 GMT -5
Mine always start at the head. I've heard that about the brain matter as well. Often, I find mouse guts FLUNG out of the cage...it has been on the wall, on the floor, & also hanging on the rung of the cage...why can't they just leave it & I'll get it when I clean the cage? LOL
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Post by Heather on Dec 2, 2008 1:38:24 GMT -5
I couldn't agree with you more. I really don't find it great decorating the walls, floors and more recently the banister leading downstairs Decorating with ferrets, hmmmm I realize that shaking their prey is all about killing it and that it separates the edible parts from the inedible parts but it's really rather grosse. ciao
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Post by Kerit on Dec 2, 2008 11:30:48 GMT -5
Hocus and Pocus ate their first whole (frozen) mice with me last night... They both went straight for the heads. Then there was a small tug-of-war that got a little messy, but when I came back a few minutes later there was nothing but one tiny mouse leg left on the placemat. I didn't get a chance this morning to check the stash spots, but I'm assuming I have some guts to find... Unless they really wolfed the whole things.
The little crunch, crunch of mouse bones is so sick and fascinating.
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Post by Heather on Dec 2, 2008 11:34:49 GMT -5
I find when I feed mice there's nothing left. No guts not even a toe The rats are a different story. They always leave the intestines and the spleen, and most times the stomach. Depending on the age of the rat (older) some of the fur gets left to be played with (tug of war and keep away games). So you may not have anything stashed. ciao
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