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Post by weloveourweasels on Dec 10, 2008 0:40:12 GMT -5
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Post by savagedestiny on Dec 10, 2008 17:29:04 GMT -5
My ferrets don't eat this, but my oldest cat does. She eats the Balance, which comes in patty form, and is their complete diet. Monstee is VERY picky, its hard to get her to eat anything, but she loves her Bravo! She actually meows demands for her food now, which is a big improvement.  The Balance is their only complete formula though. Their boneless, Original, and Basic formulas are not complete, they require a multivitamin and oils supplemented, according to the Bravo rep I spoke to. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Dec 11, 2008 1:29:57 GMT -5
I've heard of Bravo before. I've thought of ordering some, but Hare Today, Gone Tommorow is cheaper so I never bought the Bravo!
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Post by spiritualtramp on Dec 11, 2008 17:49:42 GMT -5
I've also seen it and thought about buying it, but haven't. It looks pretty good, though maybe a bit too expensive
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Post by valkyriestorm on Jan 28, 2009 19:34:29 GMT -5
We sell the Bravo meat patties at my work and my ferrets like it. There's Turkey, chicken and beef. They just dont like beef.
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Post by josiesmom on Jan 31, 2009 1:21:03 GMT -5
Its in ground meat form which is good for intro to raw, but not as a staple. Because there is no teeth cleaning ability of ground meat. You can increase this ability to clean teeth by freeze drying raw. but I'd also be wary of the ground bones.
I'll pass.
Cheers,
Kim
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Post by harrisi on Jan 31, 2009 11:44:52 GMT -5
One of my friends feed this almost exclusively to her cats as far as meats go, but they do get (and eat) bones from rabbits, pigs, cows, chickens and quail. They also get alot of others things like goats milk, egg, insects, grass and rabbit organ.
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Post by valkyriestorm on Jan 31, 2009 17:50:24 GMT -5
Why worry about the ground bones in the ground meat. Thats what I feed my guys and they love it. Dose that not help clean their teeth? I thought it did. I am still trying to get my guys to eat raw whole meat like rabbit and chicken and they still will not eat it. Its in ground meat form which is good for intro to raw, but not as a staple. Because there is no teeth cleaning ability of ground meat. You can increase this ability to clean teeth by freeze drying raw. but I'd also be wary of the ground bones. I'll pass. Cheers, Kim |
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Post by sherrylynne on Feb 1, 2009 10:34:44 GMT -5
Why worry about the ground bones in the ground meat. Thats what I feed my guys and they love it. Dose that not help clean their teeth? I thought it did. I am still trying to get my guys to eat raw whole meat like rabbit and chicken and they still will not eat it. Neither the ground bone, nor the ground meat will do anything for their teeth. For that, they need to eat chunks of meat/bone. It's when there is something to work against with their teeth that they get clean. Eating the ground would be similar to you putting the toothpaste into your mouth and swishing it around, instead of using a toothbrush  To get your guys to eat larger pieces, you have to start by giving them just slightly larger pieces than they are getting with the ground. Get a similar meat to the ground, and chop/dice it up a teensy bit bigger than the ground pieces, and mix in thoroughly. Once they are eating that, just keep increasing the size til they are on chunks. It can be a long process, but if you have the patience, they will do it! |
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Post by harrisi on Feb 1, 2009 16:16:30 GMT -5
As above. But if they are getting the nutrition from the ground bones then you dont have to worry too much as raw foods dont make tartar build up but they still need to have at least meat chunks to keep they're jaws strong. If you have problems with them not wanting to eat the bones then I suggest trying live prey (even though I hate it) as they have to break down the bones in order to eat the mouse/rat. |
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Post by valkyriestorm on Feb 1, 2009 17:53:13 GMT -5
That would be hard for me to do. I have pet rats. I cant even stand watching the snake I feed at work. But I have to do it. What luck would i have if I put a live mouse in front of them? Do they usually go for it right away?
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Post by josiesmom on Feb 1, 2009 22:18:05 GMT -5
As above. But if they are getting the nutrition from the ground bones then you dont have to worry too much as raw foods dont make tartar build up but they still need to have at least meat chunks to keep they're jaws strong. If you have problems with them not wanting to eat the bones then I suggest trying live prey (even though I hate it) as they have to break down the bones in order to eat the mouse/rat. I am a huge proponent of feeding live prey but it isn't absolutely necessary to feed live in order to gain optimal oral health. whole prey works, as does hunks of raw with skin on. Its the action of the teeth piercing through the meat and the skin and bones scrubbing against the teeth and gums that cleans their teeth to gleaming pearly whites! Eating natural meaty items actually takes Less power than constantly breaking and cracking bone hard kibble. Eating natural whole meaty items DOES make the ferret use ALL the teeth in its mouth and makes them move thier jaws in all ranges of motion. While I agree that the carbs and sweeteners in kibble can cause plaque and the fact that eating kibble does NOT engage the entire tooth and gum which contributes to tartar; a diet of ground meat can and WILL cause plaque and tartar because that diet just does NOT engage the scrubbing action of chomping through meat and skin and even fur. The other issue with feeding a ground mix is that some bones are NOT meant to be eaten by the ferret because they are too dense to digest, and the small pieces of these kinds of bones can put their digestive tract at risk. Keep working at progressing them to entire raw meaty bones of various sources and they'll be fine. You don't HAVE to offer them whole or live prey - it just adds MORE quality to their diet and enriches their lives. Cheers, Kim |
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Darlene
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Posts: 287
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Post by Darlene on Feb 2, 2009 2:49:01 GMT -5
quote]
The other issue with feeding a ground mix is that some bones are NOT meant to be eaten by the ferret because they are too dense to digest, and the small pieces of these kinds of bones can put their digestive tract at risk.
Cheers,
Kim[/quote]
Since my guys do get a ground mix for breakfast most days,I curious about what kind of bones are too dense. (They also get rmb/whole prey)
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Post by harrisi on Feb 2, 2009 4:18:41 GMT -5
I kknow you dont need live to clean the teeth BUT I find ferrets more interested in live prey and breaking into live prey then a piece of eat.
They will NEED to pierce the skin/meat in order to eat the mouse/rat so that is why I suggested it.
And I know the meat takes less work of the jaws then the kibble but I was referring to having a kibble free diet, ground/minced meats take little-no work, but in order to keep jaws strong WHEN ONLY FEEDING MEATS meat chunks are almost essential.
I *never* stated you NEEDED live prey for oral health, and like I said I hate it, but it has made all of our ferrets start eat proper meats and I only had to go it once and from then they just got whole prey and after attacking it they eat it all.
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Post by jojodancer on Feb 2, 2009 13:54:58 GMT -5
As a commercial ground feeder, I feel I have to speak up.
* Commercial ground raw can be fed as a staple diet, as it is 100% nutritionally complete. There are some, designed for dogs, which wouldn't be good for ferrets, but those brands are pretty easy to spot. To say that whole prey is the only 100% nutritionally complete raw meal would be incorrect in this regard.
* Yes, we know that feeding commercial ground means that we have to brush our ferret's teeth. The natural/raw food won't decay and cause tartar as the kibble will, but we still need to brush their teeth.
* The bones in commercial diet are acceptable to consume, as they are cut up into small pieces and digestable - I don't think i've seen anything larger than 2mm in any commercial raw. Most bone is ground so fine you barely see it.
Sometimes I feel like a third class citizen on this forum, since my choice, after research, was to feed commercial ground raw. It was what I felt was best for my ferrets. There are others like me, I'm sure, so please don't make us feel like we are doing our ferrets harm - we don't say things to make you feel that you're wrong by choosing to feed whole prey or RMB. This is supposed to be a place where all raw feeders can meet without feeling persecuted. Let's keep it that way.
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