I'm a newbie with some RAW questions

[sassygirl]

Hi~
I have two ferrets.one is Cola(jill) and the other is Hero(hob).
I fed my two ferrets some raw meat about few month ago,they finally accept the raw meat but then I stop feeding them the raw meat.

The first reason is because I always felt the raw meat can't satisfied their hunger ,I fed them three time in a day,per each 8 hours,and then I started think about their special digest system,they can digest food in 2~3hours,after they digest the raw meat ,they will feel hungry very soon, the things confused me is I read about some raw meat article in this forum before, it's mention that the ferret have to eat so many times in a day because the kibble can not provide enough nutrition in their body,so they need to eats every per2~3 hours.

so,if I feed the raw meat to ferret,can they get enough nutrition if I only feed them three times in a day?
if can,how do I make this work?can any one tell me your feeding time schedule in a day? what o'clock you feed them first,second and third time?

the other thing I concern is about the antibiotic in meat,some chicken meat might have antibiotic on it,but I'm not sure, and also have some bacteria problem, what can I do with all this problem? the antibiotic is not good to ferret even might make them sick...

sorry about my terrible English,because the English is not my native language,and I'm not sure you guys can understanding my question or not?

[suds]

welcome to the forum
where are you from ? you English is well .
Yes feeding raw 3 times a day is sufficient for a ferret to be very healthy . as long as you give them plenty to eat at each feeding. 1 to 1.5 oz per ferret . the average ferret will eat about 4 ounces in a 24 hour period , some will eat less and some will eat more depending on your ferrets needs.
Now to feed raw properly you need to feed other things then just meat , they need bones and organs to balance out there diet properly .
As far as bacteria the ferrets digest food very quickly where in most cases it will not harm them .

I suggest you read a little in the mentor thread to get a feel for how things work here then start your own thread so a mentor can assist you on correctly feed raw to your little guys

Mentor thread
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbie

Preliminary Questions. All newbies MUST fill out
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbie&action=display&thread=822

Newbie Questions
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbquest

[sherrylynne]

Hi, Sassygirl! Welcome to Holistic Ferret . Please don't worry about your English, we can understand you just fine! I am so glad you've decided to come and check us out. A raw diet for your ferret is the most natural one there could be! Personally, I only feed twice a day. Once in the morning, and once in the evening, and they get more than enough to satisfy their hunger with this. Sometimes they don't finish everything, so I leave it in their cage to finish at their leisure . A ferret's digestive system is very fast, like Suds said. Their food processes in about 3-4 hours. Salmonella, for instance, takes about 7-8 hours to have any effect on a body. So they literally poop it out long before it can bother them!
I've found with meat, they don't need to eat as often, because they can use everything in the meat, and it "holds" them longer between meals.

Since you are new to natural feeding, here are some links to help you navigate the site:

Post all questions about natural ferret diet here:
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbquest

When you are ready to make the switch to a natural diet, fill out one of these forms:
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbie&action=display&thread=822

and start a thread in this section (copy/paste the filled out form into your first post):
holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbie

Post all questions/updates on the progress of your ferret's diet switch in that one thread.

After making your initial post we will help you start the switch and we will assign you a "Holistic Ferret Mentor" to assist you and monitor your progress.

[Heather]

Hi and welcome on board
Your english is perfectly serviceable and very understandable I've been feeding raw foods, ground meats and prey for over 10 yrs and it is more than a satisfactory way to feed it is the only way to feed a carnivore (JMO , my furbabies too ) Raw meat is processed by your furkids in it's entirety (you can tell by the amount of output) they find it much more satisfying and they can survive much longer between meals than they can with kibbles. When you first switch your furchild over they will eat large amounts of raw foods, this will ease off after about 6 months or so. I think (no confirmed proof) that their bodies are demanding the missing trace nutrients. Once the body has replaced these missing nutrients (you will see increased vigour in your fuchild, a thicker more luxurious coat, brighter eyes, better muscle tone and less body fat) the ferret no longer has to eat these large amounts and eases back on their consumption. If you can only feed 3 times a day then make sure that you put down enough food to last them during that time frame, it's not very difficult and is easily doable. If they run out then you know that you have to increase the amount that you feed. If there is food left over then you know that you've overfed My guys are free roaming and are on a free feeding schedule, so I cannot compare my furbabies to your set up but I know there are more than a few people on this list who feed on schedules similar to your and do it successfully.
I don't know the laws of meat packaging in the US but here in Canada no animal is allowed to be slaughtered and used for human consuption if it's been on antibiotics. That is not a claim that most kibbles manufactureres can claim as they make use of sick, dying or dead animals that cannot be used for human consuption. I'm not going to go into horror stories or long tales about what goes into kibbles, you can find any number of tales if you do any research on the net.
As far as bacteria, like our dogs and cats their systems are created to deal with bacteria that their lifestyle generates. Ferrets have a very short digestive system, 3 or 4 hrs....just as you discovered when you were investigating more about their diet. The reason for the short digestive track is to deal with the bacteria load that their bodies would have to take because of the way they eat. They kill eat fresh meat, and then stash what is left over, returning to the kill as often as it takes to consume the whole meal. Depending on the kill you could be looking at a period of hours or days. By the end of days you're looking at a huge bacterial load...but their systems can and do deal with it. Salmonella, takes 6 to 8 hrs to take up residence in a system (which is why we're so suseptible to this, when you get notification of contaminated pet products with salmonella...you are at risk not your pet). Salmonella is no more in a ferret then it's out of the ferret Now, there may be a risk to ferrets who are immune suppressed but I've fed raw to my furbabies who have lymphomas and are on pred with no ill effects. If you were dealing with type of situation you would have to evaluate your own beliefs and weigh where you stand. I can do this for myself but I cannot for another
I have tried to answer all your questions, but you have to realize they're from my point of view. There is little to no true research to back up my claims, only people's point of view. I wish you luck in your search. I know that years ago I made my decision and do not regret for a moment the decision that I have made. I presently have 16 ferrets in house all on a totally raw diet. Every one is as healthy as they can be given their individual circumstances. My furbabies range between the ages of 18 months to 10 yrs of age. All except one, my Napoleon (now age 5) are rescues who have been turned in to me (I run a small private rescue/sanctuary/hospice. All furbabies are switched over to raw despite age. All are loved, free roaming, natural fed and have a home here until it's time for them to pass over.
Good luck. I hope that I see you around. They're an awesome group of people here.
ciao

[nwheather]

Welcome! There are many people here than can help you with your questions! Don't forget to post pics of your kids! =)