|
Post by blf1234 on Dec 27, 2008 14:07:36 GMT -5
Hi i want to put duke (my ferrets) on a partcial raw diet. one thing, I WILL NOT feed him any kind of live prey to him. But what about raw meat? i hear its difficult to get a ferret to like raw meat, how can i get Duke started on that? I want Duke to atleast start to eat a raw meal once a day. help neeeded. and i got another Q. (don't laugh) MY mom doesn't want me to feed him raw meat cause she sacred that Duke might get sick, so will the meat be as good if i feed him RAW boiled meat, cause she said i have to boil the meat, but i wil try to show her that rawe meat is ok for him, bbut meanwhile will the meat be as good when its boiled?
|
|
|
Post by suds on Dec 27, 2008 19:41:00 GMT -5
some ferrets are picky and dont know raw is food and you have to teach them it is good food for them , If you want to feed as a suplement I sugest you start a thread in the mentors section and someone can help you with getting Duke used to eating raw meats.
for 1 it is very rare and hard for a ferret to get sick from raw foods there digestive systems works to fast for most things to cause a problem that makes us (Humans) sick, When you boil or cook meats they loose alot of there nutrients so feeding raw is much better but feeding cooked is also much better then kibble .
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Dec 27, 2008 19:45:04 GMT -5
Some ferrets are harder to switch than others. My adrenal ferret, Chewie, switched really well compared to other ferrets. If you just want to start with supplementing you can post in the mentor section. You can start by blending meat together (in a blender) and pouring it on his kibble. Freezing meat gets rid of parasites if any. Also ferrets immune system is a lot better than humans! Cooking meat can get rid of a lot of the nutrients.
|
|
|
Post by sherrylynne on Dec 28, 2008 10:59:06 GMT -5
You could show this site to your mom: www.rawfed.com/myths/. Ask her to read through it. Since a ferret is also an obligate carnivore, it applies to them as well. Also, food goes through a ferret far too quickly for things like salmonella to develop. It takes salmonella 6-8 hours of sitting in the digestive tract to develop. With a ferret, from the time they eat it, till the time it comes out the other end, it is maybe 3-4 hours at the most . That's why we have to clean up so much poop!
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jan 1, 2009 20:01:51 GMT -5
You mention no live prey...that's cool...will you feed frozen prey or is it you just want to feed meat like you would find in the grocery store or are you willing to order from some of the suppliers who can give you an all in one package. Some ferrets have to be convinced to eat what is good for them. One of the problems that you may encounter is because you're feeding both kibble and meat, sometimes you may have tummy upsets (not always but you might as well be aware) and you have to remember it's rather like telling your kids to eat broccoli (meat) over their candy or chocolate bars (kibbles). Kibbles for ferrets is an addiction. I'm not saying it can't be done, there are many on board here that do both, I'm just saying it may make the situation more difficult. You can parcook but you are actually increasing the bacteria load in the meats. It warms the meat allowing for even greater chance of bacteria bloom. Cooking the meat though still providing a greater nutrient value than the overcooked kibbles but it is destroying a lot of the trace minerals that your ferret should be getting. Just some ideas for you to think about If you want help, you can keep asking us as a group or you can go to the mentor section and get yourself some personal attention. Which ever you choose, I hope that you will continue to research your new choices. Your furbaby will thank you in the end though he/she may not be particularly happy about it when you first start ciao
|
|