Couple ?s

[bronwyn]

My eventual plan is to feed at least all raw but I haven't decided which way to go yet(RMB, commercial, etc.) and hopefully add some whole prey for Bronwyn.

I have started getting my animals to eat raw. We still have some Evo to eat up first. Should I go cold turkey for Bronwyn or wean her into it. She will eat raw but I haven't gotten consistent feedings. I have 2 cats, a dog and Bronwyn plus we are picking up 2 more ferrets tomorrow. 1 cat is all about chunks, 1 likes ground, dog wont eat it, Bronwyn is on and off of all of it.

At this point, I have looked around and the few butchers here aren't into helping me out much so I'll probably be ordering the more unusual "parts" and meats.

I was wondering what everyone recommends for a general all around commercial raw for my small crew. I am fine with ordering a cat specific for all. I plan on getting the veggies together myself for the dog anyway.

I have also found most articles say animals shouldn't have only ground, to add chunks and pieces with bones. How much of a mess does this typically create? I really don't look forward to finding raw pieces all over my apartment, especially with a toddler who enjoys tasting everything. Could I put Bronwyn in the cage with her food? I have a dark bin for her to eat that will fit inside the cage.

Sorry about it being everywhere and adding all my other animals to this post. I am lost about meals for all of them.
Thanks,
Jessica

[Heather]

Hi Jessica
Ok, even if you feed ground you will have to find a method to get bone. If that's the case then unless you want to grind your own (buy your own grinder, I mentor a couple of people who have resorted to this method) you will have to buy commercial. Most butchers will not grind bone in meat because it screws up their grinders and gets into the human mix. They don't want bone in that I was lucky in that my butcher actually has contact with a gentleman who grinds for him so my ground chicken and turkey is organic .
The way to look at it is this, it's all a matter of what is better Ground raw or rmb (raw meat and bones) is better than any dry or moist food. Whole meats and bone (frankenprey) is better than the ground. Whole prey (varied) is the best of all. That being said, there are all sorts of reasons to stop anywhere along the raw chain. You are your furbabies guardian, you make the decision as to how far you want this to go That's the joy of all of this, you are in total control. All you have to do is learn how to balance it all (and it's not that difficult)
How messy is it It's as messy as you allow it to be. You can feed your furchild in her cage, there are a few who do this. Ferrets will stash so you can set up that there is times that you put your furbaby in her cage so that she can eat her meals.
You can use prefab, hare today is one....I will let others pop in on this one as I live in Canada and the prefabs that I get up here are not the same that you get in the US. You can also order from rodenpro as well.
ciao

[bronwyn]

Sorry about the miscommunication, I meant the ground food with bones and organs included, like the foods found at Hare Today. I was just wondering if that was alright long term if I can't get her to eat chunks or whole prey. I just found that even with her eating raw food at random times(when she will actually eat it, I offer it at all feedings) she would rather eat the ground up food over the chunks.
Jessica

[spiritualtramp]

I think it's probably better to vary the textures of foods you're offering, ground, chunks, rmbs. It takes time for them to work their jaw muscles up to being able to chew on bones but it does help their teeth, offering important calcium, and mental stimulation (chewing has been proven to release feel-good and stress-relieving hormones in carnivores' brains.) Eating mushy, ground up food is of course easier and any animal will choose easy over more difficult. But that doesn't mean she can't learn to eat the more difficult things!

Feeding rmb's, I actually skewer the meats with a shower hook and clip it to the cage. That way there is no stashing and everyone can find the food - it'd work well to keep your daughter safe too. For organs and ground, I generally cage them while they're eating to cut down on stashing and then remove the food when they are done and let back out. You could even just use a carrier as a feeding den and clip the meats onto the crate - I did this while switching three of my four as the fourth was already fully switched and I had to feed them separately, or he'd eat their food and leave the rmbs (lazy!)

All that said, feeding what you are comfortable and able to feed is equally important, and like Heather said, it's all up to you!

I've ordered from Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow but I've also used a variety of other commercial raw, as supplemental meals, and freeze-dried comes in great when traveling.

Stella and Chewy's and Wysong are great freeze-dried, but I really only use them when traveling, or as a treat. A user on here sells them at great prices through her webstore: www.caseyshiddenpantry.com/

Nature's Variety makes a line of frozen raw that I occasionally buy because they have a rabbit version, and rabbit is hard to find for me. It's ground up and formed into little medallion-sized patties.

Bravo also makes frozen raw, ground up and packaged in 'logs.'

Those I've found at various pet stores around my area, not the larger chain stores but mom and pop types generally are more natural in their choices and often you can find a freezer full of frozen raw. So look around for those if commercial is what you're looking into.


Hope this helps!

[jojodancer]

Stella and Chewy's and AFS products have the bones and organs already ground up in their patties, so if you go with a commercial provider, you probably won't have to special order from the butcher.

I feed my raw in a the form of soup, using S&C or AFS. There are different textures involved in the soups. I place the bowl on a placemat, and the ferrets eat right out of the bowl. It's not really messy. They will clean their muzzles on the carpet nearby. And if there is too big of a bone or cartiledge for them, they neatly place it beside the bowl.

The toddler, however may pick up these pieces. I think if you set up a feeding box for the ferrets, the mess will be kept to a minimum, and the toddler won't be able to taste the little tiny pieces of grissel or muzzle-mush left behind.

[sherrylynne]

Generally I just buy mine from the supermarket, as I feed RMB's. I feed these in cage before they come out twice a day. Keeps the stashing to a minimum. I've tried the commercial raw, but mine won't touch them anymore.

[bronwyn]

I prefer to feed stuff I prepared at home but I'm going out of town for a month soon and my husband will be feeding them. He doesn't care that I feed them raw but I don't think he's thrilled to prepare it. think I'm going to get some made up in containers he would just have to thaw and feed.

For the shower curtain hook idea, do you just use a metal one and jab it through some of the meaty area? The youngest does stash food in their bedding-really gross to reach in their sleeping box and pull out raw, old food.

So far, I feed the ferrets in the cage(just got my ferret nation) and haven't had much of a problem, but like I said only 1 tends to eat the raw.

Thanks
Jessica

[valkyriestorm]

Primal makes a raw ground meat now with bone in it. Thats what I feed my boys.

[spiritualtramp]

Jan 23, 2009 12:19:52 GMT -5 @bronwyn said:

For the shower curtain hook idea, do you just use a metal one and jab it through some of the meaty area? The youngest does stash food in their bedding-really gross to reach in their sleeping box and pull out raw, old food.

Yep, I use two - one goes through the meat, which I generally try to work through a tendony spot, or between two bones (like on a wing, I'd go through the two bones in the middle segment) to keep the kids from easily removing the food from the clip. Then I hook another clip through that clip, and clip that one to the cage. I do the two clips to give a little pulling room, otherwise it'd be up close to the cage bars and they couldn't get their paws around it to hold on! It works like a charm, truly.