Almost ready.

[jakeandlexie]

Ok so here in about oh 5 weeks I will be getting my first paycheck for the summer and I plan to switch lexie over to raw food than. I was just wondering a few things.
1) Does it matter if the raw meat is expired or not?
2) How much of a variey should I feed?
3) IN your experiences what is the best starting food?
4) How much would I need to feed a medium activity level, 2-2 1/2 year old, female ferret?
5) Is there anypart of an animal that IS NOT safe?
6) is there any meat that IS NOT safe?
7) Are there any certain meats that are better than others?
8)What should I feed in(plastic,glass,flat,bowl)?
9)How long does the food stay good after placed in the cage?
10) Should the food be cooked at all?
11) Should I Substitute with anything?
12) Should I still offer kibble at all?
Thanks for any replies I get!

[sherrylynne]

1) Does it matter if the raw meat is expired or not?
If the meat smells bad, they probably won't touch it anyway. Just because it's at, or slightly past, the expiry date, doesn't mean it's bad.

2) How much of a variey should I feed?
You need to feed a minimum of three different protiens, just to be sure nutritional bases are covered. More is always better.

3) IN your experiences what is the best starting food?
Usually, chicken is the most palatable, pork a close second.

4) How much would I need to feed a medium activity level, 2-2 1/2 year old, female ferret?
2-4 ounces per day, split into two feedings. The first 5-6 months, they'll consume a lot more, but slow down after that. If they are stashing a lot, you're feeding too much, if there isn't anything stashed, probably not quite enough.

5) Is there anypart of an animal that IS NOT safe?
Bones that are too dense for them can chip/break their teeth. Other than that, everything is fair game. Odds are though, they'll not eat the stomach from animals they can pull them out of .

6) is there any meat that IS NOT safe?
Not too much fish. Especially the larger variety. Too much mercury. No more than weekly.

7) Are there any certain meats that are better than others?
Some people believe that they should only eat what they would realistically feed off of in the wild. I've not found a problem with the larger meats, though.

8)What should I feed in(plastic,glass,flat,bowl)?
I feed some from a plate, some from a bowl. Depends on what they're getting. Some feed it clipped to clipboards(they sit on the board and try to tug it off, give up and eat ), some hooked to the cage bars, some on the floor of a feeding den. Basically, whatever suits you. They really don't care.

9)How long does the food stay good after placed in the cage?
Ground, up to about 8 hours. Large chunks, I leave in up to 24 hours. They prefer their own version of home made jerky(stash)

10) Should the food be cooked at all?
No need whatsoever. Cooking destroys the nutrients. That's why pet food companies have to add all of that back in.

11) Should I Substitute with anything?
If your talking about freeze dried and the like, mine get a bit of all of it. Whole prey, raw meat/bone/organ, freeze dried raw, and I still try premade commercial raw from time to time.
12) Should I still offer kibble at all?

At first, yes. Just remove it for a few hours before you offer whatever version you and your mentor decide to start with.

[suds]

Hi Jake and Lexi

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your new adventure in raw feeding .At times it will not be a easy road but the benefits always outweigh the negatives



1) Does it matter if the raw meat is expired or not?
When you say expired do you mean shelf dates ? As long as the meat is not rotting or bad it should be ok for the ferts


2) How much of a variety should I feed?
You try and feed at least 3 different kinds of meat (chicken, beef , turkey ect.) at different ages and cuts each offer different nutrients . the more the Varity the better

3) IN your experiences what is the best starting food?
Chicken seems to be what most start with its very easy to get and if you get it on sale it can be quite cheap

4) How much would I need to feed a medium activity level, 2-2 1/2 year old, female ferret?
each ferret is different just like us Humans we all eat different amounts at different times depending on her activity and time of year it can range from 2 to 4 oz a day

5) Is there anypart of an animal that IS NOT safe?
simply put if you can eat they can eat it the main issue will be bones the can only eat bones from small prey like chicken , hens , rats , mice ,

6) is there any meat that IS NOT safe?
Any processed meats like lunch meats , seasoned meats and meat that are cured in high amounts of salts the more natural farmed the better .

7) Are there any certain meats that are better than others?
depend on your ferrets some prefer chicken over beef or pork over chicken and so on . and yes the natural farmed raised are always better then commercial meats .
8)What should I feed in(plastic,glass,flat,bowl)?
In the beginning small saucers seem to work best you can spread the meat out to make it easer for them to grab it

9)How long does the food stay good after placed in the cage?

depends on the food , humidity and temps , ground meats usually last 4 to 6 hours , meat chunks 6 to 8 hours meats on bone 6 to 12 hours and whole prey 24 hours

10) Should the food be cooked at all?
raw uncooked meats have the highest amounts of nutrients it really never has to be cooked

11) Should I Substitute with anything?
in the beginning you mite have to use things such as crushed eggshell (powder) for calcium and to help keep the poos firmer some use tone to help in the switch but in most cases you rarely ever have to use supplements or substitutions

12) Should I still offer kibble at all?

this depends on what it is you want to do and how you want to feed some still keep kibble in the mix for emergencies' , some want no kibble at all around

[jakeandlexie]

Ok thank you both very much for your replies. I know it may be a bit early because I won't have my check for like another 5 weeks but I wanted to know incase I got some money befoer that or if I should research anything first. Like I said thank you both very much you are both very very helpful!

Edit- when should I ask for a mentor?

[suds]

when you are ready to make the switch just fill out the form and post it in the mentor section and Guili or Heather will get you a mentor to fit your needs . In the mean time I suggest you read some of the threads in the mentor program as well as the archives to get a good feel of what you will be dealing with and see the different ways others have tried the switch .
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbie&action=display&thread=822

holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbie
holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=newbiearchive

[jakeandlexie]

Thanks a lot! I have read a lot in the newbie section already lol.