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Post by vkoslin on Jan 2, 2010 12:36:01 GMT -5
Hey sorry it took so long to get back to you. Winn Dixie, our store, has "Split Quartered Chicken Thighs". If you ask your grocer to do that, there's a good chance they can. It's EXCELLENT and a big part of my guys' diet.
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Post by zoologist on Jan 2, 2010 16:53:19 GMT -5
how often can i feed gizzards? are they considered organs or meat? where do i get chicken/beef hearts? publix doesnt carry them also, when should i start noticing a change in fur? Chewey has his winter coat and he looks A LOT better than when i first got him. it just seems so soon, you know?
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Post by vkoslin on Jan 2, 2010 23:45:14 GMT -5
chicken hearts are usually with the gizzards, I think, sometimes in the same pack. I rarely find them separate. Some of the weird things have to be found at an Asian or small grocer bc places like Publix won't sell meats that aren't human consumable to customers because of health reasons. Even if you say its for a ferret, they can't give you like brain, for example. So sometimes the best places are the weirder ones. Beef hearts at walmart! I don't know about the coats really I never noticed
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 3, 2010 1:21:13 GMT -5
Talk to the meat manager at your local grocery. I can order chicken hearts by the box through him, but can only buy them mixed in with gizzards on the shelves. And gizzards are muscle meats.
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Post by zoologist on Jan 3, 2010 9:26:31 GMT -5
publix gizzards do not come with hearts. weird, right? you can only get livers and gizzards at publix unless you buy a whole chicken then you can get the giblets too. very annoying.
plus, everywhere in my town is closed sunday so i wont be able to get anything weird today. back to chicken AGAIN (and im running out too)
ok, three things:
A) Chewey ate pork! yey! pork mash, pork pieces and pork chunks... doesnt matter, he loves the stuff.
B) Can ferrets get fat on a raw diet? Chewey was very slim when i got him but now it seems like he is packing on the pounds... he's starting to look like an actual ferret! but i dont know how to tell if he is fat? I know that if they look like a bowling pin they're considered fat. well, chewey's hip bones are a tad deformed due to awful nutrition while he was growing, because of that his hips are undeveloped and small, so he always looks like a bowling pin!
C) Taurine, is that something i need to worry about? Chewey's food is kept frozen until that morning when i set it out to defrost it. should i start adding suppliments?
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 3, 2010 12:04:34 GMT -5
He should be able to get enough taurine from the hearts, but any dark muscle meat has taurine as well. If you can't get hearts to feed weekly though, you may want to consider supplementing. I believe a 500mg capsule sprinkled on his food daily should do it.
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Post by vkoslin on Jan 3, 2010 17:00:08 GMT -5
A) yayyy!!! My guys love pork too! Happy that he found a fav! B) First, they tend to lose weight fast because they're not eating as much or as often. Then, they pack on the pounds, and then I believe the extra pounds turns to muscle and they lean out but stay fit. Bowling Pin shape is what I describe my boy ferrets before the diet, as that's where ferrets gain weight really. So if he were to be chubby, that's where it would be. But don't worry about it at all. As long as you're feeding him meats organs and bone, he has no problem there. If you notice it gets worse long term, you might want to consider other things but right now he needs the skin and fat in meats to keep him healthy. Chubby ones are the cutest, anyways C) All of my food for them is frozen. But since they eat so much, nothing stays in the freezer for more than a month or two. I feed them heart as much as I can find it but it's usually beef heart. Pork heart is hard to find a lot. Also, cutting up beef heart and pork heart smells TERRRIBLLLE ewww. I gagged like...3 times and had to hide my face in a sweatshirt while cutting it. But your baby might love it as much as mine and then you can't really refuse it to them, spoiled brats
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Post by zoologist on Jan 4, 2010 14:26:50 GMT -5
A) Chewey will eat hamburger patties, but not ground chuck. i think the patties are siroloin. have you guys heard of ferrets being picky on the cut of meat? B) good news- my meat market sells all sorts of wacky meats! bad news- they're super expensive and you cant get a sampler pack. so as much as id love to try chewey on quail, pheasent, duck, rabbit, goat, deer and alligator (yes, alligator) i could only go with the cheapest. so tonight Chewey will be dining on "goat cubes" and tomorrow he will be trying out lamb C) Found chicken hearts! only bad thing is that they come with gizzards so now i have a lot of gizzards. correct me if im wrong but both hearts and gizzards can be fed on a daily basis?
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Post by shirleyverde on Jan 4, 2010 19:34:07 GMT -5
i just take the gizzard (it's really cheap at my grocery store) and grind it up with the chicken (or whatever meat they are eating that day or week) and they love it i have been feeding it about 3 times a week but i don't know if you can do everyday? as far as cheap meats you should try an asian grocery store they carry all sorts of stuff for pretty cheap and ofcourse remember to visit winn dixie on buy one get one free days (i hate winn dixie but will go there for the buy one get one deals for the meats for the boys)
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Post by zoologist on Jan 5, 2010 0:03:53 GMT -5
I'm moving so soon i dont want to start looking for grocery places... its kinda pointless! however my friend is hooking me up with some deer meat and i have 2.2 pounds of goat, and he does like the lamb i gave him so it looks like i'm going to have him covered for a month or so!!
thanks for the tips about the gizzards! he lovesss them, but luckily i just have to chop them up not grind them
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Post by shirleyverde on Jan 5, 2010 10:57:15 GMT -5
that's awsome we haven't reached that point yet we are still new with this... i will start the chunks of cut up stuff next week when i am out of the ground stuff (which i made too much of lol)
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Post by zoologist on Jan 5, 2010 15:54:02 GMT -5
i started mixing the ground with the cubes, and it works for him! like when i start him out on a new meat i give him 3 options- ground, small chunks and cubes. i hand feed him the ground, and once he realizes he likes it he likes to take a chunks and run off with them btw- lamb went over well! not as well as pork or chicken, but he'll tolerate it tonight is goat! yummmm
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Post by zoologist on Jan 8, 2010 11:23:57 GMT -5
so! my "mentors" since Chewey will take any meat from me, eats bones like a champ and will take liver (ick!) am i considered completley switched to raw??
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 8, 2010 22:40:11 GMT -5
Is he eating at least 3 different proteins regularly? Maybe you should post a "menu" for us. What is he eating Mon., Tues., Wed., etc.
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Post by zoologist on Jan 10, 2010 0:40:43 GMT -5
He eats chicken, pork, goat, lamb, sirloin and deer. Monday- Chicken wing, heart Tuesday- pork chop, cubed, heart Wednesday- Chicken wing, heart Thursday- Goat cubes, heart Friday-Chicken wing, heart Saturday deer patty, heart Sunday- giblets and liver of course, i will probably not keep it that strict, as long as he gets the liver once a week and bone 4 times a week we're good, right?
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