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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2010 4:16:47 GMT -5
So, I have a strange question. I was talking to my bf's Dad who is a hunter. He said that with game meat, it is best to get them when they are relaxed and make a quick kill versus chasing them through the woods and what not because when you do that there is adrenaline running though their body, and the running builds up lactic acid in the muscles and whatnot. Being all relaxed and unsuspecting makes them taste better. Well, since ferrets are hunters, is all of that stuff actually good for them where as to us the meat tastes better without it? I mean they don't really catch their prey unsuspecting so much as catch it, it gets a moment of surprise (adrenaline) and potentially a chase, and then it may take a moment for the ferret to kill it during which it is struggling to escape. I know they usually make quick kills but even so. Are the lactic acid and adrenaline and other hormones and chemicals that are released in a frightened animal (extra?) good for ferrets Just curious...
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Post by Heather on Apr 26, 2010 12:38:10 GMT -5
Wow....we were thinking Ok, without having to go into which is what in the technical dept. I believe we do have someone on board who can get technical for us. Anyway, the long and the short of it, what you were told is true about the prey thing but a ferret or carnivore doesn't really care if it's meat is tough or not which is the key component to this. It might make it simpler and easier for your ferret to tear apart the meat but they're not really going to care that much about the difference in taste (they actually don't have the number of taste buds that we do and probably cannot tell the difference anyway). Carnivores often just rip and swallow, subtleties of taste and texture aren't noted. My guys get both dead and live prey. They enjoy both with equal abandon. As far as the chemical reaction, they're carnivores it's just meant to be, they are genetically predispositioned to deal with whatever metabolic issues their prey has upon death. Their digestive issues are similar to a cat (faster but similar) a cat enjoys playing with their prey, it doesn't seem to make any difference to the cat when their prey dies (fast or slow), except to the amount of enjoyment they get with playing with their food. My cat prefers the poor little sods to last as long as possible (he's a mean old poop) and then he eats them when they stop moving. He can and does occasionally make a clean kill but that's usually because the ferrets are about and he knows if they get hold of his mouse, the game is over and they don't play with their food. This is why he usually gets his mice frozen or killed by one of the ferrets. He does get to play and keep all the stupid field mice who think this is a safe haven and come in from the fields across the road. He's also been known to unlatch the mice houses and scoop himself an unfortunate victim on occasion. I honestly don't think it matters to our little guys. It might even benefit them as it might trigger some chemicals in their brains but I honestly don't know if it does or not. Good question though , made me sit and think a bit . ciao
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Post by katt on Apr 26, 2010 14:06:48 GMT -5
Haha sweet! Thanks Heather! I'd love to see something on he physiology of it. I'm a bit of a Bio nerd. Physiology was one of my favorite classes so far. I'm doing biochem next semester, it would be fun to learn the stuff for animals too. Sadly I have to pick between being a vet or a doctor though. Vets don't make much and I like working with little kids. Off topic, sorry! haha Anyways, if someone Does know the technical side of it I would Love to hear it! I'd like to know if it benefits them in some way at all.
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Post by 1 on May 7, 2010 21:21:49 GMT -5
To me it sounds like a cooking recipe, like, hammer it until soft to make it juicer! I mean, fish always struggle! And to pull away from some one pulling on them with a hook!!! Pain!!! That = adrenalin! We are omnivores, not both carnivore and hervavoir, between carnivore and hurvavoir. So plant or meat we only get half the tast of the 100% people! To us, adrenalin=yuck, so to a carnivore it may = yum! To us onion= bitter, to a rabbit it = sweet!!
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Post by mustelidmusk on May 12, 2010 19:28:03 GMT -5
My guess would be that we have no clue how the chemical alteration in prey might affect dietary requirements. We don't even know for sure if a ferret requires taurine, let alone how much may be required. (We assume the requirement is similar to that of a cat.) In any event, I don't think that any chemical alterations in prey would be significant enough to affect health. My reasoning behind this is animals within the same species have different "hunting styles".....some are "stalk and pounce killers" while others prefer "the chase". I've observed this as a wildlife rehab volunteer - and you can see some of this on wildlife channels on TV. I strongly expect that my ferrets' different play styles reflect the nature of how they would hunt. So, the "chasers" would be getting more chemical alteration in their prey than than the "stalk and pouncers". If the chemical alteration in prey were significant, I would expect animals would not have such different hunting styles. But that's all speculation on my part. It's interesting to note that quite often, rabbits (especially cottontails) that are being chased do not die from being caught by predators. Instead, they may go into a shock-like state which can result in death before they are even caught. This suggests to me that a chased rabbit probably gets major chemical fluctuations. predators that eat mostly rabbit could be eating a lot more of these chemicals than individuals of the same species that subsist on a different type of prey. Some populations of coyotes that eat primary rabbit while others don't. Yet different coyote populations thrive whether or not they're primarily rabbit eaters. In any event, this is all speculation on my part . I've certainly never seen any info. on this. -jennifer
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Post by carnivorouszoo on May 25, 2010 7:36:09 GMT -5
Considering that taurine is present in all meat I would assume that they need it. As to how the adrenaline and lactic acid in the stressed meat might affect them, perhaps by making the meat tougher it makes their jaws work harder thus keeping the jaws and teeth healthier? Just a thought.
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