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Post by harlequinheart on May 26, 2010 13:36:05 GMT -5
I'm in the process of switching my two babies from Totally Ferret to a mixture of Dr.'s Foster and Smith and Zupreem, but I'm wondering if there is a better option other than raw?
Unforunately money is somewhat of an option, and part of the reason I'm chosing not to do a raw diet. I've thought about doing it, and I wish I could, but I also don't think I'd have enough time, and I don't trust myself just yet with being able to properly store the meat. (I do want to note, though, that even though money is tight, I've never allowed that to become an issue with their health. They are always given the care and attention needed, and are taken to the vet, a ferret specialist, on a regular basis.)
I want the best for them, and want to be sure that they are getting everything they need in their diet. The totally ferret seemed to be working pretty well, their coats are beautiful and they are extremely healthy, but I don't think the ingredients are as good as I'd prefer.
I've heard of Ziwipeak, and would like to know more about that if it's worth using as a regular diet, or perhaps the new diet I am moving them to is suitable?
I'd like to try and give them meat on occasion if possible, but I've heard some conflicting information about feeding both raw and kibble to a ferret, so I'm hesitant.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give!
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Post by harlequinheart on May 27, 2010 10:04:01 GMT -5
On the other hand, if someone is able to give me the rundown of feeding raw, as far as where the food can be purchased, and price range for two ferrets on raw, I may be able to switch them. One of them is a little over a year old and he is pretty picky, but I realize how much better raw is for them so if it's doable I'd love to be able to.
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Post by Heather on May 27, 2010 12:31:34 GMT -5
Raw feeding is simple, for 2 ferrets it shouldn't cost you any more than feeding a high end kibble, if fact probably less. In the long run, when the vet bill are tallied, much less. |I've saved hundreds of dollars in vet bills and countless hours of in house hospital care. Natural fed ferrets are generally healthier, recouperate faster and are much less prone to insulinomas than their kibble fed counter parts. As for actual costs, I can't help you unless you live in Canada. For two ferrets, I would have no problem in being able to feed just from my butcher and the local grocery store. I also have access to frozen commercial which would be entirely feasible if I was only feeding 2 ferrets. I do use this occasionally to offer more exotic meats like bison, quail, rabbit, duck and venison. The easiest way to figure it out is check out sherrylynne's posting on ferret eating amounts, decide what your 2 little ones would eat in a week and then go to the grocery store and check it out. You can also go on line and check out rodentpro and other frozen food suppliers. Good luck with your research ciao
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Post by carnivorouszoo on May 27, 2010 15:54:32 GMT -5
A years worth of feeders for my 5 snakes would feed two ferrets I think for 6 months but that is if you only do MICE. I got around 500 mice from rodentpro for $130 something back in January. I had to get breeding mice because ordering just pinks for the eggs I am hatching won't be cost effective and neither would buying other sizes since the cat and ferrets aren't raw fed yet. But then you do not want to feed only one kind of meat as that is not how they would eat if they were wild animals. In the future I hope to order some quail and chicks in the future for the cat and ferrets, maybe some chicks for the snakes too. You can supplement with meat you buy for yourself just buy a little bit more than you would eat in a meal and keep it raw for the fuzzies. It can be done surprisingly cheap if you really work at it. Some stores have Wednesday mark downs on older meat. If you caught that sale each week it would help your budget a lot.
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Post by mustelidmusk on May 27, 2010 16:33:35 GMT -5
I've mentored quite a few ferret owners who feed kibble and supplement with raw meat on the side. Quite a few of these people have started with a similar situation as yours (time and funds are an issue). Quite a few of these individuals have since moved on to feeding all raw because they've found that raw feeding is more flexible and cheaper than they thought it would be. There are others who still feed some kibble along with the raw.
Regarding feeding both kibble and raw together....some people believe that feeding both kibble and raw results in issues because the two digest at different rates an cause diarrhea and malnutrition, etc. I continued to feed kibble along with raw when I first switched my 4 brats, and I had no problems with the combination of the two. Some ferrets in this forum take quite a while to switch - they my be on kibble and raw meat mixes for almost a year. Other than the typical "switching digestive adjustments to raw", I haven't seen any of the ferrets I've worked with that have been eating a combination of kibble and raw develop any issues. So, this may be something particular to a handful of unique ferrets that have very sensitive stomachs. It has been my experience that this is more of a myth than a reality.
As Heather pointed out, a little bit of planning and buying in bulk can really help keep the cost down. SOme people work with their butchers to pick up meat scraps, organ, etc. really cheap (or even free) since these meats would otherwise be thrown way.
If you look under the mentoring program section of the forum, you'll find a thread for acampbell. One of my first few posts summarizes feeding options along with pros and cons for each to help people understand how flexible feeding your ferret can be. acampbell is also looking to feed both kibble and raw, so this is a valid approach to improving your ferret's diet. Please check out the info in this thread and let me know if you have any questions.
-jennifer
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Post by mamapanda20 on May 27, 2010 18:12:49 GMT -5
I am feeding 3 raw right now and figure the meals cost me between 50 and 75 cents a day. They really don't eat that much and there is no waste like with the kibble, I felt like I was always throwing half of it away because they just scattered it everywhere. The kibble I was feeding them before was costing about 10$ a week I think, so really raw might be cheaper and if you just cut a bit off what you are cooking for dinner before you cook it you might not even notice. As far as the time you put into it it took extra time getting them switched but now that they are the meals really take very little time to prepare. I either carve some off of what we are having for dinner or I package some up in serving size portions when I get the meat home and put it in the freezer. Just get some baggies out of the freezer the night before and stick them in the fridge to thaw. Not trying to push it on you just trying to address some fears you might have in switching hope it helps
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Post by harlequinheart on May 27, 2010 18:52:58 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the responses, everyone! I would LOVE to switch them to raw, and it sounds like it may not be as difficult as I thought. (I bet you guys hear that a lot, huh? ) I went to the store and got some organic turkey today, just to see what would happen, and they didn't like it, but they didn't hate it either. Splinter is the pickier of the two and he wouldn't even look at the thing unless I put Ferretone on it. Colbert was sort of the same, but he actually started to chew on the meat a little bit. But then he took it from me, put it in the corner of the cage, and left it! Oh well, not too bad for a first shot. Am I able to be mentored, then, if I am just going to give them raw as a treat for now? I'm thinking that I might be like one of the members you mentioned, mustelidmusk, who might start feeding them raw as their main diet once I get used to it.
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Post by Heather on May 28, 2010 2:13:43 GMT -5
You can definitely apply for a mentor, I would strongly suggest that you continue to research, post and work on it on your own too. The mentoring program is full at the moment but it's the end of the month and we will see what and who's possibly going to be available. Keep posting your questions and progress here if you like, and you will get assistance from the whole membership. Apply for a mentor and as soon as there's an opening we will get you a mentor . Who knows your little ones may just switch and then you will only need to adjust your feeding program to balance your little ones diets ciao
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Post by harlequinheart on May 28, 2010 14:04:19 GMT -5
Okay, thanks. :3
So, from experience, does anyone know if there is a specific meat that ferrets tend to like more? To make it easier for me to get them used to it? I'm assuming something with a stronger scent may interest them more, not sure though.
This is a total newbie question here, but when you feed raw.. how big of chunks should it be? And is soup the easiest way to introduce them, or maybe just chunks of meat with a treat on it?
Or mix it in with some kibble??
I don't know! XD
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Post by goingpostal on May 28, 2010 15:11:54 GMT -5
Soupies are a good way to switch them, just add in tiny pieces of meat and work your way up, some people coat meat in kibble, since ferrets can be so picky I've had a couple I have to put meat in their mouth a couple times before they figure out it's food and on the other hand I have one that will literally eat anything meaty and loves it. Start with small chunks since they aren't used to making their jaws work that hard and need to figure out ripping/chewing.
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Post by harlequinheart on May 28, 2010 15:30:39 GMT -5
Okay, soupie sounds like a good idea, I'll try it. I tried once before and Splinter hated it, but he's picky so I'll keep at it! Start with small chunks since they aren't used to making their jaws work that hard and need to figure out ripping/chewing. How small are we talking? Pea size?
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Post by sherrylynne on May 30, 2010 0:32:31 GMT -5
I used the soup method for mine. I simply pureed some chicken raw, added some heart(chicken, but not absolutely necessary at the start), same with a tsp powdered eggshell, and a chicken liver, with enough water to make it soupy. Grab ferret, dab it on nose so they have to lick it off(I had to scruff some of mine to do this), and just keep doing that over, and over, and over, and...well- you get the picture Sooner or later, they'll start to lick it off your finger, then work to a spoon, then a bowl. Gradually make it thicker by adding less water. THEN start to add mince sized pieces, like this big [] Basically tiny slivers that they don't have to chew, but get used to a bit of a different texture.
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