|
|
Post by pentacle565 on Jun 26, 2008 9:15:20 GMT -5
How long can a ferret go on just chicken thighs/wings/brest/heart before nutrient definciencys come up, or are a risk? I have mice working on making more mice, but how long is it safe to have this incomplete diet? I don't even think my most recently switched guy is touching the bones.
I think its probably better than kibble, but i may be wrong here nutritionaly. Should i include some kibble, at least until I get them trying other "excreteing" organs?
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 26, 2008 9:25:20 GMT -5
How long can a ferret go on just chicken thighs/wings/brest/heart before nutrient definciencys come up, or are a risk? I have mice working on making more mice, but how long is it safe to have this incomplete diet? I don't even think my most recently switched guy is touching the bones. I think its probably better than kibble, but i may be wrong here nutritionaly. Should i include some kibble, at least until I get them trying other "excreteing" organs? Well one of our members (amyandfuzzies7) feeds her ferrets pretty much just cornish game hen. They eat the meat/bone/organ. I think they get beef heart occasionally too (?) I dunno, she can tell you more. Holistic Ferret advises that people feed ATLEAST three types of meat. Chicken is a good meat, beef, pork, turkey, and lamb are also common and depending on where you get them you can find them for an affordable price. Your ferrets will be okay just eating the chicken (meat/bone/organ) for now. My bigger concearn is that one isnt eating bones. Calcium is very important. If you feed only meet the phosphorous in the meat depletes the calcium in the body. Without the calcium from the bones, the phosphorous causes the body to use up the calcium in the ferrets body (leading to bone problems like rickkets or osteoperosis). If your bone-refuser starts eating mice, then you wont have to really worry about bone. He'll be getting it from the mice. Mouse bones are pretty easy to chew and most ferrets have no problem with them. To get your little guy to try bone there are a few things you can do: 1. Fast him for a little bit (8-12 hours, as long as he's not insulinomic). Offer him a chicken wing, a chicken neck, or a chicken wingette. These are all boney, but have SOME meat on them. He should be hungry enough to chew off the meat and HOPEFULLY he'll start to gnaw on the bone as well (since there wont be enough meat to fill him up. 2. Take a bone and break it in half (using a hammer or something heavy). Show your ferret the yummy marrow inside. Maybe put some ferretone on it to entice him. 3. Play tug-of-war with the bone. Make it seem like the coolest thing in the world....but your ferret can't have it  This usually spurs the little rug monkies into thinking "Hey I want that!" 4. While working with your baby to get onto bone, you can put eggshell powder on his food each day (to give him calcium). Don't give more then 1 finely ground eggshell, per ferret, per day. Its also important to feed organ meat once a week. Be sure to include 1 chicken liver per ferret (no more then 2 per ferret, or they'll get too much vitamin A). Heart is good (although not an organ) its a good source of taurine (and you can buy it for cheap ) Pancreas is good, kidneys are good, lung is good. Try looking for slaughterhouses or farms near you. Sometimes you can get these parts for free (or for very little cost). Chicken liver, gizzards, and heart (maybe even beef kidney too) SHOULD be available at your local grocery store or butcher. As long as you feed ALL the chicken parts each week,you should be okay. You could even do what Amy does and give cornish game hen. These are small chickens and they have softer bones then an adult chicken. I would recommend alternating feeding game hen and adult chicken, this way you do get SOME variation in nutrients (because meat has different nutrient composition as it ages. Its important to include "young" and old versions of each meat" For example veal/beef, turkey/poult, chicken/game hen, pork/piglet, lamb/mutton). Hope this helps! |
|
|
|
Post by tsslilsis on Jun 26, 2008 9:50:36 GMT -5
The thing is though, she's not giving them any organ right now is what she was saying.
Some people feed organ meat once a week, we give our ferrets organ almost everyday because that is what they'd get in the wild. I wouldn't go any more than a week without giving them organ. I suggest you go to the store and get a tub of chicken livers and give it to them. 10% of their diet should be organ.
Hope this helps.
-`Ketlin
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 26, 2008 9:56:22 GMT -5
Ah, I see, Ketlin. Thank you.
Yes, I agree with Ketlin. Be sure to add the organ meat atleast once a week and work with your little one on getting into the bones. If you DO feed organ meat each day, be sure to not give a WHOLE chicken liver each day. Like Ketlin said, only 10% of the diet should come from organ meat.
|
|
|
|
Post by pentacle565 on Jun 26, 2008 12:00:35 GMT -5
k, thanks, I'm still trying to find a place that sells more than just hearts, and more than just on occasion. Is liver enough with just that organ, or are the kidneys, lungs, brain, etc. also essential? And what is the best raw food to get my guy's weight back up? Right now he is allarmingly thin from fasting to get him to eat meat. I was still feeding him, but it was forced with only a few hunks of chicken per day.
|
|
|
|
Post by pentacle565 on Jun 26, 2008 12:01:17 GMT -5
Oh, and he just ate half a chicken wing, bone and all, so I think he's going to be ok on the bone front.
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 26, 2008 12:07:55 GMT -5
k, thanks, I'm still trying to find a place that sells more than just hearts, and more than just on occasion.
Check local butchers (ask them if they have them. They might not have them on display but they might have them). Also check as many grocery stores in town as possible.
Is liver enough with just that organ, or are the kidneys, lungs, brain, etc. also essential?
IMO Liver is the most important organ. The other items are great IF you can find them. Sometimes you can find those crazy items at ethnic markets. Look around town and see if you spot anything. If not, never fear. The only organs my cat gets is liver and SOMETIMES kidney. But she eats raw AND whole prey. You are going to be feeding raw and whole prey (once the mice are ready) soooooo I wouldnt panic if you cant find a huge array of organs. Just worry about liver for now.
And what is the best raw food to get my guy's weight back up?
Honestly just eating the raw will get it up. De lost some weight during the switch (not alot but a little) and within two weeks of switching she's fine. Just give your little guy all the food he wants. Beef, pork, and lamb are good because they are fatty. You can add a LITTLE heavy whipping cream as a treat, but IMO this is unecessary. As long as you let him eat all he wants, his work should work its way up in no time.
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 26, 2008 12:08:12 GMT -5
Oh, and he just ate half a chicken wing, bone and all, so I think he's going to be ok on the bone front. This certainly makes me relieved.  |
|
|
|
Post by pentacle565 on Jun 27, 2008 9:01:20 GMT -5
I just looked at the ferretone lable, and aparntly its high in vitamin A. Not a replacement for organ, of corse, but enough to temporarily avoide health risks?
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jun 27, 2008 9:53:02 GMT -5
Maybe. But organ meat has more then just Vitamin A, so I would still try and get it asap.
|
|
