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Post by tinytippytoes on Dec 8, 2010 4:43:32 GMT -5
I haven't got my ferts yet. Now I have 3 boy rats and 1 mouse named Moose. I have a question...1st theres no way I can feed them mice and rats LOL for the fact that I love those those little guys. Raw is something new to me but I see such good pics on the now and after thread I would like to try it. Do I have to order somewhere or can I buy from own grocery store ..that was my real question since I have a tiny apt. I don't have a huge freezer to put food in. So if I buy chicken and such they have a couple of natural brands here but I don't see much natural in other cuts of meat. Any answers would be much appreciated.
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Post by bluemoose on Dec 8, 2010 5:32:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! Natural diets can be whole prey or "raw" (prey model). Whole prey such as mice, rats, chicks, rabbits, quail, ect. are naturally balanced as far as meat to organ to bone ratios. A raw diet needs to emulate these amounts. Approximately 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organs. All raw of course but especially the bone. Cooked bones are very dangerous. A general rule is to feed at least three protein sources so if you can get three different proteins, liver, and another organ at your grocery store, then yes, you can get your raw there.
Once you get your ferrets, consider getting a mentor. This forum has a great mentor program to give one-on-one help with all your questions and concerns as you switch ferrets to a natural diet. Ferrets tend to imprint on their food and can be difficult to switch off of kibble. Older ferrets especially get very attached to their food and can resist change.
Also, if you're new to ferrets, I would recommend reading Ferrets for Dummies, 2nd Edition by Kim Schilling. It's affectionately referred to as the ferret bible because it's an excellent way to learn all the basics of ferret care. And of course feel free to ask any questions you'd like here. Everyone is very friendly and helpful and no question is considered silly.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 8, 2010 10:18:30 GMT -5
Since I have 9, obviously I try to buy in bulk But yes, you could do your entire menu from the grocery store. Especially if you have any ethnic markets near you. Generally I find those cost less than my usual shopping place, and I can get some of the "funkier" meats there You could feasibly do chicken, pork, and beef for your 3 main proteins, and add in something like lamb, duck, turkey, even rabbit if you can find it(the more variety you can feed, the better). I get dressed quail at one store I go to. Heart at least weekly is pretty much a must for the taurine(it's a muscle meat), liver can be from any animal, and other organs would be things like kidney, spleen, brain, thymus, lung, pancreas, etc.
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Post by sunnyberra on Dec 8, 2010 10:27:12 GMT -5
Hi and welcome!
For me, I shop online mostly (only get gamehens and pumpkin at the store), because it seemed the quality of meat for raw feeding wasn't that great. I mean, it was better than kibble, but I wasn't seeing the benefits like I wanted (and I've been feeding raw for three years now), and having to revolve mostly around chicken wasn't doing wonders for Pixie's tummy (gamehens and necks are about the only chicken she can handle, and those sparingly).
So, I switched to online providers and feed a mix of raw and natural, and my guys have really blossomed.
I *had* to do it this way, because I didn't have a lot of options I liked, and I'm insanely jealous of those who have well stocked stores and different ethnic markets, and only occasionally rely on online stores. If you can buy at local shops, by all means, go that route ;D they are great resources.
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Post by tinytippytoes on Dec 8, 2010 19:07:43 GMT -5
Since I have 9, obviously I try to buy in bulk But yes, you could do your entire menu from the grocery store. Especially if you have any ethnic markets near you. Generally I find those cost less than my usual shopping place, and I can get some of the "funkier" meats there You could feasibly do chicken, pork, and beef for your 3 main proteins, and add in something like lamb, duck, turkey, even rabbit if you can find it(the more variety you can feed, the better). I get dressed quail at one store I go to. Heart at least weekly is pretty much a must for the taurine(it's a muscle meat), liver can be from any animal, and other organs would be things like kidney, spleen, brain, thymus, lung, pancreas, etc. I haven't a clue where to go for those kinds of meats. I don't think I've ever seen that in any grocery store around here. We have a traders joe here but I don't know if they sell that kind of meat..best I take a look there. Im in New York know any place here? I think I'll look on line for now to get a better idea of what meats I'm looking for. Thanks for the help!!!
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 8, 2010 19:47:34 GMT -5
Those are usually in the freezer section where you'd get your turkey for Christmas
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Post by tinytippytoes on Dec 8, 2010 19:56:24 GMT -5
Those are usually in the freezer section where you'd get your turkey for Christmas LOL of course they are!!!! I do have one more question for today. I hear stories about how raw meat can contain parasites. How does this work with feeding them this diet?
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Post by bluemoose on Dec 8, 2010 20:20:03 GMT -5
That's only really an issue with wild meat. Meat raised for human consumption won't have parasites. If you want to make extra sure, freeze the meat for a couple weeks before feeding.
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Post by Heather on Dec 9, 2010 0:58:48 GMT -5
Might I also suggest that you prowl through these various nutritional sections. One doesn't have to feed prey to reap all the benefits of a more natural diet. You might try reading through some of the switching threads too. There's a lot of interesting information there. Good luck ciao
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