Halbingefrau's Switching Thread/Sherrylynne

[halblingefrau]

I really love your box idea for the freezer. Would also help keep our freezer more organized as my husband doesn't like freezer tetris.

So they can eat beef on the bone, they just can't really chew up the bone? Would things like ox tails be bone-in or muscle (since they can't eat the bone)? Also, would ground meat be considered muscle meat? I can get bison but it's ground. I don't know about "exotic" meats, but sometimes the local store sells mutton since we live so close to the Navajo Reservation (mutton is a huge staple there). In southern AZ you can get ostrich! There's an ostrich farm outside Tucson, but I haven't seen any up here.

I think I'm going to draw up a schedule based mostly on meal type (not what the meat I'm serving). I do love the versatility of buying what's on sale and feeding that. They'll eventually get bored of chicken so yeah I want to try other meats. I tried ground lamb and they weren't wild about it. Would LOVE to get some game like duck or goose, but no idea how since we don't hunt.

I'm never sure if I'm feeding too much. My kids are little porkers right now, but June and Ash are both under a year and it IS winter so I expect winter weight. Actually Asher will be a year old on Thanksgiving (or thereabouts). Anyway when I feed a whole wing at night, there is usually some left in the morning. Depending on how much left, I may skip giving them breakfast that day. I read that it's safe to leave bone-in meat out for around 24 hours (give or take unless it starts to smell funny).

[sherrylynne]

With things like oxtail, some can eat the bones, some can't. It's really individual. So that could be either. Yes, ground would be muscle meat, unless it's commercial raw, with bone/organ mixed in.
Mutton is great. It's ideal if you can feed different ages of various animals to them, since they all have different nutritional values. Like lamb/sheep/mutton(this generally comes from older animals). Chicks/pullets(fryers)/chicken(roasters)/stewing hen- all different ages!
Lamb can take them some getting used to. Keep with it, though. They may develop a taste for it. Or you could even mix it in with some ground chicken or turkey, to calm down the stronger flavour.
With the increased appetites, and weight gain, you are not only seeing the effects of winter appetites, but when ferrets are first switched, they seem like they cannot get enough to eat. It's almost like their bodies are craving the extra nutrition they weren't getting from the kibbles. That usually calms down after a couple of months.
Right now, give them however much they'll eat, and don't worry about the weight. If there is a lot left over at the next meal time, just feed less. If it's all gone, feed more
Bone in meats are fine left out 24 hours, as are larger chunks. If they are bad, ferrets won't eat them anyway!
With ground, I leave it til the next feeding. Sometimes they eat it, sometimes not.

[halblingefrau]

I'm considering buying a grinder attachment for my kitchen aid. It won't handle bones, but it could handle grinding up hearts/livers into ground meats and things. Would probably be pretty easy to grind chunked chicken in with ground lamb or mutton. We'll see. I'm going to the pet store tomorrow for a few things so I am going to pick up some frozen pinkies to see if they like them. I might have to ask around to some local reptile owners to see where they buy their mice and if we could split a frozen mail order to save on shipping. If I had the room for a chest freezer, I'd order a whole box for myself but right now we share a tiny refrigerator freezer with the ferts.

[halblingefrau]

Well I haven't gotten any mice yet. Life has been a bit crazy. But an update on the kids, they're still eating 100% raw with gusto. I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow so I'm going to pick up some other meats. Maybe some gizzards and hearts.

[sherrylynne]

Sounds good! We also need to start setting them up a menu, to make sure they are getting everything they need in their diets

[halblingefrau]

Asher had his first pinkie tonight but the other two didn't try theirs. I have them eating hearts with a few gizzards mixed in tonight for dinner.

It's actually really hard to get hearts around here (you get like 100 gizzards and 5 hearts in a pack). Do you know a good way to reconstitute dried heart or is it ok to give them dried?

What should I do to set up a menu?

[sherrylynne]

It's certainly fine to give it dried. The only way I get heart for mine is to order it in by the caselot! My guys will eat approx 3-4 hearts each for a meal, so if you are giving dried, you could always just use them as a daily treat. That would cover the taurine needed.
For a menu, you need to list everything you are giving them right now. Example is Mon. they get this for breakfast, this for dinner. Tues. they get this, etc.
That way, we can tweak what they'll need for optimal health. Also, I've found it very helpful to let me know, okay, I've bought too much pork, and am feeding it too often. They'll need something else next week.

[halblingefrau]

Ok, here's the menu they've had so far.

Wednesday: chicken wings both meals
Thursday: 1/2 cornish game hen in morning, they had a lot leftover so I didn't give dinner
Friday: chicken backs, morn and eve
Saturday: morning they had leftover chicken back, evening they had hearts and a few gizzards
Sunday: chicken meat (non-bone-in) so far.

[sherrylynne]

All right! Looks like they're chewing bone like a pro
Now, we'll get started on introducing new protein bases for them, as well as organ meats. You can use whatever you prefer for that, but I've found chicken livers were the most readily accepted.
Can you get some more heart meat? Any kind is fine. They'll need it in their diet at least weekly, or a taurine supplement if it's really hard to find.
What we want to do also is start varying when they have bone in, when they have organ, and of course, the muscle meats.

[halblingefrau]

Tonight they're having oxtail (hopefully) and chicken liver. I have some freeze dried turkey heart and I'm getting all the turkey giblets and necks from friends this t-giving

[sherrylynne]

That sounds great! Let me know how they handle not only the oxtail, but the liver

[halblingefrau]

Livers were eaten with gusto. Ox tail was nibbled on but mostly dragged around and hidden in various litter boxes.

[sherrylynne]

Hey, that's a definite plus(for the liver)! Now you can start adding that in weekly as well.
As for the oxtail, it might just be that they need to get used to it. They now know all kinds of chicken are food, and they have to learn other meats fill that bill as well

[halblingefrau]

In getting them to take other meats, do I need to go back to the soupie stage?

Speaking of the ox tail, I caught a glimpse of Asher dragging it around OUTSIDE of the cage last night. I lost sight of it. I'm sure a smell will reveal Asher's hiding spot in a few days.

[sherrylynne]

You don't have to step back at all, unless they flatly refuse it. Just offer the new one, see if they accept it. You might have to get them to taste it. If they still refuse, mix some in with the old meats, but chopped smaller. Since ferrets are basically very lazy eaters, generally they'll wind up eating some of the new, simply because it's easier