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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 8, 2011 23:33:10 GMT -5
Alright I think i'm understanding this a bit more.
Thanks for everything
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 9, 2011 2:34:54 GMT -5
Basic rules of thumb to keep in mind when planning a menu: 1) minimum 3 proteins. Preferably more, but minimum 3. 2) 4 days bone in, 2 days muscle meats, 1 meal a week organ, other meal whatever you like Bone in are things like commercial raw, whole prey, chicken wings, necks, etc. Any meat that has bone they can actually eat. Muscle meals are exactly that. Meat with no bones. Pork, turkey, lamb, goat, beef, etc. Organ meals are things like liver, lung, spleen, brain, etc. Basically any part of the body that excretes.
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 9, 2011 2:36:37 GMT -5
I just amuses me of how just thinking about what to feed my ferret made be confuse again I shall get it though, at least hopefully before getting my ferret...
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 9, 2011 2:39:32 GMT -5
Alright.... I think I understand a bit more again
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 9, 2011 3:20:16 GMT -5
Not a problem When you get your fuzz, sign up for a mentor, and they'll walk you through the whole thing
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 9, 2011 3:26:21 GMT -5
Will do
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Post by bluemoose on Jan 9, 2011 4:49:14 GMT -5
I find whole prey to be much more simple than prey model. Because whole prey already has approximately 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs, you don't need to worry as much about balance. As you've been told, three different proteins is the minimum and more is always better. Mine get adult mice, rats, quail, rabbit, and guinea pig and occasionally day old chicks.
Because whole prey is covered in fur it has less exposure to air so it doesn't go bad as quickly as raw. Since spoilage isn't really an issue (they eat the prey before it's anywhere near going bad) I leave food in the feeding den for them all the time. I find it easier than worrying about meals since I'm not always home at the same time everyday. When they finish what they have, they get another meal. I just rotate through the prey I have available so they don't eat the same thing all the time.
Other than whole prey, mine just get daily fish oil and extra virgin olive oil, taurine powder, powdered eggshell, and an occasional egg yolk. The oils are for omega 3s. Taurine is found in all meat and the eggshell powder is for calcium which is in bone so adding those is just to make sure they're getting enough.
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Post by Heather on Jan 9, 2011 13:29:34 GMT -5
That's a really awesome prey diet. As they only get the occasional egg (yolk) why not the whole egg, just mush it (scramble it) so that they don't just get white? Whole prey when done correctly is a lot easier, but I can't get the variety that I would consider a good cover unfortunately, so find myself feeding from all available sourses; commercial whole meats, commercial and my own mix of grind, frankenprey from grocery sources and mice (home raised), rats (raised by a friend) and whole undressed (that sounds silly as they have their fur on and their innards ) rabbits ciao
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Post by Jackie on Jan 9, 2011 13:33:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I wish I could feed whole prey. It seems sooo much easier. One day, when I have more money
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Post by bluemoose on Jan 9, 2011 14:36:00 GMT -5
I get all my prey from rodentpro.com/ The shipping does make it somewhat pricey but using the Greyhound pickup option helps cut down on the price somewhat.
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 9, 2011 18:03:33 GMT -5
So much to learn Well I have, so far: Rats (Might hand raise) Mice (Also might hand raise) Cornish Hen and Chicken Oh, plus the egg yolk once a week and the chicken baby food daily
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 9, 2011 18:04:52 GMT -5
Maybe I can throw in a rabbit once in awhile
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Post by sunnyberra on Jan 9, 2011 18:35:31 GMT -5
Yeah, I wish I could feed whole prey. God, so do I, but I just can't get them to go for it, and I've spent a lot of money trying. So far, they only eat whole quail and even that can be iffy. ... why so stubborn, babes? >
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Post by Jackie on Jan 10, 2011 8:52:55 GMT -5
I predict having a hard time feeding whole prey to my girls. I could imagine them thinking the mouse is a new friend... Yuck! littleferretowner: If you are feeding 3 different whole prey protein sources, your bases are covered. More is always better, so if you can throw in rabbit, quail, gerbil, etc, that is awesome. I'm not positive on this, but I think you can feed the whole egg, not just the yolk.
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Post by littleferretowner on Jan 10, 2011 13:19:23 GMT -5
I've been saying only yolk because I believe I read somewhere that the white aren't good for them... The website or I could be wrong, so i'm not really sure what to do about the egg thing anymore
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