Meat, bone, organ

[sherrylynne]

I can't believe we haven't had this up before
Meat- any chunk muscle meat. Pork, lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, goat, heart of any kind, etc Gizzards are also muscle meat.

Bone- and consumable bone. For ferrets, this is generally any non weight bearing bone from any animal chicken sized or smaller.
Exceptions are things like necks and tails.

Organs- Liver, spleen, lung, pancreas, brain, thymus, kidney, etc. Basically anything in the body that secretes.

[Heather]

Hmmm, you know it's nothing worse than the fact that "many" of us know what we mean but not "all of us" understand
ciao

[B3@N!]

Are organs particularly needed? I just have so much trouble with liver. Cassiel will eat heart and gizzards just fine but when it comes to that darned liver!

[taratee]

i think liver is rich in iron isnt it? why not feed soup once a week? she can get her organs in then and wont be bothered by the liver

[3kaw]

I think they need a certain amount of liver in particular, and then other organ meat. ? Correct me if i'm wrong.


QUestion.... where does tongue fit into this?? LOL Muscle??
I have beef tongue for my dogs and was going to see if the ferrets like it.

[horse656]

tongue would be under muscle.

[bluemoose]

Yes, organs are needed. Approximately 5% liver and 5% other organ(s).

And yes, tongue is muscle meat.

[trippyferret]

Are intestines and stomachs considered organs? Do ferrets typically like them?

[bluemoose]

I'm not sure they count as secreting organs. I know for sure that most ferrets don't like them. Stomach and intestines contain the plants the prey animal ate and those usually don't interest ferrets. Mine usually eat around them

[trippyferret]

Ah yes, when I give mine mice they always leave the intestines. Usually on my wall!

[rarnold18]

my guys will eat green tripe, but the tripe you find at the grocery store has been bleached and has very little nutritional value left to it. Green tripe seems to be hit or miss, my crew will eat it and I include it in my ground mixes, that's probably why they eat it, it's hidden! My dogs go CRAZY for it! I don't feed intestines....there's just something too yucky about it, even for me!

[Heather]

Liver is necessary. If you cannot get them to eat it, you can feed cod liver oil (I supplement a small amount every couple of weeks) but it's not the same. The real deal is much better for them. I have a number of fuzzes who will not eat liver (reminds me of my daughter ) I put the liver in my guys soupy. I throw it in the food processor along with the hearts, eggs and pumpkin and throw it on liquify....let them find the pieces in that gross mess to pick them out My guys never complain about it that way.
Hmmm, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who's been on the receiving end of the ferret decorating crew. No...fuzzes are not fond, and will leave stomach, spleen and intestines of their prey. I was in a panic the other day, there running down the hallway, was a bloody streak. Looked like a bloody poopy....no it was an intestine with a small mouse stomach attached. Of course I only find this out when I turn on the hall light I've already suffered the heartattack by that time
ciao

[bluemoose]

Mine won't eat green tripe but yes, I think all dogs love it Must be because it's so smelly

[sherrylynne]

To be honest, the only way I could get mine to eat liver/kidney(have a LOT of trouble getting anything else ) was to puree it into a soup, with a dollop of heavy(whipping) cream added in, and basically hand fed. For a whole freaking year!!!
They finally decided chicken livers weren't all that bad Thank all the gods!

[trippyferret]

I've been lucky with mine and liver! All four of them will eat it if I puree it, and Bomber and Evie eat it in chunks! No additives needed, they just seem to like it!