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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Jul 7, 2008 11:18:53 GMT -5
Hi there, I am new here.
I have a few questions before I start the transition:
1. How do I know that my ferrets are getting the proper amounts of proteins, fats, fiber, etc. when on the raw diet?
2. How many of you feed food that has previously been frozen? I live near a New Seasons Market (like Whole Foods) and they sell frozen containers of raw "chicken muscle, organs, back and neck" in their pet food section. The animal products come from the same chickens as in the meat section so it is vegetarian fed, human grade, no hormones, etc. Is this okay to feed as part of their diet? I would thaw it first!
3. Being vegan, I know very little about cow, pig or lamb cuts. What cuts or pieces are best for ferrets to eat as their 30% muscle meat ?
4. I hope to feed 50/50 raw and kibble, at least until I am comfortable with handling and feeding meat. (YES I know it would be better to leave out the kibble all together but being vegan and LOOKING at meat is hard for me) Would it be possible to get my ferrets adjusted to meat and then feed them either: one meal meat, one meal kibble per day or every other day switch meat or kibble?
Thanks for your help guys. I am excited to start this but I know it will take longer for ME to adjust than it will for my ferrets! Haha
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 7, 2008 15:21:49 GMT -5
1. How do I know that my ferrets are getting the proper amounts of proteins, fats, fiber, etc. when on the raw diet? Are you planning on feeding whole prey with raw?? It is a bit easier when feeding whole prey too (i think) but if only feeding raw make sure that they get 10%organ meet along with muscle and bone. You also want to try to get them on a few different meats, ie: chicken, rabbit, lamb, beef. Remember that they do not need any veggies or fruits only meats and bones.
2. How many of you feed food that has previously been frozen? I live near a New Seasons Market (like Whole Foods) and they sell frozen containers of raw "chicken muscle, organs, back and neck" in their pet food section. The animal products come from the same chickens as in the meat section so it is vegetarian fed, human grade, no hormones, etc. Is this okay to feed as part of their diet? I would thaw it first!Yes--the whole prey that my babies eat come to me frozen so feeding them foods that have been frozen is ok. The chicken that i buy for them i buy fresh and then freeze so that i can buy alot of it at once.
3. Being vegan, I know very little about cow, pig or lamb cuts. What cuts or pieces are best for ferrets to eat as their 30% muscle meat ?When it comes to lamb i feed chops and parts of the leg, cow i mainly feed them ribs(including short ribs). I do not feed pig.
4. I hope to feed 50/50 raw and kibble, at least until I am comfortable with handling and feeding meat. (YES I know it would be better to leave out the kibble all together but being vegan and LOOKING at meat is hard for me) Would it be possible to get my ferrets adjusted to meat and then feed them either: one meal meat, one meal kibble per day or every other day switch meat or kibble? it is harder to get them on raw diet with kibble also but i will leave others who feed raw and kibble to answer this as i only feed raw and whole prey
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 7, 2008 18:01:46 GMT -5
1. How do I know that my ferrets are getting the proper amounts of proteins, fats, fiber, etc. when on the raw diet?No one (not even kibble manufactuers ) fully understands the nutritional needs of ferrets. We can only venture our best guess. Ferrets dont need "complete and balanced" meals EVERY DAY. In fact, if they did, there would be no need for fat and fat soluable vitamins. The body is designed to store extra vitamins and deplete those resources when needed. If you follow some basic guidlines you can ensure that your ferret will be healthy and happy, but bear in mind there's no such things as 100% complete and balanced. Please read this post on how to provide a "balanced and complete" (bear in mind its not 100% b&c but not even kibble is ) raw diet: holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=newbquest&action=display&thread=644 2. How many of you feed food that has previously been frozen? I live near a New Seasons Market (like Whole Foods) and they sell frozen containers of raw "chicken muscle, organs, back and neck" in their pet food section. The animal products come from the same chickens as in the meat section so it is vegetarian fed, human grade, no hormones, etc. Is this okay to feed as part of their diet? I would thaw it first!I think pretty much all of us feed frozen-thawed. Buying in bulk helps you save money. Freezing can deplete SOME nutrients in meat (such as taurine) but if you toss in some fresh (not frozen) beef heart now and then, your ferret(s) will be find 3. Being vegan, I know very little about cow, pig or lamb cuts. What cuts or pieces are best for ferrets to eat as their 30% muscle meat ?Pretty much any boneless muscle meat. Here is a list of cuts of various meats to help you out: Various Cuts of Meat: Type of Meat: Link to “Cut Chart”:Beef www.reluctantgourmet.com/beef_cuts.htmVeal www.culinarycafe.com/Meat_Dishes/Veal_Cuts.htmlMutton www.ibbco.com/images/mutton.gifLamb www.askthemeatman.com/lamb_chart.htmPork www.victoriapacking.com/porkinfo.htmlPoultry/Birds apipoultry.com/Chicken_Cuts.jpg4. I hope to feed 50/50 raw and kibble, at least until I am comfortable with handling and feeding meat. (YES I know it would be better to leave out the kibble all together but being vegan and LOOKING at meat is hard for me) Would it be possible to get my ferrets adjusted to meat and then feed them either: one meal meat, one meal kibble per day or every other day switch meat or kibble? Yes its possible, but like Jas said it might make the switch more difficult. I see no reason to feed kibble honestly, if you are feeding meat once a day, why not ONLY feed meat? We can help you balance the diet out so that your babies are getting all they need. Thanks for your help guys. I am excited to start this but I know it will take longer for ME to adjust than it will for my ferrets! Haha Do a little research on what's REALLY in pet food and you'll want to switch so fast it will make your head spin. Vegan or not lol you'll be rushing to feed fresh, raw meat if you know EVERYTHING about kibble Dont worry, I believe in you! I think you can do this! Ask whatever questions you need to get comfortable
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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Jul 7, 2008 20:10:14 GMT -5
Thank you for the quick replies guys! I am very excited to start. I have another question and I feel like I have look everywhere but can't find an answer.
How much should I expect to feed my ferrets daily? I am trying to find out how much I will need to buy and spend.
Didjeridu is just under three pounds and between 2-3 years old. Ernie is just under three pounds and between 3-4 years old. Little Girl is just under two pounds and between 3-4 years old.
I'm sure this info is someplace but I swear I have looked everywhere, even on other sites!
Thanks ladies.
I was also wondering, are there openings for the mentor program preview?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 7, 2008 21:27:29 GMT -5
1. Your ferrets will probably each eat 1 chicken wing, leg, thigh or 1-2 palm sized pieces of boneless meat per day. 2. Yes, you are more then welcome to be paired with a mentor I wish we had a mentor that was Vegan, but I am afraid we dont. Oh well, I can find someone that will be a good match for you Keep asking questions, and when you are ready to begin, just start a thread over in the "natural diet newbies" section where you will post updates on your babies switch progress (and where your mentor will check in on you and assist you).
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Post by animalsgetrevenge on Jul 8, 2008 10:35:30 GMT -5
Awesome, thanks for the answers Giuliana.
Do you have any idea how many ounces they would be eating? Sounds like they will probably eat more ounces each day.
That would make sense because there is so much water in meat compared to kibble....
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 8, 2008 12:33:20 GMT -5
Honestly I dont do EXACT amounts (each ferret is different) just start out offering them the amounts I recommended above (1 wing or 1 palm sized piece of meat) then just add more food, subtract food as needed for each ferret (if they get chunky cut back, if they get too lean, add more) Once you've found an amount of food that works well for them, THEN you can weigh the food to get an idea of how many ounces they are eating. Bear in mind that different meats (as well as different cuts of meat) have different caloric values. A cup of pork steak and a cut of chicken thighs will vary in "caloric density". Dont worry though, you learn to feed by gut feeling (as in how MUCH to feed) sounds scary/complicated, but you'll get the hang of it, I swear.
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 8, 2008 16:38:53 GMT -5
Also let me just add that each ferret can and probally will eat a different amount each day and that the amount of food that they eat changes by season too.
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Post by josiesmom on Jul 8, 2008 17:44:55 GMT -5
animalsgetrevenge asks:
1. How do I know that my ferrets are getting the proper amounts of proteins, fats, fiber, etc. when on the raw diet? the real truth is that ferret nutrient requirements haven't been ascertained yet, so those often printed claims of "complete balanced nutrition" posted on kibble bags are in fact lies! Offering your ferrets meat from a variety of sources as well as skin on pieces and bone in pieces will offer your ferret good nutrition, EXCELLENT nutrition will come from offering whole prey!
2. How many of you feed food that has previously been frozen?
Prettymuch all of us, I'd bet. Even those of us that feed whole prey often need to freeze our stock. I feed a fair amount of meaty items that I freeze dry myself in my frost free freezer. Thawed frozen raw meaty bones are still 100% better than any kibble could ever be! Those market containers sound like a great start!
3. Being vegan, I know very little about cow, pig or lamb cuts. What cuts or pieces are best for ferrets to eat as their 30% muscle meat ? Stick to cuts that are high fat and close to the bone. I don't feed a lot of meat from hooved mammals ( ungulates) because it isn't likely a ferret would take down a cow; but they might well make good use of the carcass! Offer pieces like ox tails, lamb neck bones, pork neck bones. You could try split pigs feet, but I haven't. I pretty much stick to small poultry (Cornish Game hen, chicken/turkey wings, legs, gizzards, hearts, livers, necks) and rabbit as well as whole prey ( mice).
4. I hope to feed 50/50 raw and kibble, at least until I am comfortable with handling and feeding meat. To help acclimate yourself to handling meat think of how much healthier your ferrets will be. Wear rubber gloves,use poultry or kitchen shears for cutting the meat. For some reason using scissors doesn't conjure up the same images as using a knife does. Think of meat as no more than peeled egg plant.
Once your ferrets make the switch to meat it is very likely they will eventually refuse kibble altogether! During the transition mix the meat and kibble together until eventually there is more meat than kibble and finally all meat, but don't alternate days. Doesn't make sense to handle meat one day, then not the next. Also your ferrets may end up fasting themselves while waiting for the meat day to arrive! Fasting isn't a bad thing ( I shoot for one day a week for my ferrets) but every other day would not be good for them. Also constantly changing their diet back and forth will do their bowels a disservice too!
One major benefit of offering natural foods is that it improves the health of the bowels. Assaulting their digestive tract with kibble every other day won't let them heal properly.
Offering your ferrets natural foods in natural forms is a complete change from offering them processed foods. I assure you that handling meat is not all that icky.
We will be very happy to have you join the ranks of Natural ferret feeders and your ferrets will thank you too!
Hope this helps! Cheers, Kim
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