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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2013 19:59:41 GMT -5
So am I permitted to use this menu?
Chicken wings Chicken necks Chicken bone in thigh Quail Lamb heart Gravy beef Chicken frames (it's like a rib cage) Lamb kidney Lamb liver
I am also going to enquire about other organs and turkey necks, if I can get turkey necks I will use them instead of chicken ones.
Are ducks tongues a good idea as well?
I will see if my pet store will order in mice often enough for me to give them
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Post by bitbyter on Apr 23, 2013 20:19:42 GMT -5
Looks ok, but I'd like to see at least one other protein type in there. You also need to figure out how much they are eating per day so that you can know how much to portion per meal. Please start posting the weights of what they are eating as it is the only way I can judge their progress.
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Post by bitbyter on Apr 23, 2013 20:58:32 GMT -5
I edited the earlier post that had the amount of organ listed. It is 2 oz of liver, 2 oz (not 1 oz) of other organ per ferret per week.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 0:00:29 GMT -5
Hi again, I have just been shopping and gotten a lot of meat, but first of all as i started weighing their meals yesterday i have found that they eat just under 3oz per meal, between them. but they left a lot of the kidney and liver :/ i have obtained and prepared the following; Duck Giblet; Lamb Liver; Lamb Heart: Lamb Kidney (left) Gravy Beef (Right): Chicken breast frames (Top) chicken necks (bottom): and finally chicken wings and chicken thighs with bone:
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 2:21:06 GMT -5
this is proving to be much too expensive and rather stressful... plus i lack the freezer space to store this, the whole lot is in the fridge! I have just filled the ferrets' bowl up with the following; 2.48oz chicken neck 0.56oz gravy beef 0.30oz lamb kidney 0.42oz lamb heart 0.28oz lamb liver 0.40oz duck giblet i gave them thigh with bone and they just dragged it around, they did the same with the wing... they won't eat the frame either... it just got left there... i spent hours smashing the bones and chopping the bits up and then they ignored it, but fell upon the bowl of food mentioned above... can i just feed them the foods mentioned in the bowl? is that four proteins? is giblet muscle meat? will that menu satisfy their needs? i can chop it up according to their weekly needs and prepare multiple batches of food to freeze, but all this food and bits and stuff... it's too stressful i'm sorry... i probably sound like a spoilt little brat... i'm just trying to find the best thing for me and my ferrets, this is nothing at all against you...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 2:21:21 GMT -5
also; how would one prepare quail?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 7:29:38 GMT -5
i apologise for my meltdown earlier... but i would appreciate if we could discuss some methods that are easy and cheap, as i have poor budget and timetable... i need to be able to prepare a weeks worth every week end... but the info i have gotten is un-nerving... 4 pack of quail = $20 1 Adult Rat = $30 EEK!!! I can get a 5 pack of adult mice for $25 which i consider cheap (i guess lol) so i'd like to discuss the benefits of feeding mice with you please, just tell me what you know... if that's ok? if you can tell me the correct way to prepare quail i will attempt to feed it to them, i can probably only afford one four pack per fortnight though so i need to make it last or not get it lol, either way... i don't even know if it has organs :/ the wings were a fail... but the thighs and frames were dreadful!!! so, i'm willing to continue trying with wings, but i'm not trying thighs or frames anymore... i think that's wayyy too much chicken... is there too much lamb? i'm using lamb heart, lamb kidney and lamb liver... i can get chicken liver, but if i do i want to drop chicken necks or wings, so let me know what you think here... brb... ferret drama
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 7:54:35 GMT -5
back lol ferret wrestling got a bit much for Panda lololololol ok... so, basically for the sake of my purse and my schedule quail, mice/rat, frames, thighs, rabbit... it's all a no if possible... but if absolutely needed the best option is quail... i sound so money hungry so they are gobbling up their lamb liver, lamb heart, lamb kidney, duck giblet and gravy beef... their chicken necks have been nibbled but are still mostly intact... i was wondering how i would know who is getting enough of what? the seperate meal time/place thing doesn't work... but i want to stop giving them food in their cage because they are too difficult to monitor which ferret is getting what! sooo.... what would you recommend? i was thinking about setting up some kind of feeding den thing where i can put them in and close the door, but they wouldn't eat unless they were hungry because they only have play on their minds... plus then i could portion it out, work out their needs per week, and feed them their own batch per week in order to make sure they get it all so... how would i go about making/setting up an eating place/cage so that they eat? and is there a food i can leave in their cage overnight to gobble up if they're hungry that doesn't matter if they are getting more or less of? or should i just pull food throughout the night completely and just give food every (insert number here) hours... for example, i'm usually awake by ten am at the very latest (i'm up late studying sometimes thus the sleep in) and i'm usually in bed by eleven pm at the very latest. Mondays i am at uni most of the day, same with tuesday, wednesday i have off, thursday and friday i only have one class in the morning, and weekends i'm free... so i need to be able to figure out when i can feed them so that they will be hungry but haven't gone too long without food... this way i can monitor exactly how much they are eating as well as know for certain that they are getting their needed liver, kidney etc... because i can guarantee they aren't right now... so i need this sorted... i know i'm screwing around with weights etc but it's hard to tell who eats what when they both eat whilst im not here so... yeah... let me know looking forward to your reply!!!
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Post by bitbyter on Apr 24, 2013 9:18:08 GMT -5
I wouldn't bother with the quail if they are that expensive, as well as the whole prey. Frankly I don't think it would be worth it at those prices. On your budget you need to stick to what is cheapest but also provide them enough variety and the nutrition they need.
The real key to doing a raw diet cheaply is freezer space. Without that, you are going to end up throwing out a lot of meat as it goes bad.
Also, Ziplock bags take up a lot less space in the freezer as you can shape them to whatever available space you have. If you can turn down the temperature on your fridge that may help what you already bought last longer.
Also, it is more expensive in the beginning of a switch as you throw out a lot when you are teaching them what they need to be eating. (I went through this when I was doing my switch).
Ok, so 3 oz a day between the two of them. That is a start. Keep in mind you have to keep an eye on this over time as it can change seasonally (rg. if they are emptying their bowl every meal then you might want to increase the amounts a bit, if they are leaving a lot left over then you may have to cut back).
So that means you need to be preparing by weight (this will cover both your ferrets for a week based on them eating 3 oz per day combined):
13.5 oz bone in meats
6 oz boneless / muscle meats (gizzards / giblets are a muscle meat)
4 oz heart
4 oz of liver
4 oz other organ
When you tried to feed them the wings and frames, did you chop them up (like in my videos above)? I find it really strange that they are willing to eat the chicken necks but not other bone in chicken.
Is your cage a single level or double level? The only real way you are going to be sure of what they are eating (other than monitoring their individual weight loss / gain). Is to separate them during feeding times and being able to leave them for some time with their individual meals. I'll see if I can get some of the other mentors to chime in with suggestions.
Everything you bought / prepared looks good but I'd suggest cutting up the giblets smaller when you give them to the ferrets as they are a lot of work to chew. Same with the necks, backs, wings and thighs (I think you are but just not for storage?).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2013 23:10:43 GMT -5
ok, have obtained a cleaver and re-watched your videos. my wings etc weren't cut up properly so gonna fix that today. will show you my meals when completed. everything i've shown you is storage size, not serving. also am weighing them today so will post weights once that is done. (will make it every wednesday after this, deal?) Now i'm just wondering if they are getting enough proteins? they are getting chicken, lamb, beef and duck. I'm hoping it's possibe to just stick with chicken wings and necks? as the thighs with bones are a tad expensive... and my budget is lower now due to increased internet costs. so would that suffice? also is the lamb heart, liver and kidney too much lamb? or is that ok? and i assume the gravy beef and duck giblets are good? shall use them both as my muscle meat sources... how's that in your opinion?? btw i will upload a video of my dinner rather than multiple pics ciao!
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Post by bitbyter on Apr 24, 2013 23:44:50 GMT -5
ok, have obtained a cleaver and re-watched your videos. my wings etc weren't cut up properly so gonna fix that today. will show you my meals when completed. When introducing new meats or something they seems to be hesitant on, it can help to hand feed it to them. Doesn't always work but sometimes it's all the encouragement they need.everything i've shown you is storage size, not serving. Ok, just wanted to make sure. also am weighing them today so will post weights once that is done. (will make it every wednesday after this, deal?) Now i'm just wondering if they are getting enough proteins? they are getting chicken, lamb, beef and duck. That is enough variety for a base menu but another type every once and a while wouldn't hurt.I'm hoping it's possible to just stick with chicken wings and necks? Yes, that should be fine. as the thighs with bones are a tad expensive... and my budget is lower now due to increased internet costs. so would that suffice? also is the lamb heart, liver and kidney too much lamb? or is that ok? It should be alright but maybe try to switch out the lamb liver with chicken liver every once and a while for more variety.and i assume the gravy beef and duck giblets are good? shall use them both as my muscle meat sources... Yephow's that in your opinion?? On track as far as I can see btw i will upload a video of my dinner rather than multiple pics ciao! I would really suggest seeing if you can find a small second hand freezer at the university you attend (maybe post some wanted ads). It will save you a lot of money in the long run (prevents waste) and make feeding much easier (by preparing their meals ahead of time). For example, I just recently did a big purchase of food and prepared it all over a weekend. Now all I have to do is thaw their meals for the next 2 months.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2013 2:19:05 GMT -5
hi! just smashed the heck out of necks and wings with the cleaver ^_^ loving it ^_^ so awesome... meals/menu looks good... glad to hear i can switch to chicken liver permanently if that would be better? because panda is so dang fussy switching half way through would likely be a bad idea but i will let you decide what you think is best pressure ;p so, have prepared their meals etc based upon the weights you supplied. the first batch has chicken wings and necks, but the butcher had no more wings so the next two batches have necks only. is that bad? i used 4oz of giblets and 2oz of beef as they were low on beef this time around, the last batch has slightly less giblet and slightly more beef though... is that ok??? I DIDN'T PUT EGGSHELL POWDER BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE IF I NEEDED IT! if i do i will add it tomorrow. is it still 1/2 tsp??? i also didn't add pumpkin yet because i wasn't sure how much to put??? erm... what else was i gonna say... oh yeah! i weighed them! Sable is now 25.28oz and panda is 27.34oz... panda is a chubber does it matter what time of day they are weighed or if they have eaten first??? i put 5oz in their bowl today, do i weigh it after they have their initial nibble or at the end of the day??? and..... oh, i may not be online at all on monday... have a funeral... so reckon i will be too upset to do anything but i will try to come online any way... posting a picture of the freezer space i am permitted lol... buying another freezer isn't an option at this point as there is literally nowhere to fit it anyway... i just spent two hours preparing ferret food... now it's time to cook some human food see ya later!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2013 4:58:25 GMT -5
*cough* we may have a slight problem... i put the food into their cage, 5oz, at around 3pm today... it its now almost 8pm and they have eaten it all as far as i'm aware... does that mean a food increase is required? blegh... i usually fill the bowl up in the morning when i get up and just before i go to bed... but it looks like their appetite has increased... either that or they've stashed it all under my bed again!!! will check their cage and under the bed...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2013 5:00:25 GMT -5
OH NO!!!! ARGH!!!!! they're hoarding their food in the tube i put inside their cage!!! what'll i do? i can'y get it out to measure it i mean... it'll be gone by morning most likely.. but still... they'yr not using the backpack as an eating den anymore, now it's the tube... i need to discourage that... any advice? :/
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2013 7:49:47 GMT -5
ok, just checked their cage, it's 11pm. they are completely out of food. putting another 5oz in their cage for overnight... will let you know in the morning if there is anything left and how much night!
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