Hello, I'm preparing to feed my two ferts their first raw meal.. And I have a couple questions I figured some of you could probably answer for me. Or enlighten me more over this topic.
1. What type of raw meats can ferrets actually eat without getting sick? (ex; chicken, or beef.)
2. What are the possible risks of disease/illness a ferret can contract from a raw diet?
3. Is a raw diet more beneficial over dry foods?
Thank you, fellow ferret owner.
You got some great answers from some experienced ferrents.
We usually start older ferrets off on a soupie recipe. Ferrets generally imprint on their food anytime from six months to a year. So, they simply don't recognize new food as food.
The soupie recipe is balanced and will give them the nutrients they need as they move past stage 1 soupie to the frankenprey or whole prey foods.
The soupie recipe is:
8ounces of raw chicken thigh
1/2 chicken liver
1-2 chicken hearts
1/2 tsp of dried eggshell powder
Simply save up your egg shells, let them dry for a day or two and then grind them into a fine powder.
A coffee grinder or magic bullet will easily do this. The powder stores well in a dry place.
Puree all of this in a blender or magic bullet. It will be thick.
A girl will probably eat about 2 ounces a day, a boy 3-4 ounces. A little less in the Spring.
You can freeze the soupie in ice cube trays and pop them out as needed. Then add some warm water. They most likely will prefer it thinner in the beginning.
Sit with one on your lap, dab your finger into the soupie and wipe some on their mouth. She has to lick it off. Have a spoon ready ( I use colorful plastic baby spoons). Offer some soupie on the spoon.
Patience, persistence and coaxing are the keys to success.
The idea is to get them use to the soupie and then begin adding tiny slivers of meat. Once he/she accepts the slivers, you begin decreasing the amount of soup and increasing the size and amount of the slivers. This may take awhile or they may take right to the soup.
Keep a few hours between kibble and soup. They digest at a different rate and may cause an upset tummy, if you feed them too close together.
1. Ferrets can eat any meats except you want to avoid processed meats (like deli or bacon products) look at your meats and make sure they don't have any additives or flavorings.
2. Ferrets have a fast digestive track. 3-4 hours at most. That's why salmonella or E coli is almost unheard of for a ferret. Salmonella needs six hours to incubate and E coli needs 12 hours. It's long gone from a ferret by them.
Ferrets digest differently from humans. Another way that the ferret’s digestive tract is specifically suited to digest raw and whole prey foods is the way that they derive glucose from the foods they consume.
Glucose is a crystalline monosaccharide used by the cells of the body as a source of energy and a metabolic intermediate, It is believed by Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, and others (such as Holistic Ferret Forum and Bob Church, a leading ferret expert) that ferrets, and other obligate carnivores, obtain their glucose through a process known as gluconeogenesis (pronounced gloo-coh-nee-oh-jen-a-sis). This is the conversion of amino acids (found in protein) and fat into glucose.
Humans obtain their
glucose though the breaking down of ingested carbohydrates, which is done through the use of various enzymes. Unlike the liver of the ferret (which is constantly performing gluconeogenesis) the only time a omnivore’s body performs gluconeogenesis is in periods of starvation where the creature’s own muscle protein is broken down and converted into glucose.
A ferret is fully capable of obtaining glucose solely from amino acids and fat. In fact, excess ingested carbohydrates in the diet of the domestic ferret might cause or contribute to the pancreatic disease, insulinoma
The liver of an obligate carnivore lacks the ability to down-regulate (slow down) the breakdown of amino acids through gluconeogenesis. As a result, the body has a high need for ingested protein. Without a high consumption of protein, the body begins to break down its own muscle protein, which results in muscle atrophy and nitrogen loss.
The final digestive feature, or rather, lack there of, that points to the ferret’s carnivorous nature is the lack of a ceacum, an organ specifically designed for digesting plant fiber. This organ is present in many animals, including carnivores such as cats and foxes, but the ferret is such a strict carnivore (even stricter then the cat, which is also an obligate carnivore) that it is not equipped with this organ.
Since plant fiber is not regularly ingested by the ferret; it has no need for such an organ.
Kibble is filled with filler (fruits/grains/starches and carbs). It helps hold the meat/proteins together.
It also appeals to the pet owner, who believes that if these are healthy and good for us, they must be also for the ferrets. An awful lot of pet owners still categorize a ferret with a guinea pig or rabbit or even rat.
They are much more similar to a feline and Taurine is an absolute necessity. That's why we include hearts or even tongue in their weekly menu.
Taurine is water soluable and needs to be a part of their diet.
Liver is full of vitamin A, but can build up in their system. That's why we build a menu and only offer 5 percent of their diet or twice a week, include a liver as part of the weekly diet.
3. The benefits that you will see first is a change in their coats. They go from coarse and dry to soft and silky.
Eating bones and gizzards cleans their teeth. Their energy levels increase. Then there is the fun Grapetail.
Ferrets who eat raw will develop a grape kool aid smell. They also seem to increase their bond to us and become more snuggley and give more kisses. Never underestimate a ferret hug or kiss.
I hope this helps some.
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