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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2016 21:56:00 GMT -5
I have 3 ferrets my two females are 5 years old and my male is 3 years old. How many oz. should I offer each of them during each meal? ( feeding 2 times a day)
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 6, 2016 23:02:12 GMT -5
Hi staciejo, the short answer to your question is as many as they will eat! The longer answer is that plus, this may take a bit of experimenting for you to figure out. I have 4 that are currently eating a total of 16oz a day and another 2 that eat 8oz. (the other 2 are still being switched to frankenprey but do eat grinds mixed with stella and chewys and one of those 2 will eat whole prey also) Start with more then you think they will eat and cut down until there is barely anything left. That is the best bet or if you have the time give a few ounces and watch, when they eat that up give a few more and so on and so forth. Their apppetites do flucuate a little day to day and with favorite meals but you should have a good idea with in a few days of how much they will eat.
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Post by Heather on Aug 6, 2016 23:55:05 GMT -5
How much your ferret will eat depends on season, age, health and gender. Jills/sprites will eat on average between 1 oz to 3 oz per day. Hobs/gibbs generally eat 3 to 7 oz per day. These of course are averages
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2016 8:41:50 GMT -5
Hi staciejo, the short answer to your question is as many as they will eat! The longer answer is that plus, this may take a bit of experimenting for you to figure out. I have 4 that are currently eating a total of 16oz a day and another 2 that eat 8oz. (the other 2 are still being switched to frankenprey but do eat grinds mixed with stella and chewys and one of those 2 will eat whole prey also) Start with more then you think they will eat and cut down until there is barely anything left. That is the best bet or if you have the time give a few ounces and watch, when they eat that up give a few more and so on and so forth. Their apppetites do flucuate a little day to day and with favorite meals but you should have a good idea with in a few days of how much they will eat. FireAngel can anything left over be used as left overs another day so there isnt access waste? How long will it last in the refrigerator if it can be? Is the time different then what humans are able to eat? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2016 8:45:44 GMT -5
How much your ferret will eat depends on season, age, health and gender. Jills/sprites will eat on average between 1 oz to 3 oz per day. Hobs/gibbs generally eat 3 to 7 oz per day. These of course are averages ciao My females are 5 years old (2) and my male is 3 years old. I think what i will do is prep a total of 14oz per meal so 28oz a day and then measure leftovers for a week and go from there. I plan to allow them access to the meal for 2 hours before I pull it. Is that enough time or is it too long ? |
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Post by FireAngel on Aug 10, 2016 10:46:38 GMT -5
Raw soupie is good for 6-8 hours
Muscle meats up to 12 hours
Bone In meats up to 24 hours
Whole prey is good for 48 hours.
This is somewhat dependent on room temperature also, if it is extremely hot the. It may not last that long and if it is on the cooler side it may last longer. Ferrets in general have better sense of smell and will not eat food if it has gone bad. Trust your nose though and if it smells rancid to you go ahead and toss it.
Most of us free feed our ferrets meaning we never take the food away, we just change it out about 12 hours later. A ferrets digestive tract is short so they usually will eat every few hours or so even if it is just a few bites at a time. If a ferret has insuloma it needs to be free fed in order to maintain its blood sugar. If it is not, it will become very sick and could die.
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Post by raynebc on Aug 10, 2016 15:09:12 GMT -5
Raw meat can easily last a few days if it stays at fridge temperature, but if you're going to store it longer it should ideally be frozen. Thawing meat once to portion and re-freeze is fine, but thawing and re-freezing the same meat multiple times could lead to quality problems.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2016 14:34:29 GMT -5
I was wondering the same exact thing! I am starting the switch very soon and was confused on how much to actually give him. He seems to eat a lot more in the early morning/afternoon. Is it okay to start out by mixing in some organ or meat with his kibble? He is only 3.5 months old and I think he will be open to trying the new diet. He is not very picky.
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raebees
Junior Member
Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
Posts: 219 
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Post by raebees on Dec 19, 2016 1:42:01 GMT -5
I was wondering the same exact thing! I am starting the switch very soon and was confused on how much to actually give him. He seems to eat a lot more in the early morning/afternoon. Is it okay to start out by mixing in some organ or meat with his kibble? He is only 3.5 months old and I think he will be open to trying the new diet. He is not very picky. No need to mix with kibble. That could lead to a bacteria problem because cooked foods slow down the digestive system which would allow the raw food to turn rancid in their stomach. Wait 3 or 4 hours after his last kibble meal and offer him something raw. He is a baby which means he hasn't imprinted on his food yet. You are in a 'golden window' where he will be more likely to try the things you offer. |
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Post by Sherry on Dec 19, 2016 11:19:57 GMT -5
I would remove kibble and give him some smaller pieces of meat to see how he takes to them  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 9:09:07 GMT -5
I was wondering the same exact thing! I am starting the switch very soon and was confused on how much to actually give him. He seems to eat a lot more in the early morning/afternoon. Is it okay to start out by mixing in some organ or meat with his kibble? He is only 3.5 months old and I think he will be open to trying the new diet. He is not very picky. No need to mix with kibble. That could lead to a bacteria problem because cooked foods slow down the digestive system which would allow the raw food to turn rancid in their stomach. Wait 3 or 4 hours after his last kibble meal and offer him something raw. He is a baby which means he hasn't imprinted on his food yet. You are in a 'golden window' where he will be more likely to try the things you offer. Thank you! I will definitely try it this way! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 20:09:04 GMT -5
I would remove kibble and give him some smaller pieces of meat to see how he takes to them This worked really well! Tonight we tried pretty much pureed raw chicken livers! Wasn't interested at first but I put some on a spoon and held it up to his face and he started licking it up!! I'm going to post a pic on another thread!! Im such a proud momma! |
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raebees
Junior Member
Raw Feeder
Yes, i am contagious. 😂😂
Posts: 219
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Post by raebees on Dec 21, 2016 2:09:56 GMT -5
Great job! I bet he'll take to small slivers really quickly, especially if you dip them in warm water first.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 6:17:17 GMT -5
He did! I woke up this morning to him playing with the empty bowl. Haha I wasn't happy to be awake but I was stoked that he ate all of it! I'll have to increase the amount I give him. Going to give him kibble for the morning and then give him something else for dinner. I get my box from My Pet Carnivore today, I can't wait to let him try all of it!!
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Post by Sherry on Dec 21, 2016 10:35:30 GMT -5
Just keep in mind liver is a small portion of their weekly diet  Use meat chunks instead. |
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