Am I correct?

[mimisaiyan1998]

If I were to feed my ferrets raw, is it legit to give them nothing BUT whole prey? I know this sounds incredibly silly, but I hear so much more about "fraken-prey" diet and how balanced it is (people have researched and worked hard to make it so) So then it leaves me wondering if I just can't give my ferrets whole prey.

It sounds a lot easier! Everything is in the entire animal and balanced (say a mouse) and I wouldn't have to take up so much freezer space (as I would with a bunch of different organ meats/muscle meat/ bones....) I have tried this in the past with my dog, and I would make the mistake of confusing the different ones (silly me for not labeling them) and we would run out of space for our stuff! 

Plus, I would feel secure knowing that they would be eating a 100% complete meal-leaving no chance for me to make an error. 

[Tasha]

Whole prey is totally an option it just tends to be a bit more pricey. They also need a variety of different meats, so you would have to get different types of small animals. People commonly get mice/rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens I believe. This link has some info about whole prey feeding

holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/whole-prey/

[crazylady]

Hi just remember a mouse is not really a complete meal its a treat ( mouse has more fur than anything else ) I often feed chicks ( for my guys there a treat ) 3-4 chicks per male and 2-3 per female I cut up whole prey into portions ( rabbit duck etc complete with fur and bone ) and give organs on a separate day ox heart is also a separate day so if for example you only had one or two ferrets one rabbit could give you quite a number of meals depending in sex and appetite
Bev

[caitmonster]

It is way easier in that regard, yes however from what I understand you tend to need MORE freezer space, if not a second dedicated chest freezer, because you have to buy in bulk due to shipping prices for frozen products (cheapest I've found is around $29 per order). And some companies--e.g., Hare Today--have a required weight minimum as it is. I seriously considered whole prey myself, but in my case budget and freezer space were the issues.

[mimisaiyan1998]

Sept 29, 2018 15:05:11 GMT -5 caitmonster said:

It is way easier in that regard, yes however from what I understand you tend to need MORE freezer space, if not a second dedicated chest freezer, because you have to buy in bulk due to shipping prices for frozen products (cheapest I've found is around $29 per order). And some companies--e.g., Hare Today--have a required weight minimum as it is. I seriously considered whole prey myself, but in my case budget and freezer space were the issues.

Yeah, I kinda had that thought afterwards, lol. It’s why it’s easier for me to give my dog commercial frozen raw/FDR. Saves on lots of space. A few times a week I’ll give her a raw chicken bones which she loves! I also try and look for variety while I can. And not to mention, she loves the grinds better than when I would try to give her “Fraken” type prey (ex: heart/gizzards) so I’m considering giving my future ferrets raw (like stella and chewy) and giving them whole prey a few times a week. And yes, while the grinds cause plaque a little, I still manage to brush my dogs teeth and will do the same for my fuzzies.