Questions about balanced grinds and kits

[colorguarder08]

So in 1 week I will be getting my ferrets. Can not wait. Obviously to reduce stress I will be starting them on the kibble they are used to then switching once that bag gets low. I will be starting with balanced grinds as that is much cheaper than whole prey. Maybe later on we can do whole prey but for now balanced grinds will be it. I have calculated that if I have 3 adult males I will 35lbs a month of the grinds. I don't know how much feed 2-3 kits (won't know until I get them if I will be getting 2 or 3). I do know that kits eat a lot more than adults. Would it be ok to feed them the 6oz then have extra feedings of gizzards/tripe/hearts with an occasional liver thrown in? How often should they be fed? Raw is very different than kibble so it's a bit tricky to figure out.

[caitmonster]

I've only done frankenprey with one ferret nor have I ever done grinds, so I'm not much help. Depending on exactly how young they are be prepared to feel like you're shoveling food into bottomless pits. I can tell you that the first week I brought Rocky home, when he was a little over 2 months old, he was eating 12 ounces per day (!).

I fed 3 times a day for the first month or so--one AM, one afternoon, and one PM.

Is the gizzards/tripe/hearts you mentioned a pre-made mix? I'd wonder about the extra organ content (tripe) potentially throwing off the nutritional balance of your meal plan... depends on the amount of tripe, though. The gizzards & hearts could just count as extra muscle; taurine is water soluble so overdose isn't an issue.

I wouldn't feed extra liver on its own if, again, the grinds you'd be using are already balanced.

[colorguarder08]

The gizzards/tripe/hearts are not a premade thing. I was just thinking about cheaper although still healthy ways to feed the kits and was more or less using those as an example of extra things to feed them.