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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 15:10:06 GMT -5
Pork I heard is really salty is that okay for them? Plus, pork has a lot of fat. What kind of pork? Like a pork chop or bacon? Oh, I thought about adding warm/hot water but... Hot water and chicken can make them sick... temperatures where bacteria multiply rapidly and a high risk of salmonella. Yes, they both like eggs I gave them a whole once and they liked it but I don't really like feeding them the white part of the egg. Would they like Olive oil? EVO as in the ferret kibble food? They also both love pumpkin, Binxi had eaten a part of her blanket and I had to give it to her and she loved it I mean she LOVES it. I know it's not that great for them so I don't use it lots but last night was kinda a weird. I mixed chicken with kibble and pumpkin and they had eaten half the bowl over the night. I know you said don't leave them without food for long but it was only 8 hours and they had the bowl of kibble and chicken and they did eat it. I also, left a bowl of chicken chunks and they didn't eat it at all. This was my first time trying them with the food over night and I think it worked so every night now I'm taking away the kibble and just giving them kibble mixed with chicken. I have only tryed them with chicken and beef and they don't like it. I would just like to add I live in a small town only two pet stores and non of them really have ferret stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:50:32 GMT -5
Pork is perfectly safe to feed so long as it doesn't say "enhanced". If it says enhanced they have added a saline solution to it that is salty and is bad for your ferrets (and you). Pork naturally has no more salt than any other meat. Stay away from bacon since it is smoked, salted or cured with chemicals (same with salt pork) but any other cut is fine- pork chops, roasts, tenderloin, ribs, pork belly, etc. Also ferrets need a high protein, high fat diet. so yes, please feed them that fatty pork!
Ferrets cannot get sick from salmonella. Their digestive tract takes 4 hours from the time they eat the food until pooping it out the other end, it's too short to give the bacteria time to multiply to a dangerous level. Plus they have very acidic stomach acid and have evolved over the millennia to eat such things. Also ferrets will not eat food with a bacterial load that is too high for them to safely handle. Salmonella is dangerous to you handling their meat, so always wash your hands and any surfaces the food comes into contact with well. So please try adding some hot (but not boiling) water to their soup. It should greatly improve their responses to it.
Egg whites are safe if you're feeding the yolk as well at the same time, then there is no need to worry about the biotin issue. If it makes you feel better though you can go with just the yolks. Raw egg is a great addition to their diet.
I said this in the previous post, EVO or EVOO = extra virgin olive oil. Some ferrets like it, some do not. You can try mixing it with ferretone or salmon oil for instance to get them to like it. You should be including some sort of oil, preferably a marine animal oil into their diet once they are switched to provide essential fatty acids for skin and coat health.
Try mixing a soup with chicken mush, pumpkin and some hot water and tell me how they like it. I bet you they love it and will eat it all. Pumpkin isn't good to feed all of the time, but some every now and then for blockages and shedding season won't kill them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 21:02:36 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 21:23:48 GMT -5
I heard of people feeding ferrets pork belly would that be good for my ferrets? I have only really tried them with chicken and beef. They kinda like the chicken but not beef I have beef heart do you think they might like it? Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit, rats/mice and I heard fish if not smoked but I don't know about the fish... What do you think? Then why does everyone hate when they recall kibble like (Evo just a few months ago)and people say that the ferrets got sick from it and that it can hurt them what is the difference? I trust you and other people have done it as well I just wasn't sure because I looked it up online and it sounded bad but ferrets and people are way different. I always wash my hands and I always wash the counter as well. With just the chicken and kibble they did eat I posted pictures. Should I still add water to it if they are already willing to eat it like this? I gave them the whole egg other then the shell and they loved it!!! Posted pictures. Okay, I'll try buying some and how much do I use of it? I do have ferretone but I haven't used it before I don't know if they will like it or not. Where can I get salmon oil? and how much would I give them of that? Okay, I will do that. They have eaten about two bowls now and I added just a little bit of pumpkin on one of them and they seemed to like it more. Do you think I should leave them over night again with just the mixed meat and kibble? They seem to be eating good around the same as if the meat wasn't in there. Anyways let me know what you think. Thanks!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 17:09:20 GMT -5
Pork belly is fine if it's just plain pork belly and not salt pork or bacon. It's just a nice, fatty cut of meat. I's about $4/lb here so I don't buy it as more than an occasional treat.
All of the things you have listed are all good food sources. Plain fish, not smoked or seasoned is ok to feed them, though their poop may smell more when eating fish. (like it should now on the Marshall's kibble) Some ferrets don't like fish, others do. Beef heart, hard to say right now when your guys are so fussy. You can try offering them a bit if you want, they may or may not eat it. My guys love heart. Be aware if they do have heart they may have black, tarry runny stools after. This is normal as heart contains lots of blood.
As far as kibble recalls go, half the time the problems have to do with random chemicals and items like plastic being found in the kibble, or mold, which could seriously injure or sicken a ferret. The other half of recalls generally revolves around things like ecoli or salmonella. These are usually more dangerous to unsuspecting people handling the food and not washing their hands after, but it can be dangerous to some pets too if they don't eat raw (if they're eating kibble, then they probably are not) and haven't built up the good, strong gut bacteria to deal with it. But I have only heard of a couple of accounts of kibble recalls for salmonella sickening ferrets. It's got to be a pretty high amount of bacteria for them to do the recall.
If they're eating the chicken on their own (are they eating the chicken it looks like) then keep going as you are, and start reducing the amount of kibble you feed and add in more chicken. You can mix raw egg in with the chicken too.
Salmon oil can be bought online, or at your local health food stores or some grocery stores. Generally you want a brand with as few ingredients in it and preferably no chemicals. Give a half to a teaspoon a ferret every couple days. This is a great treat to use for nail trimmings and vet visits. Ferretone isn't the best thing to give your ferrets due to the potential carcinogens in it, but it's ok to use sparingly as a training aide. Again, no more than a teaspoon per ferret every couple of days as it is fortified with vitamins. Oils can also give them the runs if they eat too much at once.
You can try leaving the meat and kibble mix out all night. Hopefully they eat the meat and ignore the kibble.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2013 2:06:01 GMT -5
I'm sorry I forgot to come on here before I left. I had to go to Vancouver and had no internet/computer. My fiance/dad of the ferrets was watching them well I was gone. I pre made the chicken before I left so all he had to do was mix it in with the kibble. He said he kept up with changing the food every 8 hours I don't like leaving chicken out longer then that. All the chicken was used up by the time I got home and they had chicken/kibble in a bowl when I got home so they will eat the half and half. This weekend I'm 100% free so all my time so going to the babies. Is there anything new I should try this weekend? about 6-7 days ago they had an egg should I mix that with chicken and some kibble? Also, I have been hearing that pumpkin is really bad for ferrets. :S I think it worked 100% when my little Binxi had eaten a little chunk out of her blanket she pooped it right out with about 3hours. They will not eat the chicken by it's self but Oswin likes to nibble on chicken gizzards. I did try rubbing beef heart on there gums/in there mouths and they didn't like it at all. Again sorry for not messaging and thanks so much for helping me.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2013 10:17:22 GMT -5
Pumpkin is fine as an occasional thing, it's not something you should feed daily normally once you've got them switched, but it should be ok for now, it's still far better than kibble.
You can try mixing the egg into the kibble/chicken glop. Your picture of the glop looks really dry, do you put any water in there at all to soften it up/make it more like a soup consistency? That would really help them out I think.
Also is this chunks or pieces of meat or ground/mush? It's usually easier to start with mush and work up to pieces.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 17:47:23 GMT -5
I put the chicken in the blender then just mix it with the kibble and put a little pumpkin on top so they will eat it. Tonight I'm going to try doing it as a soup I'll put chicken breast and chicken gizzards blened then add a little bit of pumpkin and an egg. I think I will try adding the whole egg. I tryed them with pieces and they just picked it out.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2013 6:14:30 GMT -5
That sounds good, let me know how they like it!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2013 1:47:34 GMT -5
They liked it bit more with the hot water added so I'm going to do that over the next few days and then after a few days then I will add less kibble and more chicken. I have only been feeding them boneless chicken breats and leaving a piece of gizzard out for Oswin she likes to play with it not sure why.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2013 6:21:11 GMT -5
Sounds good. Also, try to add more chicken and less pumpkin and see if they'll eat it with less. You'll want to wean them off of it, you don't want to have to give them pumpkin for every meal.
Also you may want to consider getting some eggshells or bone meal powder to toss in their soup as well as they do need calcium and they aren't eating bones currently.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 20:11:00 GMT -5
I only add just a bit on top so they will eat it only about 5ml and I know 5mls is a good amount for one ferret. Tomorrow I'm going to give them more chicken and less kibble. I added one egg yolk yesterday and one whole egg today. How many eggs can a ferret have in a week??? I do have two ferrets and that is why I gave them one yolk yesterday and a full egg today. My ferrets LOVE eggs it's the most real raw that they eat besides chicken in the kibble. I also would like to know how long can you leave chicken out? How long can you leave a full CornishGameHen out? How long can you leave a full Rat/Mouse out? How long can you leave Beef out? How long can you leave Pork out? How long can you leave Lamb out? How long can you leave Rabbit out? How long can you leave Deer out? Also, is there any other kind of meat that they should have that I didn't list off? Also, I do have a uncle who lives across from me and he does hunting so I was wondering what kind of meat would be good for them that he could get? He only shoots what he wants to keep/bring home, and he always asks people what they want. I don't know when he is going hunting again but I would like him to get something for my babies. I would also like to know when should I try them with bones/chicken wings? The hardest thing they eat is kibble and Dental chew sticks. Other then the Dental sticks I do not feed them treats and they only get one each, once a week. They also do not like any kind of Marshalls treats and I think that's good because there is a lot of sugar in them.
Where can I get bone meal powder? Can I ask for it at a normal food store?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 21:21:43 GMT -5
Bone meal powder can be found at health food stores, holistic stores, places like that. A grocery store like whole foods might have it, and it may or may not be in the health food/vitamins section of department or normal grocery stores, I'm not sure as I never had to buy any myself.
Wild game of all sorts is fine for your fuzz buts, whatever you can get- be it venison, turkey, etc. Both the muscle meat, smaller bones and organs are all acceptable- just note that any meat you get from a wild kill should be deep frozen for 2-3 weeks to kill off any parasites that might be living in the meat.
You can feed your ferret whatever kind of meat you can get your hands on pretty much, the sky is the limit. From fish to any kind of poultry, hoofed animals, to rodents like mice and rats, rabbits, you name it, they can have it.
Most meat, in large pieces or whole prey can be left out for up to 48 hours, or until you cannot bear the stink anymore/the ferrets won't eat it. Mine like to turn theirs into jerky before eating it, so it drives out and crusts over on the surface and sits around for several days.
Ground meat is good up to 12 hours I'd say and then it needs to be dumped. The protein type is mostly irrelevant in terms of how long it can sit out.
You can try offering them bones now if you want, but I don't know if they'll eat them as they've been struggling to eat the chicken by itself. Feel free to offer them some small pieces to start if you want. I recommend chicken or turkey neck pieces cut up into small pieces, chicken wing tips, or CGH bones chopped up (or rabbit) to start with. Mice would be a good starter too if you were able to get a hold of some and puree them up in a blender or processor without destroying it (blech!).
Whole eggs, no more than 2-3 per ferret a week I'd say, just because of the whites. If you gave just yolks, 4-5 per ferret per week I'd say. They're good during shedding season as they have been shown to break down hairballs as they are forming.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 20:13:45 GMT -5
I couldn't find any bone meal powder... I'm going to try and look at some other stores tomorrow. I did get them some chicken wings I put two in the cage for now if they don't try it then I'll wait another week or two before trying them again with it. He said he would get me some deer for them. And he said maybe a rabbit if he sees one. Thanks for telling me about how long to leave the meat out. Can to many egg yolks make a ferret sick? They are shedding so I would like to give them a little more pumpkin or eggs. I use a flea comb to try and get most of the lose hair off of them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 20:32:31 GMT -5
Too much of anything, even water can make anybody or thing sick. I wouldn't be feeding them each ten eggs a week for instance. Bound to unbalance something.
You may need to pin or tie the chicken wings to something, such as the cage or a tote bin to make it easier for them to pull at it, if they dare to try it. Also you may have some luck feeding them in a feeding den- doesn't have to be fancy, a cardboard box will do. It offers them privacy.
With wild rabbit, be sure to have the liver checked before feeding it. If it has white spots on it, you have to toss the whole animal because that means it had tulemaria which is contagious through infected meat.
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